Horse race
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.[citation needed]
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.[citation needed]
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.[citation needed]
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. It takes place on the second day of Irish Champions Weekend.[citation needed]
Records
Most successful horse (4 wins):
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)
- Dermot Weld - Vintage Crop (1993, 1994), Vinnie Roe (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004), Voleuse de Coeurs (2013), Search for A Song (2019, 2020)
Leading owner since 1960 (6 wins) (includes part ownership):
- Susan Magnier - Yeats (2007), Septimus (2008), Order of St George (2015, 2017), Flag of Honour (2018), Kyprios (2022)
Winners since 1972
Earlier winners
- 1915: La Paloma
- 1916: Captive Princess
- 1917: Double Scotch
- 1918: Dionysos
- 1919: Cheap Popularity
- 1920: Kirk-Alloway
- 1921: Kircubbin
- 1922: Royal Lancer
- 1923: O'Dempsey
- 1924: Zodiac
- 1925: Spelthorne
- 1926: Sunny View
- 1927: Ballyvoy
- 1928: Law Suit
- 1929: Trigo
- 1930: Sol de Terre
- 1931: Beaudelaire
- 1932: Hill Song
- 1933: Harinero
- 1934: Primero
- 1935: Museum
- 1936: Battle Song
- 1937: Owenstown
- 1938: Ochiltree
- 1939: Skoiter
- 1940: Harvest Feast
- 1941: Etoile de Lyons
- 1942: Windsor Slipper
- 1943: Solferino
- 1944: Water Street
- 1945: Spam
- 1946: Cassock
- 1947: Esprit de France
- 1948: Beau Sabreur
- 1949: Brown Rover
- 1950: Morning Madam
- 1951: Do Well
- 1952: Judicate
- 1953: Sea Charger
- 1954: Zarathustra
- 1955: Diamond Slipper
- 1956: Magnetic North
- 1957: Ommeyad
- 1958: Royal Highway
- 1959: Barclay
- 1960: Lynchris
- 1961: Vimadee
- 1962: Arctic Vale
- 1963: Christmas Island
- 1964: Biscayne
- 1965: Craighouse
- 1966: White Gloves
- 1967: Dan Kano
- 1968: Giolla Mear
- 1969: Reindeer
- 1970: Allangrange
- 1971: Parnell
See also
References
- Paris-Turf:
- "1981"., "1983"., "1984"., "1985"., "1986"., "1987".
- 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, 2015, 2016, 2017
- 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
- galopp-sieger.de – Irish St. Leger.
- horseracingintfed.com – International Federation of Horseracing Authorities – Irish St. Leger (2018).
- irishracinggreats.com – Irish St. Leger (Group 1).
- pedigreequery.com – Irish St. Leger – Curragh.
- tbheritage.com – Irish St Leger.
