Flag Of Honour completes St Leger double for O’Brien and Moore at The Curragh

A day after Kew Gardens’ triumph at Doncaster, O’Brien and jockey Ryan Moore achieved a memorable St Leger double as race favourite Flag of Honour secured a dominant win, with the trainer’s son Joseph’s Irish Derby winner Latrobe taking second nearly three lengths back.

Ryan Moore, also on board Kew Gardens at Doncaster, had Flag of Honour in the lead from the off before pulling clear heading down the long straight at The Curragh.

John Gosden’s Weekender, ridden by Frankie Dettori, took third place one and three-quarter lengths behind Latrobe in third place, with Twilight Payment a neck back in fourth.

Victory earned O’Brien his fifth Irish St Leger success after the triumphs of Yeats (2007), Septimus (2008) and Order Of St George (2015 and 2017), and also meant that the Ballydoyle trainer avoided a repeat of 2005, the last time he went through a season without at least one Irish Classic victory.

Moore, meanwhile, was winning the race for the second time after his success on Order Of St George a year ago.

After such an impressive victory thoughts turned to future options for Flag Of Honour, in particular for the Melbourne Cup in Australia, but all O’Brien would say about that was: “He’s entered but we’ll wait and see – he’s had quite a busy time.”

O’Brien described the son of Galileo as “a tough, hardy colt who handles good ground and easy ground”.

The trainer added: “He really blossomed when we upped him in trip, and that was his third course-and-distance win. He’s now won a Group 2, Group 3 and Group 1 over the distance, and has been progressing all the time.

“Ryan said he’s a very uncomplicated horse and a very genuine one and that he really quickened when he wanted him to.”

Latrobe’s trainer Joseph O’Brien said: “He travelled well and quickened up, but he just couldn’t make any impression on the winner.

“It’s too soon to be talking about what might happen next. We will see how he is in the morning and talk to his owners, Lloyd and Nick Williams in Australia.

“We have another ten days or so before needing to decide if he’ll go into quarantine for Melbourne.”

Elsewhere on the eight race card at The Curragh, the Charlie Appleby-trainer Quorto maintained his unbeaten record with a classy victory in the Vincent O’Brien National Stakes.

He faced stiff opposition in the shape of Aiden O’Brien’s Anthony Van Dyck, winner of three of his four races prior to this Group 1 contest, but Quorto was still sent off as the favourite.

While Anthony Van Dyck did stick to his task gamely to finish second, Quorto was always in command. Jockey William Buick nudged the Godolphin colt past the former just before the furlong pole and from there the response was impressive. Quorto only quickened again to pass the post a length and a quarter clear of Anthony Van Dyck, with Christmas a further four and a half lengths back in third.