Irish Leger dead-heats as Gosden doubles up

Trainer John Gosden completed an English-Irish St Leger double today when his Duncan was one of a pair of dead-heaters in the Irish version, along with the Mark Johnston trained Jukebox Jury

Ascot Gold Cup winner and 8/13 favourite Fame And Glory disappointed badly in the race, eventually finishing a distant fourth but the dead-heaters Duncan (under Eddie Ahern) and Jukebox Jury (Johnny Murtagh) did provide a great spectacle.

The pair went head-to-head from a long way out with nothing to split the pair at the line. The race was the first Irish Classic to force a dead-heat since the 1988 Oaks when Diminuendo and Melodist were tied.

Duncan was providing trainer John Gosden with unique double, having less than an hour earlier seen his Masked Marvel win the English St Leger at Doncaster.

For Duncan’s jockey Eddie Ahern, the win was a first Classic success and a first Group 1 win since steering Preselli to win the 1999 Moyglare Stud Stakes at this venue.

Ahern later said “It was testing ground out there today and both horses were carrying big weights. I was so tight to Johnny inside the final furlong I couldn’t get a ‘whack’ into my horse but it probably helped because when I did put the whip down in the last five or six strides he did go on then.

“Passing the line I though I had won but it was a good way to finish off the race!

Jukebox Jury’s trainer Mark Johnston was also absent from The Curragh but winning rider Johnny Murtagh did subsequently state “the tempo was steady but we were racing from a long way out. There was a big head wind and in all fairness to my lad, it was pretty much a slog out there.

“I did think Fame And Glory might be coming at some stage but in the straight I knew it was between me and Eddie. It was a great battle all the way and I thought Eddie had won. My fellow put his head down at the line and I was glad of the dead-heat - I think everyone’s happy with it!”

Thomas Weekes