Three to Consider for the St Leger

Some of the world’s leading colts and fillies will descend upon Doncaster on Saturday to battle it out for glory in the £700,000 St Leger Stakes. The oldest of Britain’s five Classics always attracts a stellar field and this year’s renewal is no different. The prize money is handsome and the prestige of landing the final leg of the Triple Crown is also hugely enticing, so the leading owners and trainers in the business go all out in a bid for victory. Aidan O’Brien put in seven five-day entries, while Goldophin will be well represented and the likes of Joseph O’Brien and Mark Johnston are also in the mix. Here are three leading contenders to consider: 

Kew Gardens

This son of Galileo is leading the charge for O’Brien after winning the £200,000 Group 2 Qatar Stakes at Ascot and the Group 1 Grand Prix Stakes at Longchamp. If you check out the St Leger markets you will see that he is the clear ante-post favourite, but the price has eased somewhat after he could only finish third in the Great Voltigeur Stakes last month. However, he performed well under a 5lbs penalty, while the St Leger is a few furlongs longer than that contest, and Kew Gardens is expected to relish the step up in trip. He is a proven stayer and he has performed on most grounds, so he should be just fine unless the going becomes extremely soft. Good weather is forecast in Doncaster in the build-up to this race, which should suit him perfectly. He also has the Queen’s Vase under his belt, so he is a quality stayer and he deserves to be the favourite, but the price may be a little short for some punters. He also faces stern competition from his stablemates and there is a lot to like about Southern France, who chased Kew Gardens home in the Queen’s Vase and has improved with every race. At longer odds, he also looks like an appealing candidate from the O’Brien roster, as he looks like a smart each-way bet, but Kew Gardens is currently gaining the most attention. 

Old Persian

Charlie Appleby’s bay colt was the toast of many punters when he defied big odds to land the Great Voltigeur Stakes last time out. He got the better of the highly rated Cross Counter and finished a length and a half clear of Kew Gardens with a rousing performance. Many expect Kew Gardens to reverse that form here over the longer trip, but Old Persian has to be considered for victory. He has progressed all year, and he has only suffered one defeat in his last four. That was in the Irish Derby, and it can be excused as he had a rapid turnaround from a splendid victory at Royal Ascot, and that race panned out in a strange fashion. He bounced back in style with that victory at York and he is well backed for the St Leger. He is extremely quick, but he has not really suggested that he is dying for a step up in trip. Yet if he does manage to stay he will be a real menace to the well-fancied duo of Kew Gardens and Lah Ti Dar. Latrobe, who won that Irish Derby, has since gone off the boil somewhat and Old Persian has a great chance of revenge in this race. 

Dee Ex Bee 

Mark Johnston declared that Dee Ex Bee “could be the best St Leger horse I’ve had” after watching his progress over the past year. He was second to Masar in the Investec Derby at Epsom, and he could blitz the field if he replicates that form here. He struggled badly in the Gordon Stakes at Goodwood, finishing four and a half lengths behind Cross Counter, but that does not look so bad in the context of Cross Counter’s subsequent success. Dee Ex Bee has since been given a long break in order to prepare for the St Leger and he really should be suited to the longer trip here. He has lacked a turn of pace of late, but he looks like an excellent stayer, and this is a perfect opportunity for him to roar back to firm, so Dee Ex Bee could be a really good each-way option in this race.

There's Value to be had in this Year's St Leger as O'Brien Targets a Super Six

We’re fast-approaching the off of the 2018 St Leger Stakes yet traders seem at a loss to get their ante-post market in good order with a difference of opinion between the major betting firms paving the way for value. That hasn’t gone unnoticed by eagle-eyed punters eager to get in early and secure the best price possible on their selection. 

The group one flat race run over 1m 6f on the turf of Doncaster racecourse was first contested way back in 1776 – won by Allabaculia – currently puts forward £700,000 worth of prize money, with almost £400,000 of that delivered to connections of the winner.

Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore teamed up to great effect last year when producing champion Capri, who won ahead of Crystal Ocean for Sir Michael Stoute and Jim Crowley, the runner-up edged by half a length. Stradivarius filled the major places, ending a short-head back in what was a gripping bunch finish. Neutrals will be hoping for a repeat of that drama in this renewal.

Capri was a winning favourite 12 months ago and moved O’Brien’s record to five St Leger titles following success with Milan in 2001, Brian Boru 2003, Scorpion 2005 and Leading Light 2013. Impressive, but the Irishman still has some way to go if he’s to get anywhere near leading trainer John Scott who won 16 times between 1827 and 1862.

In the early exchanges, traders have thrown their weight behind another from the O’Brien string in Kew Gardens. The three-year-old colt brings a record of three wins and three placed efforts from nine previous starts with his medals including the Queens Vase at Ascot and Prix Paris at Longchamp.

