A EUROPEAN champion stayer in three consecutive years, Order Of St George retired to Castlehyde Stud in Co Cork, where he is now standing his third season.
This son of Galileo won 13 races including the Ascot Gold Cup and two runnings of the Irish St Leger, and was only once unplaced in 25 starts. Castlehyde’s Cathal Murphy describs him as “a lovely mover with quality, size and scope in abundance.”
Trained by Aidan O’Brien, Order Of St George won at Leopardstown as a two-year-old. The next season he was second at the Curragh before winning his other three races over longer distances, starting with a five-length success in Her Majesty’s Plate at Down Royal. Next came the first of three victories in the Group 3 Irish St Leger Trial at the Curragh by seven lengths, before ending that year by running away with the Group 1 Irish St Leger with 11 lengths to spare.
Order Of St George began the following season winning the Listed Saval Beg Stakes at Leopardstown, only two weeks before the Group 1 Ascot Gold Cup in which he stormed home three lengths clear of 16 high-class stayers. Following his second success in the Irish St Leger Trial, he just failed to catch Wicklow Brave in the Irish St Leger, with the third horse 16 lengths away.
Then came what was probably his best effort of all, when he was a close third to Found and Highland Reel in the Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Chantilly, finishing ahead of Postponed, New Bay and Harzand.
Starting his five-year-old season with second in the Group 3 Vintage Crop Stakes at Navan, Order Of St George again won the Saval Beg Stakes, before suffering a short head defeat to Big Orange in the Ascot Gold Cup after a titanic battle. He responded by winning the Irish St Leger Trial by four lengths from Rekindling, who three months later won the Melbourne Cup, and then defeated Torcedor by nine lengths when scoring in the Irish St Leger for the second time.
Making another attempt at the Arc de Triomphe, Order Of St George was a very creditable fourth to Enable in a very strong field of 18 runners, and then won the Group 2 British Champions Long Distance Cup at Ascot, becoming European champion stayer for the third time.
Order Of St George’s final racing season was brief, but he won the Group 3 Vintage Crop Stakes at Navan by five lengths and again took the Saval Beg Stakes, before ending with a very respectable fourth to Stradivarius in the Ascot Gold Cup, taking his earnings to just short of £2 million.
His dam Another Storm has bred 10 winners, including Keeneland Grade 3 winner Angel Terrace, and Asperity, a Group 3 hero at Chantilly. Their grandam is US champion juvenile filly Storm Song.
ORDER OF ST GEORGE (IRE), Bay 2012. Champion 3yr old stayer in Europe in 2015. Champion older stayer in Europe in 2016 and 2017. Won thirteen races, £1,986,322, from 1 mile to 2½ miles, 2 to 6 years including, Comer Group International Irish St Leger, Curragh, Gr.1 (twice), The Queen’s 90th Birthday Ascot Gold Cup, Ascot, Gr.1, Qipco Brit. Champions Long Distance Cup, Ascot, Gr.2, Ballycullen Palmerstown St Leger Trial, Curragh, Gr.3 (3 times), Vintage Crop Stakes, Navan, Gr.3, S & R McGrath Memorial Saval Beg Stakes, Leopardstown, L (3 times), also placed second in Ascot Gold Cup, Ascot, Gr.1, Palmerstown House Estate Irish St Leger, Curragh, Gr.1, At The Races Curragh Cup, Curragh, Gr.3, Coolmore Vintage Crop Stakes, Navan, Gr.3, thetote.com Eyrefield Stakes, Leopardstown, L, and third in Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Chantilly, Gr.1.
Retired to Stud in 2019, first crop now yearlings.
Stands at: Castlehyde Stud, Fermoy, Co Cork, Ireland
Contact: Tom Gaffney, Joe Hernon or Cathal Murphy
Telephone: (353) 25 31966
Email: info@castlehyde.com
Web: www.coolmore.com
Fee: €6,500