O’Brien’s Scandinavia ready for Irish G1 assault
The Group 1 Irish St. Leger (2800m) is the highlight at the Curragh Racecourse in Ireland on Sunday when it will surely be hard for six rivals to prevent Scandinavia stretching his spree of consecutive victories to eight.
This weekend a year ago the Aidan O’Brien-trained colt had gained his second Group 1 when toughing it out up the Doncaster straight to win Britain’s 2905m St. Leger – which is confined to three-year-olds, unlike this Irish version.
Scandinavia’s four triumphs this year climaxed with a dazzling eight-and-a-half length victory in July’s Group 1 Goodwood Cup (3200m), facts and figures concluding that he had achieved another personal best.
Scandinavia is the bookies favourite to win the Irish St Leger, priced at 1.25, while Jan Brueghel (5.50) and Trustyourinstinct (8.00) are expected to be the key challengers
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Perhaps the most interesting opponent to Ryan Moore’s mount is Joseph O’Brien-trained eight-time Flat winner Trustyourinstinct. He had been kept to lesser trips than this in 19 starts on the Flat but up to this distance he landed the Group 2 Curragh Cup here in July.
Joseph O’Brien says of the Declan McDonogh-ridden stayer would ultimately be targeting the lucrative Melbourne Cup in November, but he had the ability to give this a shake.
“Trustyourinstinct produced a career-best performance when upped to this trip last time. Scandinavia sets a very high bar but we are hopeful of a good run from ours,” he said.
Joseph O’Brien may have better hopes of eclipsing his father in the G1 Moyglare Stud Stakes (1400m) for two-year-old fillies when Green Empress takes on Sun Goddess, who had beaten her into second in a1200m G2 here in June.
While Sun Goddess has most recently gone on to surge from an almost impossible position when the runaway six-lengths winner of a 1200m two-year-old allowance race at York, she now needs to prove herself at this trip. Green Empress by contrast has already done that, looking to thrive for the rise to 1400m when landing a G2 here last month.
“Green Empress had a bit of a setback after her previous race and we thought that fitness-wise she might need the last run, but she still proved good enough. Her form tells you she is a leading contender for the Moyglare though we wouldn’t want the ground to get too soft,” Joseph O’Brien said:
Joseph’s brother Donnacha has Comanche Brave – the expected favourite – in the most competitive of the Curragh’s four elite races, the 18-runner G1 Flying Five Stakes (1000m).
Billy Loughnane steered him to his first Group 1 victory when impressive late acceleration saw him defeat ten rivals in the July Cup (1200m) at Newmarket.
However, Comanche Brave could prove vulnerable at his first start over 1000m, while potentially slow ground is not as ideal as a fast surface.
Two rivals who could capitalise are Time For Sandals (Kieran Shoemark) and Cover Up (William Buick). The former was eyecatching when fourth to US speedster Bacio in York’s G1 Nunthorpe Stakes (1000m), the gaps arriving too late for a serious challenge, while Cover Up quickened off a modest pace when winning the G2 Sapphire Stakes over this course and distance in July.
