Wicklow Brave Springs Irish St. Leger Upset

A slow start only hampered Wicklow Brave for a moment Sept. 11 at the Curragh in the Palmerstown House Estate Irish St. Leger (Ire-I).

Jockey Frankie Dettori and the Beat Hollow gelding shrugged off the slow beginning and moved to the front from the inside post in the Irish classic and never relented in a half-length victory over defending St. Leger winner and heavy betting favorite Order Of St George.

Trained by Willie Mullins for Wicklow Bloodstock, Wicklow Brave even caught his jockey by surprise with the upset in the four-horse field.

"I didn't expect that, honestly," Dettori said. "He was very brave and Willie gave me free rein, and said 'If you want to go to the front and do your stuff, work away.' I was quite surprised that I didn't hear anybody coming until about a furlong to go and we ground it out in the end.

"It was a surprise, but a Classic win is always great. Willie is a top man. His horses are always in good nick and we tried something different and it worked out. It was always the plan, to set the fractions, in a small field like that."

Ryan Moore and the Aiden O'Brien-trained Order Of St George raced near the back of the pack for most of the 1 3/4-mile trek and challenged late in the stretch, but just could not get past the winner.

Moore and O'Brien did find victory a race earlier, however, when Churchill routed a field of six other entrants in the seven-furlong Goffs Vincent O'Brien National Stakes (Ire-I) for 2-year-olds by 4 1/4 lengths.

"He's a very exciting colt," Moore said of the son of Galileo. "He's done nothing wrong his whole life and I'm sure there'll be plenty more to come from him in the future."

Earlier in the card, longshot Intricately gave Joseph O'Brien, the son of Aiden O'Brien, his first group I victory as a trainer in the Moyglare Stud Stakes (Ire-I). Donnacha O'Brien, another son of Aidan, rode the winning Fastnet Rock filly for his brother.

"It's unbelievable," Joseph O'Brien said. "She's very tough. She's been running well all year and Donnacha gave her an unbelievable ride today.

"This means the world to me. It's Donnacha's first group I and my mum bred her. She's very tough and Donnacha was very strong on her."