Will Reilly previews the final classic of the season in Britain.
Doncaster, 15:35
Saturday, September 12
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It’s the 250th running of the English St Leger, the oldest of the Classic races, having first been run in 1776.
The famous race is a £700,000 Group 1 contest run over 1m6f111y, and Ireland’s champion trainer Aidan O’Brien will be hoping to win the English St Leger for a tenth time. He has won the last three renewals and will be represented by four runners this year.
With Ryan Moore at Leopardstown for the opening day of the Irish Champions Festival, Aidan’s runners and riders are Christmas Day (Ronan Whelan), Pierre Bonnard (Wayne Lordan), Amelia Earhart (Tom Marquand) and Action (Sean Levey).
Tom Marquand won the race for Aidan last year on Scandinavia, while Sean Levey was successful for the trainer in 2024 on Jan Breughel.
Christmas Day won the Epsom Derby before finishing second in the Irish Derby and third in the Great Voltigeur Stakes at York.
Pierre Bonnard finished seventh in the Epsom Derby, third in the Irish Derby and second in the Great Voltigeur, where he finished two-and-a-quarter lengths ahead of Christmas Day.
Amelia Earhart was sixth in the Epsom Oaks, fifth in the Irish Oaks, fifth in the Lillie Langtry Stakes at Goodwood and then second in a Group 3 race at the Curragh.
Aidan, however, does not have the favourite for the race, as that honour falls to his son Joseph O’Brien.
Joseph, who won the race in 2020 with Galileo Charm, who was ridden by Tom Marquand, has two runners.
Enceladus has won his last three races, most recently the Group 3 Gordon Stakes at Goodwood. He will race in first-time cheek-pieces on Saturday and will be partnered by Billy Loughnane.
Joseph’s other runner is Highwayman, who has won his last two races, most recently a Listed race at Leopardstown. He will be partnered by Saffie Osborne, who will be aiming to become the first female rider to land the celebrated contest.
Of the others, the Richard Hannon-trained Alderman has had just one run since finishing fifth in the Epsom Derby. That came at Newmarket in a Group 3 race, where he finished last of five. He may have needed that outing and a good run on Saturday would hardly be a surprise.
Andrew Balding, who is having such a good season, runs two horses, including Galiyan (Danny Tudhope).
Galiyan finished second in a Group 3 race at Newbury before finishing a well-beaten fifth in the Great Voltigeur at York. Cheek-pieces go on for the first time today. He is open to improvement but will need to find a good bit of it in order to win.
Finally, the Faye Bramley-trained Rebel Rocker, who has had just four runs, ran well when sixth in the Epsom Derby but finished fourth of five in a Group 3 race, the John Porter Stakes, at Newbury last time out, although that was his first run since Epsom.
John Porter won the St Leger six times. He created Park House Stables in Kingsclere, Hampshire, which is where Andrew Balding now trains, as his father did before him.
Will Andrew cap an excellent season with a Classic success? We are not so sure, as we feel that Aidan O’Brien will land a tenth English St Leger.
Selection: Pierre Bonnard (Latest prices here)
Dundalk connection at Doncaster
We love Dundalk Stadium as a racecourse, and Pierre Bonnard is a Dundalk maiden winner.
Dundalk maiden winners to have landed Classics are Winter (English and Irish 1,000 Guineas), Qualify (Epsom Oaks) and Seventh Heaven (Irish Oaks).
Furthermore, Joan Of Arc was narrowly beaten in a Dundalk maiden before going on to win the French Oaks, Magician finished second in a Dundalk maiden before landing the Irish 2,000 Guineas, and Homecoming Queen finished third in a Dundalk maiden before winning the following year’s English 2,000 Guineas.
Suffice it to say that Dundalk maidens are well worth keeping an eye on.
It would be great if Pierre Bonnard and a St Leger could be added to the list.
