Giavellotto likely done for the term after Irish St Leger third

Ashley Iveson
September 16, 2024 10:57 am

The chestnut had an early start to the campaign in Saudi Arabia.

Giavellotto is likely to be put away until next season after finishing third behind Kyprios in the Irish St Leger on Sunday.

Following back-to-back Group Two wins in the Yorkshire Cup and Princess of Wales’s Stakes, Giavellotto was widely considered the biggest threat to Aidan O’Brien’s superstar stayer but had to make do with the bronze medal, with the Willie Mullins-trained Vauban splitting the pair in second.

While keen not to make too many excuses, Botti feels his stable star was not seen to best effect in Ireland, saying: “The winner is very good, but I thought the race didn’t quite suit us. There was a very steady pace, obviously Oisin (Murphy) was following Kyprios all the way, but ideally he’d like a stronger-run race. I’m not finding excuses, it’s just one of those things to point out.

A second @comerhomesgroup Irish St. Leger and a fifth win in a row for Kyprios, who finds plenty in the tank and outstays them all under Ryan Moore, providing Aidan O’Brien with another Group success! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/a6Ny4APImG
— The Curragh Racecourse (@curraghrace) September 15, 2024

“He still ran a very good race and wasn’t beaten far. It’s a shame as it looked a good opportunity and he well deserves to win a Group One, but it wasn’t meant to be yesterday. The race didn’t play to Giavellotto’s strengths, but it was still a decent effort.

“He got a little bit warm going to post and whether the journey took a little bit more out of him than we thought, I’m not sure. Either way, it wasn’t a disgrace.”

With Botti keen to avoid races run over two miles and beyond, opportunities to run before the end of this season are limited.

The Newmarket-based Italian revealed an ambitious tilt at the Hong Kong Vase has been mooted, but he appears more likely to give his charge a well-earned break.

He added: “The first thing Oisin said when he got off was that if you had a mile and a half race on good ground we should probably consider it. The only option would be Hong Kong, but having said that it’s in December and he’s had a long season considering he started the year in February in Saudi.

“He’ll stay in training next year, so we might just give him a little bit of a break and try again next season. That’s my impression at the moment, but we’ll see how he comes back and talk to the owners.

“The Saudi race he finished third in is a Group Three handicap and obviously he’s a few pounds higher now than he was in February. Unless they change the conditions he would carry a lot of weight, but it is a valuable race and has to be considered.

“We’ll obviously look at the Yorkshire Cup again and hopefully we’ll have another go at the Irish St Leger next year.”