By Tom Frary
This was just the next step towards Order of St George's bid to regain his crown in the G1 Gold Cup and therefore a third consecutive success in this race was always going to be enough. As it turned out, the high-class stalwart of Ballydoyle had to break sweat to deal with Twilight Payment but as soon as he was committed with three furlongs remaining he was always going to prevail. Sent on further out than usual by Ryan Moore, it will be interesting to see if those are the tactics employed at Royal Ascot June 21 as he was given a lot to do when beaten by Big Orange (GB) (Duke of Marmalade {Ire}) last year. With Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) unproven at the 2 1/2-mile trip of the Gold Cup, Order of St George making it a thorough test is probably the most likely scenario. The jockey summed it up afterwards. “He's a beautiful horse and I couldn't have been happier with what he did there,” he said. “We can look forward to Ascot now. This fellow has been there and done it and I wouldn't swap him.”
Interestingly, this is the first time that Twilight Payment has run after a gelding operation and it may be that what on the face of it appeared a workmanlike effort by the winner can be upgraded. The Godolphin representative was 2 1/4 lengths behind Order of St George on better weight terms in this 12 months ago and so there is little to suggest that the dual G1 Irish St Leger hero who was also placed in the 2016 Arc will not go back to the Royal meeting as much a force as he has been on his last two visits. Since his last outing, the dam almost had a sixth black-type performer when her 3-year-old colt Shakour (Ire) (Declaration of War) who had been bought at the Tattersalls February Sale by Peter Ward for just 19,000gns was fourth in the Listed Dee S. Her 2-year-old colt by Australia (GB) is named Grenadier Guard (Ire).
SAVAL BEG LEVMOSS S.-Listed, €50,000, Leopardstown, 5-25, 4yo/up, 14fT, 3:02.50, g/f.
1–ORDER OF ST GEORGE (IRE), 138, h, 6, Galileo (Ire)–Another Storm, by Gone West. ($550,000 Ylg '13 KEESEP). O-Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith & Mrs John Magnier & LLoyd J Williams; B-Paget Bloodstock (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. €29,500. Lifetime Record: Hwt. 3yo-Eur at 14f+, 2x Hwt. Older Horse-Eur at 14f+, MG1SW-Ire, G1SW-Eng & G1SP-Fr, 24-13-6-1, $2,786,184. *Full to Kellstorm (Ire), GSP-Aus, $118,370; 1/2 to Asperity (War Chant), GSW-Fr & GSP-Eng, $245,483; Angel Terrace (Ghostzapper), GSW-US, $298,848; and Sehoy (Menifee), SW-Swe, $144,199.
2–Twilight Payment (Ire), 131, g, 5, Teofilo (Ire)–Dream On Buddy (Ire), by Oasis Dream (GB). O-Godolphin. €9,500.
3–Remarkable Lady (Ire), 126, m, 5, Zoffany (Ire)–Casual Remark (Ire), by Trans Island (GB). (€10,000 Wlg '13 GOFNOV; £5,000 Ylg '14 DNPRM). O-Nap Racing Syndicate. €4,500.
Margins: 3/4, 8HF, 4HF. Odds: 0.10, 8.00, 33.00. Click for the Racing Post result. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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