Wicklow needs to be Brave to upset Order

WILLIE MULLINS accepts Wicklow Brave faces a ‘tall order’ to win the Comer Group International Irish St Leger for a second time at the Curragh today.

The dual-purpose eightyear-old caught many by surprise 12 months ago when he defeated the 2015 Irish St Leger winner Order Of St George by half a length. But Wicklow Brave was outgunned by that rival in the Irish St Leger Trial at this track in August and is a big price to reverse the form with the Aidan O’Brien-trained stayer.

Mullins (above) said: ‘He’s in good order. Hopefully he can run a little bit better than he did in the Trial the last day and if he does he might be able to pick up a share of the prize-money.

‘It’s a tall order to repeat last year’s win but if we get a share of the prize-money we’d be delighted.’

Connections of English runner Dartmouth believe he is unlikely to be knocked off his stride if conditions get testing.

Trained by Michael Stoute and owned by Queen Elizabeth, the durable five-year-old agonisingly lost out by a nose to Montaly on his last outing in the Lonsdale Cup at York.

‘He is in very good form,’ confirmed Queen Elizabeth’s racing advisor John Warren.

‘With top-class horses you are always concerned about extremes of going but the ground when he won at York in the spring (Yorkshire Cup) was pretty ordinary and he coped very well. Whatever he does, you know he will put in his best.’ Godolphin are represented by Twilight Payment, who is a consistent horse but has yet to win this year.

Jim Bolger’s inmate was last seen finishing third in that Irish St Leger Trial.

Jimmy Hyland, Godolphin’s representative in Ireland, said: ‘Twilight Payment has a bit to find with Order Of St George, but it was a good run to finish second to him in the Saval Beg Stakes earlier this season. He has been training well and we are hoping that he can run a good race.’