Saturday sees the culmination of the St Leger Festival at Doncaster, with the last classic of the season looking like being an all-star affair. Similarly at The Curragh across the Irish Sea, we have the Irish St Leger as well as the Group One Matron Stakes, an opportunity for the top juveniles to place their future classic credentials on the line.
We’ll start by looking at the St Leger, which looks a tremendous race on paper. Sir Michael Stoute’s Sea Moon looks likely to start favourite. This fast-improving colt won the Great Voltigeur Stakes by an impressive 10 lengths, beating Irish Derby runner-up Seville and Queens Vase winner Namibian. The well bred colt has been patiently waited with by trainer Sir Michael Stoute and sets the standard on that run.
The only possible negative is that on breeding grounds, the horse is not 100% guaranteed to stay the trip. Therefore, preference lies with two perceived 'value' options, the first of which is BROWN PANTHER, who looked like a tip-top stayer in the making when routing his opponents in the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot. He was unlucky in Hamburg in the German Derby, where he didn’t really get the run of the race. He then returned from a break when a held second in the Group Two Geoffrey Freer Stakes at Newbury. It looks like there may still be improvement to come and he has been earmarked for the race since winning at Royal Ascot.
Another horse who should relish conditions is MASKED MARVEL, who races for last year’s winning trainer and jockey, John Gosden and William Buick. Masked Marvel looked impressive when holding Census last time out at Newmarket, winning over 1m 5f at the July Cup meeting. Masked Marvel's form looks solid enough. Being a son of Montjeu, the trip and possible soft ground would be more of a help than a hindrance against his rivals and I can see both him and Brown panther going off at much shorter odds on the day than they are now.
Red Duke was incredibly unlucky in the Group Two Vintage Stakes at Glorious Goodwood and can bounce back for connections at Doncaster. Jockey Kieren Fallon was unlucky in running, travelling with a double handful, but no gap appeared, leaving Red Duke ready to race but with nowhere to go. The opposition on Saturday looks an even better standard than Goodwood, with promising Sheikh Hamdan horse Entifadhaa setting an impressive benchmark, with his Group Three win at York being franked by two listed winners. There is also competitive yardstick Trumpet Major for Richard Hannon and Richard Hughes, however we will stay loyal to Red Duke and hope Mr. Fallon does not make the same mistake twice!
There is another hotpot favourite in the Irish St Leger on Saturday at the Curragh and the best word to describe him as is 'bomb proof'. FAME AND GLORY was another Ascot Giold Cup winner for trainer Aidan O' Brien earlier in the year in the Ascot Gold Cup, handling the soft conditions well. Fame and Glory should have no problem dropping back in trip to 1m 6f having been a Group One winner at 10f and 12f. He was disappointing last time out, returning after his Gold Cup win, looking laboured in the Leger trial, losing out by a neck to Fictional Account. Jamie Spencer was very patient however with him that day, and he should be fresher and more tuned up for this crack at yet another Group One.
Jack Milner
3.50 Curragh - Fame and Glory (Nap)
2.05 Doncaster - Red Duke
3.10 Doncaster - Masked Marvel (Ew) & Brown Panther (Ew)
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