Order Of St George kicks off season with comfortable Group 3 victory at Navan

Another race, another win for Order Of St George. Aidan O'Brien's champion stayer, who was sent off at rather skinny but deserved odds of 2-9, cruised clear under Ryan Moore to land the Group 3 Vintage Crop Stakes and kick off his new campaign in fine style.

Last season's Irish St Leger and Long Distance Cup winner was taking his record to 11 victories from his last 17 starts with the easy victory, taking home a first prize of €35,400, making amends for his defeat in this race 12 months ago when outpointed by the Jessica Harrington-trained Torcedor.

With another testing schedule ahead of him this season that is likely to involve several Group 1 targets including a trip to Ascot for the Gold Cup, it was the perfect start for O'Brien's six-year-old who wasn't unduly pressured to put the race to bed against two inferior rivals.

Ascot ambitions

O'Brien said: "I'm delighted with that and Ryan was too, he said the horse was lovely, relaxed the whole way and moved very well. They are two things you love to hear.

"When he gets into his tempo he really finishes his races out well and he really galloped up the hill today.

"We're thinking of going to a race like the Saval Beg Stakes at Leopardstown next and we'll probably go the same path as previous years after that with the Ascot Gold Cup and then a break before the Irish Leger."

Order Of St George: sticking his neck on in the final stagesCredit: Caroline Norris

While Moore added: "He's been an excellent horse and he's done that very smoothly today. He carries big penalties all the time and hopefully he'll have another good year.

"It was the right race for him and he's done what he's had to do. He's the best horse in the division."

Perhaps a year later than expected, Order Of St George added his name to an illustrious list of winners of this race – which has now been won by Aidan O'Brien six times in the last 11 years – that includes Yeats, Fame And Glory and Leading Light.

Jedd O'Keeffe's Lord Yeats, who was making his first start for 224 days and finished 24 lengths behind Order Of St George in last year's Irish St Leger, did better this time around when finishing a five-and-a-half-length second after making the running, while Jim Bolger's Clongowes, who was held up last in the early stages, came home last of the trio.

Result, replay and analysis

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