THIS YEAR’S Gain Horse Feeds Irish St Leger will be run in an early-evening slot in a bid to heighten the profile of the Group One race.
The Curragh switched the Irish Derby to an evening start earlier this year and after hailing that move a success, officials will follow suit with a later start to the fixture on September 15th.
The final Irish Classic of the season will now start at 6.05pm, while the Group One Goffs Vincent O’Brien Stakes, formerly known as the National Stakes, will end the eight-race card at 6.40pm.
Curragh general manager Paul Hensey said: “Following discussions with our sponsors and RTÉ, we feel that moving the feature races to a later time will ensure we maximise the opportunity to boost attendance, television coverage and the profile of what is undoubtedly one of our best racing days of the season.”
Hensey also confirmed next year’s Darley Irish Oaks will be moved from its traditional Sunday afternoon slot to Saturday, July 20th.
Meanwhile, Jessica Harrington is looking forward to a crack at next week’s Darley Yorkshire Oaks with Bible Belt following an encouraging performance at Leopardstown.
Making her first appearance since finishing fourth in the Tattersalls Gold Cup in May, the four-year-old finished a close third behind Galileo’s Choice in last Thursday’s Ballyroan Stakes. “We wanted to get that run in before going to the Yorkshire Oaks and it’s definitely still the plan to go to York with her. She’ll definitely improve if we ever get some better ground,” Harrington said.
