Monday’s five-day St Leger confirmation stage sees 14 three-year-olds go
forward for the Doncaster classic headed by three joint 4-1 favorites with
Ladbrokes — the John Gosden-trained Gordon Stakes second Excess Knowledge,
Aidan O’Brien’s Queen’s Vase hero Leading Light and Irish Derby runner-up and
Epsom Derby third Galileo Rock from David Wachman’s stable.
Excess Knowledge, along with stable companion Feel Like Dancing (16-1), is
bidding to give Gosden a fifth St Leger victory.
O’Brien’s customary strong challenge could also consist of Great Voltigeur
Stakes runner-up Foundry (6-1) and Sandown Classic Trial second Eye of the
Storm (16-1). Ireland’s champion trainer is seeking his fourth St Leger winner.
Godolphin, the most successful current owner in the St Leger with six wins,
has three possibles, headlined by Epsom Derby runner-up Libertarian (8-1) plus
Great Voltigeur third Secret Number (16-1) and Cap O’Rushes (20-1), who edged
Excess Knowledge in the Gordon at Glorious Goodwood but was only sixth in the
Great Voltigeur.
Ralph Beckett plans to run Epsom Oaks heroine Talent (12-1), who is aiming to
be the first filly to win the St Leger since User Friendly in 1992. Great
Hall (20-1), Havana Beat (33-1), London Bridge (50-1) and Ralston Road (66-1)
are the others going forward.
Gosden believes that Excess Knowledge was a shade unlucky in the Gordon.
“He was making a nice run down the outside in the Gordon Stakes, and there
was horse wandering around in front of him every time we made a move,” the
trainer noted. “He flew at the finish but was just beaten. That is racing.
“I like him and, bred the way he is, the distance of a mile, six and a half
furlongs should be within his compass.
“Feel Like Dancing is fine after his Bahrain Trophy win,” Gosden added. “It
is a route I have taken before with Masked Marvel. He is a solid horse and stays
well.
“Good ground will be fair for everybody, but both horses will be appreciate
any rain that comes.”
Excess Knowledge will be ridden by James Doyle, Khalid Abdullah’s
newly-retained rider, while stable jockey William Buick will partner Feel Like
Dancing.
“The St Leger is a fantastic race, with a great track and a great crowd,”
Gosden summed up. “It is probably the best galloping track in Europe.
O’Brien commented on his possibles.
Foundry, who won his only start at two, reappeared with a fine runner-up
effort to the now-sidelined Telescope in the Great Voltigeur on August 21.
“We were delighted with Foundry’s run last time in the Great Voltigeur at
York,” O’Brien said. That was his first run of the season and he was still
running for experience, so we were delighted with how forward he was.
“He has had three weeks since York and is in good form.
“You would hope that the extra trip at Doncaster will be within his compass.
He is a big, long-striding, good-moving horse and came home very well at York.”
Ballydoyle’s leading St Leger contender would appear to be Leading Light. The
son of Montjeu has won four of his five starts, most recently taking the
two-mile Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot in June.
“He had only gone as far as a mile and a quarter before the Queen’s Vase, but
he got the trip well at Ascot,” O’Brien observed.
“We thought of going to the Voltigeur with him, but he was not 100 per cent
and gave him a couple of weeks off. We have been very happy with him over the
last three weeks though and we always thought that Doncaster would suit him. He
has not disappointed us yet, travels well and always finds plenty off the
bridle.”
Eye of the Storm was off for more than four months after missing by a head in
the Classic Trial at Sandown on April 26, and resumed Monday evening with a
second-place effort in the Oyster Stakes at Galway. His participation in the St
Leger now looks questionable at best.
“The St Leger is probably going to come too quick for him, but we left him in
just in case he bolted up on the bridle tonight,” O’Brien revealed. “He is a
class horse and we always thought that this race would suit. But it looks like
we have run out of time with him.”
Wachman is hopeful of a good performance by Galileo Rock.
“Galileo Rock seems well and we are happy with him,” Wachman said. “He has
run well in two Derbys and is very much entitled to take his chance on Saturday.
