Champion stayer ORDER OF ST GEORGE (IRE) did not disappoint at Navan on Sunday when making a winning seasonal debut in the Group 3 Vintage Crop Stakes. The return of last season’s Irish St Leger and Long Distance Cup winner was highly-anticipated and the six-year-old bay justified favouritism to come striding up the hill five and a half lengths clear of Lord Yeats.

Bred by Paget Bloodstock he is a Galileo (IRE) half-brother to Group 3 winners Asperity and Angel Terrace, out of a daughter to the dual Group 1 winning juvenile Storm Song. Group 1 Wood Memorial Stakes runner-up Trojan Nation is from the extended family.

According to trainer Aidan O’Brien there will be plenty to look forward to with ORDER OF ST GEORGE’S (IRE) new campaign “We're thinking of going to a race like the Saval Beg Stakes at Leopardstown next and we'll probably go the same path as previous years after that with the Ascot Gold Cup and then a break before the Irish Leger.”

Earlier in the afternoon the Adrian Keatley-trained THE BROGHIE MAN caused upset to land the first Listed race on the same card, the Listed Committed Stakes. The three-year-old gelding was partnered by French jockey Gerald Mosse and ridden one furlong out he gained an advantage on nearest rival Speak In Colours to hold on gamely and win by a head.

The Martin Walsh-owned chestnut was sold at Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale (Part II) in 2016 by the Castlebridge Consignment to BAA Ireland for €7,000 and has already made in excess of €70,000 on the track.

The second and final Listed event of the day was the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Salsabil Stakes which saw a 10-strong field line up for over €51,000 in prize-money. The one mile two furlong contest was won in stylish fashion by MARY TUDOR (IRE) who was making her first start of her three-year-old campaign and breaking her maiden. The mount of Billy Lee produced a healthy turn of foot to assert two furlongs out and come home two and a half lengths in front of Hazel Bay (IRE). The Willie McCreery-trained grey has form at Group level, placing an admirable third behind Magical (IRE) and Happily (IRE) in the Group 2 Debutante Stakes at the Curragh last season.

A Darley home-bred, she is a daughter of Dawn Approach (IRE), also the sire of the exciting Musis Amica (IRE). MARY TUDOR (IRE) is out of Group 3 Prix Cleopatre runner-up Antiquities, herself the daughter of Listed winner Historian (IRE) and the granddaughter of Group 1 Irish Oaks heroine Helen Street who also produced prominent sire Street Cry (IRE).

All roads seem to lead to the Irish 1,000 Guineas for MARY TUDOR (IRE) as Willie McCreery has said “She's a lovely mare and has shown that form last year. She settled and did it well. She should get a mile and a half in time and we might go straight to the (Irish 1,000) Guineas now.”