Is the hat-trick on? The latest horse racing betting with William Hill has the bay marked at 3/1 – better than the 7/2 generally available. It’s away from the jolly where the indecision lies, however. Wells Farhh Go rates as a 7/1 second favourite with some while others have the same runner at 8/1. Latrobe is 8/1 third. 

Others in the betting priced a bit bigger than they probably should be are Forever Together – 10/1 trading, 8/1 the general feeling, and 14/1 on The Pentagon who’s a 12/1 poke. The latter is another O’Brien hopeful who travels to the South Yorkshire course with form onside. 

The three-year-old colt has won twice and placed three times in eight starts, including a bronze medal in the group one Racing Post Trophy Stakes at Doncaster over a mile. That’s sure to impress each-way backers who will get place terms of 1/5 the odds the best three home.

Idaho heads final 15 for St Leger at Doncaster

With the St Leger at Doncaster now just a matter of days away, the final fifteen runners for the famous meeting have now been confirmed, with trainer Aidan O’Brien potentially running three horses, including current favourite Idaho. The recent Great Voltigeur Stakes winner is once again set to be the horse to beat, however Sword Fighter, Housesofparliament, Kellstorm, The Major General, Triplicate and Unicorn also in contention for the champion trainer. The fact that former contender Wings of Desire has withdrawn from the race only heightens Idaho’s chances of claiming yet another win in 2016.

Idaho is the current favourite for victory with bookmakers Betway with odds of 4/5 on, with Muntahaa and Housesofparliament further adrift at 5/1 and 8/1 respectively. With former Dante Stakes Winner Wings of Desire pulling out late on, Muntahaa is the obvious replacement, with the Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum owned former second-best in the ante-post market likely to apply strong pressure among the chasing pack.

Elsewhere, Ed Dunlop's Red Verdon has received plenty of backing thanks to a series of good results at the highest level this season, most notably when finishing second in the Grand Prix de Paris. Despite this, Dunlop has warned against too much expectation on his prized asset, with preparations for the race being far from straightforward due to health issues. In the horse racing at Betway.com, Red Vernon can currently be backed at 8/1.

Conditions for Britain’s oldest classic are set to be good to soft, soft in places as a result of recent weather in the North of England, with such a track unlikely to provide too much of an advantage to any of the frontrunners. As far as jockeys are concerned for the £700,000 race, title-chasing Silvestre de Sousa and Jim Crowley will lead Ventura Storm Algometer respectively, while James Doyle partners Red Verdon.

With the Irish St Leger taking place at Curragh on Sunday afternoon, Order of St George is undoubtedly the overwhelming favourite at Betway for the race, with the former Ascot Gold Cup winner at odds of just 1/3 on. For those of you looking to back an outsider for the meeting, Bondi Beach and Big Orange could well be worth a shout, with the duo set to provide the fiercest competition if recent form is anything to go by.

Camelot one step away from racing legend

As the hours tick away to 3.40 at Doncaster on September 15, the excitement in the racing world grows ever more fevered as followers of Flat racing wait and wonder if the Aidan O’Brien-trained Camelot can indeed live up to his illustrious name and establish himself as an all-time racing legend by winning the Triple Crown.

Not since the heady days of the Vincent  O’Brien-trained superstar Nijinsky (ridden by the mighty Lester Piggott), way back in 1970, has a horse managed to win all three legs of the British Triple Crown; the 2000 Guineas run over a mile at Newmarket in May, the Epsom Derby over a mile-and-a-half in June, and the St Leger at Doncaster in September – run over the stamina sapping one-mile-six-and-a-half-furlongs, the last furlong of which has so often proved a bridge too far for many of the great St Leger runners over the years.

Just keeping a horse fit and well over such a time span is a feat in itself, but to win all three races at such a variety of distances is phenomenal. It requires a horse to have the speed to beat the best milers around in the spring, the agility to handle Epsom and stay a further half-mile in front of more than 250,000 racing fans in June, and then the stamina and guts to see out the trip of the St Leger in the early-autumn.

When Sue Magnier gave Camelot his name it was in the hope that he would live up to all the expectations having been bought for 525,000 guineas as a yearling by her husband John and his long-time Ballydoyle partners Des Smith and Michael Tabor. The name had been registered and saved for 10 years, just waiting for the right horse to come along.

Nearly two years later, unbeaten in all five starts, including last year’s Group 1 Racing Post Trophy, this year’s 2000 Guineas, Investec Derby and the Irish Derby, the son of Montjeu is ready to face his destiny on Town Moor. Bookmakers seem all but certain that barring an accident Camelot will be crowned racing’s new monarch, even in a season where the sensational Frankel has carried all before him and brought the house down at every turn.

4/11 is generally the best price on horse racing bets about Aidan O’Brien’s pride and joy, but we won’t know whether or not that represents good value until he gallops into the unknown territory of the final quarter-mile at Doncaster on Saturday as Camelot strives to lift the Triple Crown for the first time in 42 years.