Group 1 Winners Set For Irish Trials

Group 1 winners Order Of St George (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Fascinating Rock (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) will be among the stars to step out at The Curragh this weekend for the Irish Champions Weekend trial races.

G1 Gold Cup winner Order Of St George will use Saturday's G3 Palmerstown House Estate Irish St Leger Trial as a springboard to the main event on Sept. 11, which he won last year. G1 Champion S. and G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup victor Fascinating Rock looks likely to be met by O'Brien's one-time Derby favourite US Army Ranger (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in Sunday's G3 Royal Whip S. O'Brien will also be well-represented in the juvenile races, with Listed Chesham S. and G3 Tyros S. winner Churchill (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) set for Sunday's G2 Futurity S., and Brave Anna (War Front), Promise To Be True (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Rhododendron (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) all still engaged in Sunday's G2 Debutante S.

“Order Of St George had a break after Royal Ascot and is just back ready to start,” O'Brien said. “The plan with him after Ascot was to start back at The Curragh this weekend and we'll get over that first, but hopefully then he will go back for the Irish St Leger.”

“US Army Ranger is similar in that he is after having a good long break and is just ready to start back,” he continued. “We are happy with him since Epsom but he is just ready to start off and he'll improve a lot for the run at the weekend.”

O'Brien added, “Churchill seems to be in good form after Leopardstown and he is the main one in the Futurity S., and we will decide later in the week what else will run with him. In the Debutante S., Rhododendron is a possible to go there as is Hydrangea (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who won at The Curragh last time and we might have something else to run as well but we will take a look closer to the weekend. With Irish Champions Weekend coming up this is a great weekend which is very well placed in the calendar as it is great to get the horses out before Champions Weekend.”