Irish St. Leger

Irish St Leger

2014
Brown Panther	Leading Light	Encke

Previous years
2013
Voleuse De Coeurs	Ahzeemah	Saddler's Rock
2012
Royal Diamond	Massiyn	Brown Panther
2011
Duncan	Jukebox Jury	Red Cadeaux
2010
Sans Frontieres	Profound Beauty	Flying Cross
2009
Alandi	Clowance	Schiaparelli
2008
Septimus	New Zealand	Red Moloney
2007
Yeats	Scorpion	Mores Wells
2006
Kastoria	Yeats	The Whistling Teal
2005
Collier Hill	The Whistling Teal	Vinnie Roe
2004
Vinnie Roe	Brian Boru	First Charter
2003
Vinnie Roe	Gamut	Powerscourt

The Irish St Leger is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile and 6 furlongs (2,816 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each year in September.

It is Ireland's equivalent of the St Leger Stakes, a famous race in England (although unlike the English race, it is open to both horses above age three and geldings).

History

The event was established in 1915, and it was originally restricted to three-year-olds. The first horse to win both the English and Irish St Legers was Royal Lancer in 1922.

The first Irish St. Leger winner to complete a Triple Crown (having previously won the Irish 2,000 Guineas and the Irish Derby) was Museum in 1935. The only subsequent horse to win all three races was Windsor Slipper in 1942.

The Irish St Leger became an open-age race in 1983, and there have been several repeat winners since then. The most successful has been Vinnie Roe, with four consecutive victories from 2001 to 2004.

The leading horses from the Irish St Leger sometimes go on to compete in the Melbourne Cup. The race has been sponsored by the Comer Group since 2014 and carries the name of their Palmerstown House Estate. It takes place on the second day of Irish Champions Weekend.

Records

Most successful horse (4 wins):

• Vinnie Roe – 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004

Leading jockey (7 wins):

• Morny Wing – Kirk-Alloway (1920), O'Dempsey (1923), Sol de Terre (1930), Ochiltree (1938), Windsor Slipper (1942), Spam (1945), Esprit de France (1947)

Leading trainer (9 wins):

• Vincent O'Brien – Barclay (1959), White Gloves (1966), Reindeer (1969), Caucasus (1975), Meneval (1976), Transworld (1977), Gonzales (1980), Leading Counsel (1985), Dark Lomond (1988)

Leading owner since 1960 (4 wins):

• Seamus Sheridan – Vinnie Roe (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004)

Winners since 1975

Earlier winners

See also

• Irish Triple Crown race winners
• List of Irish flat horse races

References

• Racing Post:
  • 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997
  • 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
  • 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

• galopp-sieger.de – Irish St. Leger.
• horseracingintfed.com – International Federation of Horseracing Authorities – Irish St. Leger (2014).
• irishracinggreats.com – Irish St. Leger (Group 1).
• pedigreequery.com – Irish St. Leger – Curragh.
• tbheritage.com – Irish St Leger.