Irish St Leger Horse Race | International Horse Racing

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Irish St Leger

The Irish St. Leger is the last leg of the Irish Triple Crown series, it is proceeded by the Irish 2,000 Guineas and the Irish Derby. As the finale of this prestigious Cup, the St. Leger takes place in September, making it one of the last events of the flat racing season. The race is held at Curragh Racecourse and is open to thoroughbreds aged three and over.

With a purse of €275,000 the Irish St. Leger is not the most expensive race of the Irish Triple Crown series, but it is by far the most gruelling of the events. The distance of one mile and six furlongs tests the high-profile contenders' limits like no other Irish Triple Crown meeting. The age restrictions are not as narrow as those for most other Triple Crown races, meaning contenders can try their hands at the event more than once. The most successful equine athlete to take to the track in the Irish St. Leger is without a doubt the outstanding Vinnie Roe. This remarkable thoroughbred took the win four years consecutively from 2001 to 2004, earning icon status not only for himself but for trainer Dermot Weld and jockey Par Smullen as well.

However, the leading trainer at the Irish St. Leger is legend Vincent O'Brien, who trained nine winners of the event from 1959 and 1988. The most successful jockey at the Irish St. Leger is Morny Wons, who rode seven victorious thoroughbreds from 1920 to 1947. That both of their records remain intact to this day is a valid testament of the high-level sportsmanship and intense difficulty of the Irish St. Leger.

Recent Winners of the Irish St Leger:

Year	Winner	Jockey	Trainer	Time
2010	Sans Frontieres	Olivier Peslier	Jeremy Noseda	3:10.36
2009	Alandi	Michael Kinane	John Oxx	3:14.82
2008	Septimus	Seamus Heffernan	Aidan O'Brien	3:11.97
2007	Yeats	Kieren Fallon	Aidan O'Brien	3:03.40
2006	Kastoria	Michael Kinane	John Oxx	3:01.00
2005	Collier Hill	Dean McKeown	Alan Swinbank	3:01.20

Irish St Leger Odds and News

20 Oct 2012: 2012 British Champions Long Distance Cup Betting Preview

The British Champions Long Distance Cup is the feature staying race on British Champions day at Ascot on Saturday.

The race will be run at 1.45 and will feature a field of nine horses.

The favourite in the British Champions Long Distance Cup betting market is Godolphin stayer Opinion Poll who is available at odds of 3/1.

He is followed in the market by Fame and Glory (9/2), Colour Vision (5/1) and Aiken (11/2).

This is a very open betting race so we have done the hard work for our readers and studied the 2012 British Champions Long Distance Cup form guide and statistics to help find the top selections in the race.

2012 British Champions Long Distance Cup Betting Preview

Aiden O’Brien-trained Fame and Glory won the 2011British Champions Long Distance Cup and will attempt to defend the title in this year’s race.

Fame and Glory started last year’s race as the second favourite and is on the second line of betting again this year.

Ile De Re is the only last start winner in the field.

Aiken (67%) has the highest winning percentage in the field followed by Rite of Passage (63 %), Fame and Glory (58%) and Opinion Poll (38%).

Opinion Poll, Fame and Glory, Colour Vision, Aiken, Rite of Passage, Saddler’s Rock and Askar Tau have all won Group races.

The most successful barrier over this distance at Ascot is barrier number seven which was drawn by Aiken.

2012 British Champions Long Distance Cup Trifecta

Opinion Poll (3/1) from Colour Vision (5/1) and Aiken (11/2)

Opinion Poll is a super consistent galloper who should be suited by the soft ground at Ascot on Saturday. The Halling stayer has not finished out of the placing’s in his last nine starts and meets stablemate Colour Vision better in the weights than the Group 1 Gold Cup.

Opinion Poll’s biggest competition will come from stablemate Colour Vision. The Rainbow Quest stayer won the Gold Cup in June but has disappointed in his last three outings and failed to show his normal acceleration in the Prix Du Cadran a fortnight ago. However, he should be able to bounce back to his best in this race and will likely be the fastest finishing horse in the final furlong.

This is Aiken’s first race over this distance but if he can carry over his Irish St Leger form should be right in the finish in this race. The John Gosden-trained gelding has an excellent record at Ascot and if he can handle the trip should finish in the top three.

You can find the best odds for every race on British Champions Day at Bet365!