As the flat racing calendar starts to draw to a thrilling close, all eyes turn to the Curragh for the grand finale of the Irish Classic season — the St Leger.
Set to take place on September 15, this prestigious race promises to showcase thoroughbred excellence and will attract plenty of interest in online horse racing betting.
With a rich history dating back over 100 years, the Irish St Leger stands as a testament to the endurance, speed and spirit of its contenders.
As anticipation builds for the end-of-season spectacle, we take a closer look at the early favourites poised to make their mark in this esteemed event, analysing their form and potential to claim victory in one of Ireland’s most revered horse races.
Giavellotto
Giavellotto is the early favourite for the Irish St Leger. The five-year-old, trained by Marco Botti in Newmarket, has displayed his speed and endurance in his last couple of outings on British soil.
After two respectable runs in the Middle East earlier in the year, finishing third and fifth in Group races in Riyadh and Meydan, Giavellotto returned home and has won his last two races.
He beat the Willie Mullins-trained Vauban by a convincing four-and-three-quarter lengths in the Yorkshire Cup in May and followed up with another comfortable victory over Arrest in the Princess Of Wales’s Stakes at Newmarket in July.
With that form, Giavellotto has every chance of being in the mix come the finish of the Irish St Leger.
Kyprios
Having won the Irish St Leger in 2022, Kyprios knows what it takes to win this race, and he’ll be out to regain his Classic crown should he feature in the lineup at the Curragh this year.
The Aidan O’Brien-trained horse edged out Hamish en route to an unbeaten season two years ago, in which he won all six of his outings and four successive Group 1s, but he couldn’t get the better of Eldar Eldarov that season.
Kyprios missed the majority of the 2023 season through injury, and while he made it back for the defence of his Irish St Leger title, returning from a 344-day break to try and win a Classic was always going to be a tough task.
The six-year-old has been in fantastic form so far this season, winning all of his races to date — including a second Ascot Gold Cup — and will likely shorten into the favourite if his place in the race is confirmed.
Tower Of London
Another horse from O’Brien’s esteemed Ballydoyle stables in County Tipperary, Tower Of London is having a career-best campaign at four.
The Coolmore horse scored in both of the aforementioned races in the Middle East, justifying favouritism in the Group 3 Red Sea Turf and the Dubai Gold Cup earlier in the year.
However, Tower Of London was disappointing in the Yorkshire Cup. He weakened over a furlong out after losing his right-fore shoe and finished second last over 11 lengths behind Giavellotto.
The four-year-old bounced back over the Irish St Leger’s course and distance last time out, though, winning the Group 2 International Curragh Cup from stablemate Grosvenor Square. That win makes him a danger in this Classic.
