A total of 16 horses remain in the Group 1 St Leger, which has record prize
money of £550,000, at Doncaster on September 15, the fourth and final day of the
St Leger Festival.
The acceptors for the world’s oldest classic, after the scratchings deadline,
are headed by the exciting and unbeaten Camelot, who seeks to become the first
Triple Crown winner since Nijinsky in 1970 after victories in the two other
British Classics open to colts, the one-mile Group 1 Two Thousand Guineas at
Newmarket in May and the 12-furlong Group 1 Derby at Epsom Downs in June.
The son of Montjeu also captured another classic, the Group 1 Irish Derby at
the Curragh, on his latest outing June 30. He is the hot 1/3 market leader with
race sponsor Ladbrokes for the final British classic of the year which is run
over one mile, six furlongs and 132 yards.
Camelot has already won a Group 1 race at Doncaster, having been the very
impressive winner of the Racing Post Trophy last October.
Ireland’s champion trainer Aidan O’Brien, responsible for Camelot, has five
other three-year-olds going forward at this stage including Group 1 Grand Prix
de Paris winner Imperial Monarch and impressive maiden scorer Chamonix. Other
possible starters for the Ballydoyle handler, going for his fourth St Leger
success, are Group 2-winning juvenile David Livingston, Father of Science and
Offer.
John Gosden is chasing his third consecutive St Leger after the victories of
Arctic Cosmos in 2010 and Masked Marvel in a track record time last season and
fifth in all.
The Newmarket handler is responsible for five entries including Group 1 Irish
Oaks heroine Great Heavens, Group 3 Bahrain Trophy scorer Shantaram, Group 2
Great Voltigeur victor Thought Worthy and the talented Michelangelo as well as
Dartford.
Thought Worthy, owned by George Strawbridge, is attempting to follow in the
footsteps of his full-brother Lucarno, who won the Great Voltigeur at York and
then the St Leger for the same connections in 2007.
The son of Dynaformer, a 14-1 chance with Ladbrokes, captured the Fairway at
Newmarket in May before finishing fourth in the Derby and third in the Group 2
King Edward VII at Royal Ascot.
“I would say Thought Worthy is a likely runner in the St Leger,” said James
Wigan, racing manager to Strawbridge. “He put in a very gutsy performance in the
Great Voltigeur last week when he really put his head down and tried.
“Dynaformers have a habit of improving. Thought Worthy is a lovely looking
individual and physically he has come on significantly since his run at Royal
Ascot. His brother Lucarno won the St Leger and Thought Worthy really tries and
gallops so you never know.”
David Lanigan could saddle his first St Leger runner in Main Sequence, who
finished five lengths second to Camelot in the Derby and filled the same spot
when a neck behind Thought Worthy in the Great Voltigeur.
Thomas Chippendale, winner of the King Edward VII, goes forward for Sir Henry
Cecil and owner Sir Robert Ogden, while Godolphin has left in the Mahmood Al
Zarooni-trained Encke, who came third in the Great Voltigeur.
Guarantee jumped into the St Leger picture for trainer William Haggas and the
Authorized syndicate of Highclere Thoroughbred Racing with an impressive victory
in the Melrose Handicap at York last weekend. The lightly-raced Authorized colt
has won on three of his four starts.
Another progressive colt Ursa Major, trained by Tommy Carmody in Ireland and
owned by the Stobart Group’s chief executive Andrew Tinkler, comes into the St
Leger reckoning after staying on strongly to win the Group 3 Irish St Leger
Trial at the Curragh last Saturday in good style. The son of Galileo has been
successful on his last three starts.
The next confirmation stage for the St Leger is September 10, when there is
also a £45,000 supplementary entry stage.
The 2012 St Leger Festival at Doncaster starts September 12 and continues
through September 15.
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