Grosvenor Square the new Melbourne Cup favourite after 20-length win Irish St Leger trial

The Irish horse rocketed to the top of Melbourne Cup betting after a spectacular 20-length win in a proven Cup lead-up race at the Curragh on Saturday.

Trainer Aidan O'Brien has the new Melbourne Cup favourite in the impressive Grosvenor Square.

Champion Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien has the new Melbourne Cup favourite after Grosvenor Square’s 20-length romp in the Group 3 Irish St Leger Trial.

Grosvenor Square faced four rivals in the Irish St Leger Trial (2816m) at the Curragh on Sunday and galloped them into the ground as the three-year-old continually built his lead throughout the race before scoring easily.

Jockey Ryan Moore adopted similar tactics on Grosvenor Square before stablemate Tower Of London ran him down in the Group 2 Curragh Cup on July 20.

The Irish St Leger Trial was Grosvenor Square’s second Group 3 win and was enough for TAB to promote the son of Galileo to $10 favouritism in Melbourne Cup betting.

• The big interview: Multiple Melbourne Cup-winning owner Lloyd Williams

O’Brien was thrilled with Grosvenor Square’s performance and said the English St Leger at Doncaster on September 14 was the likely next outing for Grosvenor Square instead of the Irish St Leger a day later.

Grosvenor Square is also one of the Caulfield Cup entries but is almost certain to bypass that race.

“He has serious stamina when he gets into a rhythm, he’s an exciting horse,” O’Brien said.

“It’s hard to know what to do against this horse, do you follow him or don’t you?

“(Jockey) Ryan (Moore) said he was far from finished and he galloped right through the line. It’s very hard not to go to Doncaster after that.

“He’s so uncomplicated, you go out there and let him go. He handles soft ground as well.”

• Smart mare on The Map for Melbourne Cup after impressive victory

The English St Leger will be run three days before Melbourne Cup weights are released but Grosvenor Square is likely to attract a big weight if he won the famous race.

Grosvenor Square would then need to complete two weeks of quarantine in Ireland before travelling to Melbourne to do another fortnight at the Werribee quarantine facility.

However, Rekindling achieved the feat in 2017.

The Joseph O’Brien-trained Rekindling ran second in the Irish St Leger Trial and fourth in the English St Leger before his Melbourne Cup triumph.

• ‘My ride if I want it’: Jockey Jamie Kah reveals Melbourne Cup plans

The younger O’Brien’s other Melbourne Cup winner Twilight Payment won the Curragh Cup and finished third in the Irish St Leger ahead of his Melbourne Cup win at an empty Flemington Racecourse in 2020.

Sydney Cup winner Circle Of Fire is the $11 second favourite in the rejigged Melbourne Cup market ahead of Curragh Cup winner Tower Of London at $15.

Vauban, who finished seven lengths from Grosvenor Square and more than eight lengths from Tower Of London in the Curragh Cup, is also a $15 chance.

Originally published as Grosvenor Square the new Melbourne Cup favourite after 20-length win Irish St Leger trial