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The Classics are five of the biggest races in Ireland. All taking place at the iconic Curragh Racecourse in County Kildare, the 2,000 Guineas, 1,000 Guineas, Oaks, Derby, and St. Leger are the star attractions of the Irish flat racing season and popular markets on horse racing betting sites.
As the 2024 flat racing season prepares to wind down and make way for the return of National Hunt, it’s worth looking back at this year’s Classic victors. It has been a unique campaign at the Curragh, as three of the five contests went to British runners, so let’s dive into the action.
Irish 2,000 Guineas – Rosallion
After finishing a close second to Notable Speech in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket, Rosallion was well-backed to go one better at the Curragh with odds of 10/11.
It looked like his stablemate Haatem, who was third at Newmarket, would reverse the form and cause an upset as he led the charge into the final furlong.
However, Rosallion ran on in the closing stages to lead under Sean Levey and win by a head in a thrilling finale, in which Richard Hannon trained the first two home. River Tiber was in third for Aidan O’Brien.
Irish 1,000 Guineas – Fallen Angel
Despite flattering to deceive in the British renewal of the race at HQ, finishing a distant eighth when going off the favourite, faith was restored in Fallen Angel to right her wrongs at the Curragh.
The Karl Burke-trained filly made virtually all the running and started to break away from the chasing pack with two furlongs to go before winning by little less than three lengths under Danny Tudhope.
Outsider A Lilac Rolla and the O’Brien-trained second favourite Opera Singer were running on well in the closing stages but were no match for the winner.
Irish Oak – You Got To Me
Keeping up Britain’s success in this year’s Irish Classics, You Got To Me delivered a somewhat surprising victory for Ralph Beckett at the Curragh in July.
Content was the market leader for O’Brien and Ryan Moore, but You Got To Me squeezed out of the field powerfully around the furlong marker and ran on to provide jockey Hector Crouch a first Classic success.
Purple Lily and Content both finished very strongly, especially the latter, who captured second toward the finish, but there was no catching You Got To Me.
Irish Derby – Los Angeles
The Irish Derby is the biggest of the five Classics, and it lived up to its billing this year with a thrilling four-way finish in the final furlong.
Ambiente Friendly and Los Angeles, the Epsom Derby second and third, battled it out for favouritism in the market in the build-up to the race, with the former ultimately going off the shorter price.
But the bookmakers got it wrong, and Los Angeles landed O’Brien a 16th Irish Derby. The three-year-old led in the final furlong and stayed on gamely to hold off a closing Sunway, with Ambiente Friendly and Matsuri less than two lengths behind in third and fourth.
Irish St. Leger – Kyprios
The fifth and final of the Irish Classics, O’Brien marked a St. Leger double last month as Jan Brueghel and Kyprios won the British and Irish variants of the race within 24 hours of each other.
Dual Ascot Gold Cup winner Kyprios went off as the 2/5 market leader as he set his sights on winning a second St Leger, and he reclaimed his title with relative ease, going on to win by over two lengths.
The Willie Mullins-trained Vauban, who switched to the flat from hurdles, was second under William Buick, while Giavellotto was third for Marco Botti and Oisin Murphy.
