Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
LEGENDARY
Moore flys the Flag with a famous St Leger double
FLAG OF HONOUR gave Aidan O’brien, Ryan Moore, the Coolmore/ Ballydoyle operation and breeder David Nagle a St Leger double when making all to land the Comer Group International Irish St Leger at the Curragh yesterday. The 2/1 favourite made all to beat Irish Derby victor Latrobe emphatically, building on the English St Leger success of Kew Gardens, which might now be Arc-bound, in Doncaster on Saturday. “He’s a hardy, tough colt,” said O’brien, “He stays well and handles ease in the ground and he has really blossomed in the last few weeks. He’s progressing all the time and you’d love the way he picked-up out there.”
The Group 1 action on the card saw a breakthrough at the top level for Curragh trainer Patrick Prendergast and jockey Ronan Whelan with Skitter Scatter in the Moyglare Stud Stakes and the Godolphin-owned Quorto (William Buick) in the Goffs Vincent O’brien National Stakes.
Sent off 11/8 favourite, Quorto saw off market rival Anthony Van Dyck by three-quarters of a length before surviving a Stewards Enquiry and was nominated, by his trainer Charlei Appleby, as a Dewhurst contender.
“If you pin me down, I’d say a mile is his trip, or maybe a mile and a quarter,” said Appleby.
“He’s a typical Dubawi – he is his father in so many ways and is Dubawi’s first Group 1-winning two-year-old colt.”
The biggest cheer of the day greeted Skitter Scatter on her return to the winner’s enclosure following her convincing
Moyglare success.
And
Patrick
Prendergast said: “I came here hoping she’d run well, that we might have a chance in the Guineas next year – now, I think she might win the Guineas.”
He added: “I’m quite astounded by how good she was today. It’s incredible how she has kept going all season and kept growing and improving.” Yorkshire-based Karl Burke, whose Laurens landed the Matron at Leopardstown on Saturday, completed a Group 1 weekend double when 15/8 favourite Havana Grey made virtually all to land the Flying Five and book his ticket to the Breeders Cup Sprint at Churchill Downs.