His three-parts brother, Saddler’s Rock, stays well and hopefully he does too.
“Good ground will be fine though fast going would be better. Wayne Lordan,
who is a top-class jockey, will ride Galileo Rock again. The horses are running
well.”
Godolphin Racing Manager Simon Crisford commented on how much the world’s
oldest classic means to the team.
“Encke was a great winner of the St Leger in 2012, and he was our sixth St
Leger success in 20 years, so we have a great track record in the classic,”
Crisford noted.
“It is a race we love and a fantastic heritage race, being the oldest classic
and part of the fabric of British racing. It is very much on the radar each
year. We have a lot of horses who fit the profile of the race and naturally get
drawn towards it. The St Leger is one of the highlights of the whole year for
us.”
Crisford went on to discuss Godolphin’s trio of candidates.
“Secret Number is bred to be a mile and a quarter horse and he looks to be
one of these nearly horses — he does not seem to win on the big occasion. For
me, I would be surprised if he was good enough to win on Saturday. He is in good
form and, indeed, did his best piece of work ever leading up to this race. But I
would be a bit surprised to see him in the winner’s enclosure.
“Cap O’Rushes was disappointing last time in the Great Voltigeur but the
ground on the Knavesmire was very quick. I would suggest you take a line through
him and Excess Knowledge who is one of the contenders to be favorite, while Cap
O’Rushes is an unconsidered outsider. But Cap O’Rushes beat him at Goodwood.
Though Excess Knowledge was an unlucky loser, there is no doubt that Cap
O’Rushes, given his ground, is the most interesting of our three contenders at
the price.
“Libertarian was bought with the St Leger very much in mind. We thought he
would be an ideal candidate for the classic. But, having said that, I cannot
help wondering if that will backfire. His run in the Irish Derby was too bad to
be true, but the ground was very quick that day and he didn’t like it.
“It has taken him a long time to get over that race, while he had a very hard
campaign in the spring. Karl Burke, very generously, told us everything we
needed to know about the horse. Libertarian never shows anything in his work and
has never showed us anything either. I think we are going there guessing. The
jury is out and he still has a lot to prove.
“We will have to wait and see what the jockey arrangements will be in the
next 48 hours. We have got Silvestre (de Sousa), we have got Mickael (Barzalona)
and we will hopefully get the best available for the third horse, whoever that
may be.
“Silvestre will ride Secret Number, while Mickael will either be on
Libertarian or Cap O’Rushes.
“Going into the race, you have got to fancy Galileo Rock,” Crisford said. “He
was beaten half a length by Libertarian in the Derby but will take all the
beating. I also like the filly Talented. I think her Oaks win was superb and you
can put a line through her race in Ireland — they went so slow and her chances
were mitigated. If they go a proper gallop, then she will be bang there.”
Talent has something in common with User Friendly, the last filly to win the
St Leger: both were previously successful in the Oaks at Epsom.
“Talent is in good shape,” Beckett said. “She has not had the ideal
preparation, as I was keen to run her in the Yorkshire Oaks but the ground was
too quick. I think she would be better with a run under her belt.
“She galloped at Kempton over a mile last week and we were pleased with the
way it went. She doesn’t knock herself out in her work.
“We have always felt she is a strong stayer and that the St Leger is the
right race for her under the right conditions. She needs a bit of juice in the
ground, not like the ground when she ran in the Irish Oaks. I am not convinced
that the ground was the only reason for her poor performance in Ireland but I
wouldn’t want to run her on fast ground again until I knew for sure.”
Brian Meehan, who sent out Red Rocks to a third-place finish in the 2006 St
Leger, has a progressive type in Great Hall for Saturday’s renewal. The Halling
colt will be making his fifth start, and his first since annexing a 14-furlong
handicap at Haydock Park on July 4.
“We have quite a few stayers in the yard this season,” Meehan said from the
Keeneland September Sale.
“He hung a bit left and hung a bit right and was green at Haydock last time,
but he actually won with plenty in hand. It probably looked a bit more pressured
than it was. Kieren Fallon takes the ride and the ground should be fine for
him.”
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