Irish St Leger Kicks Off Saturday

Limerick’s Saturday evening will feature an entire card dedicated to the 11 heats of the Willwego.com Irish St Leger.

The 2023 champion, Clonbrien Treaty, is the joint-favourite in the ante-post market for the €30,000 event. He will start his title defence in the third heat, a race competitive enough to benefit at a later stage of the tournament. Recent trials indicate that Miami King will be a formidable opponent, and with the addition of the talented Seek The Kingdom, this heat promises to be thrilling.

Carmac King, the other market leader, faces a tough challenge in the final heat of the night. Owen McKenna’s contender will compete against Bockos Crystal, the 2023 Irish Derby runner-up, as he begins his campaign.

Behind the joint-favourites, Knockeen Dazzler is another strong contender with single-figure odds. As one of only nine wide runners in the competition, he is expected to get favourable draws throughout. Having won the Kirby Memorial in April, he has the potential to dazzle Limerick once again.

Jaytee Craze, who clocked a 27.89 trial over 525 yards on July 6, has also emerged as a contender. He will race in the second heat alongside Coolavanny Otto and Faypoint Harvey. With three of the top nine in the betting competing in the opening round, it’s fortunate that four from each heat plus the four fastest fifths will qualify for the next stage.