Article Date: 14-August-2012
The Gain Horse Feeds Irish St. Leger will move to a later time this year when it takes centre stage at the Curragh on Saturday 15th September. The Group 1 classic has been scheduled for 6.05pm, while the Group 1 Goffs Vincent O’Brien Stakes will bring the eight-race programme to a close at 6.40pm.
Paul Hensey Curragh Racecourse General Manager commented, “Following discussions with our sponsors and RTE, we feel that moving the feature races to a later time will ensure we maximize the opportunity to boost attendance, television coverage and the profile of what is undoubtedly one of our best racing days of the season”.
Mary Delaney, Sales Manager for Gain Horse Feeds said “It is our aim to make this day a success for everyone. Moving the Gain Horse Feeds Irish St. Leger Day to a later starting time will accommodate a wider customer base travelling from all over Ireland to attend a Classic Day’s racing at The Curragh.
The Gain Horse Feeds Irish St Leger is established as one of the premier trial races in the world for the Emirates Melbourne Cup. 1993 Melbourne Cup hero Vintage Cup (now 25 years old) will be paraded before the feature race, while the Melbourne Cup’s won by both him and Media Puzzle (2002) will also be on display. Race goers will have the opportunity to take part in a competition to win a trip the Australia for 2 people with flights, accommodation and tickets to “the race that stops a nation”.
The list of entries for this year’s race include last year’s joint winner Jukebox Jury, 2010 winner Sans Frontieres, Melbourne Cup winner Dunaden, Ascot Gold Cup winner Rite of Passage, Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby winners Fame and Glory and Treasure Beach, the Dermot Weld trained pair Unaccompanied and Galileo’s Choice, Dubai World Cup hero Monterosso, Masked Marvel winner of last year’s English St Leger and Brown Panther owned by soccer star Michael Owen, while a select number of three year olds feature among the 50 entries including Light Heavy, Hartani and Call to Battle .
Camelot’s attempt to become the first horse since Nijinsky in 1970 to land the Triple Crown of races when he lines up in the English St. Leger at Doncaster on the same day will be included in the schedule at 3.45pm and shown on large screens throughout the racecourse.
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