After a 3/1 winner and a 14/1 runner-up on Wednesday, get the Irish Eyes verdict on Thursday at Royal Ascot.
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Last year, ORDER OF ST GEORGE came into Royal Ascot with some judges doubting as to whether he had it in him to last out the two-and-a-half-mile trip, given that it was fully six furlongs further than he had ever raced before.
Nevertheless he was still sent off a shade of odds-on for the Ascot Gold Cup and not only did he stay on strongest of all to win by an easy three lengths, he did so on stamina-sapping soft ground.
This year, he returns to the same race with similar opposition to beat and yet he is somehow trading at evens. He simply must be worth a bet.
After winning so impressively, Aidan O'Brien's horse took the Irish St Leger trial, was just touched off in the main event (albeit at 1/7) before running third in the Arc, rerouted to Chantilly and won by stablemate Found, with stablemate Highland Reel second.
Order Of St George was over the top when a staying-on fourth, beaten less than two lengths over two miles behind Sheikhzayedroad back here at Ascot on Qipco Champions Day. It's a run we can forgive.
This year, he has been sent along a familiar path, one O’Brien sometimes used to prepare his four-time Gold Cup winner Yeats - the Group 3 Vintage Crop at Navan and the Listed Saval Beg at Leopardstown.
Yeats contested the same two races prior to taking his second Ascot Gold Cup and returned to Navan again prior to his third and fourth wins.
Yeats was actually beaten 32 lengths into sixth in the Vintage Crop prior to his fourth Gold Cup so in light of that, the fact Order Of St George managed to finish second in this year’s renewal, prior to winning the Saval Beg, can be seen as a positive.
Some may question whether he will act on the ground but despite the fact it was soft last year, the facts are plain: he has run three times on good-to-firm and won on every occasion.
He is easily the best horse in the race. Evens is both too big, and a price which will not be available come the off. It has to be taken.
It is expected O’Brien will start off the day in sound fashion but whilst Sioux Nation does not have a good draw in the first, ORDEROFTHEGARTER stands out in the Hampton Court Stakes.
Runner-up on his two starts at two, he hacked up in a maiden by 11 lengths on his seasonal debut. He then won the Leopardstown 2000 Guineas Trial with ease and by almost four lengths, before running fifth in the French 2000 Guineas.
Returned to France for his second Classic 17 days ago, Orderofthegarter suffered interference in running but yet managed to finish just three lengths off Brametot in the Prix du Jockey Club. Brametot would be odds-on if he turned up in this race.
Admittedly, the selection's stablemate Taj Mahal finished two places in front of him at Chantilly and he would have a chance as well but it looks less likely that he will cope with the prevailing ground conditions, although neither of them are certainties to cope with it.
If either or indeed both do, they will dominate the race but on balance Orderofthegarter gets the each-way vote at 13/2.
Posted at 2115 BST on 22/06/17.
