The final Classic of the season takes place on Saturday at Doncaster as the St Leger takes centre stage. Our top tipster Andrew Mount has taken a look through the form guides and picks out his best bets for the day.
Back his selections with BetMGM’s HUGE new customer offer of £40 in Free Bets when you deposit and bet £10!
Posted: 3.00pm, Friday, September 13th
2.25 Doncaster – BERGERAC (1pt ew – 14/1 Betfair, Paddy Power) & VINTAGE CLARETS
(1pt ew – 12/1 generally)
BERGERAC ran a blinder in the Symphony Stakes at York’s Ebor meeting, finishing a 28-1 sixth of 22 from a poor high draw (first six drawn 6, 7, 2, 3, 8 and 19). The son of Kodi Bear will appreciate the recent rain and has placed in both starts at this venue, finishing a 16-1 second of eight to Popmaster in July 2021 (6f) and a 9-2 third of 18 in March 2022.
VINTAGE CLARETS also ran well against the draw bias in the Symphony Stakes, finishing a neck and two places behind Bergerac in eighth from his tricky stall 14 draw. Richard Fahey’s five-year-old finished a solid 25-1 fifth of 22 to Annaf in this race last year and, though arguably not staying the 5f143y trip that day, I expected Jamie Spencer will hold on to him until the very last seconds and his stall 20 draw could prove helpful.
Join our 20k+ subscribers to receive the latest horse racing news, offers, and expert tips directly in your inbox — 100% free!
5.10 Leopardstown – CERULEAN BAY (1.5pt win – 11/2 generally)
Since 2013, backing all horses drawn in stall 11 or higher in the 7f Sovereign Path Handicap would have hit eight of the 11 winners and returned a small profit, with those who arrived at Leopardstown on the back of a top-four finish winning seven times (from 38 runners) for a profit of £30.00. Two of those (from just six runners) were trained in Britain and David O’Meara’s CERULEAN BAY, a winner at Thirsk last time, looks well drawn in stall 15 under Colin Keane. He went into my tracker after his best-of-the-closers third over 1m at Haydock back in May but lost his next four starts, all over the same trip. However, the cut back to 7f at Haydock in July proved the making of him where he scored easily on soft ground and he’s since completed a hat-trick. His record at 7f below Group level now reads 1111 (4-4) and he could prove hard to beat.
5.45 Leopardstown – ARISAIG (1pt ew – 11/1 William Hill)
ARISAIG did this column a good turn at Glorious Goodwood, and we left her well alone in the 7f fillies’ handicap at York last month, as the Johnston yard has a shocking record at the Ebor meeting with horses who ran at Goodwood. The three-year-old ran better than expected that day, finishing eighth of 17 from her poor wide draw and she can bounce back today. She’ll need luck in running under a patient ride from stall 1 but the yard’s handicappers usually do well in Ireland – ten from 36 this century for a profit of £26.75 (expected winners = 5.48, A/E = 1.83) – and Tom Marquand is a good booking.
6.50 Musselburgh – SHOWTIME MAHOMES (1pt win – 5/2 Paddy Power)
The Grant Tuer-trained SHOWTIME MAHOMES took his record at Musselburgh to 111 (3-3) when scoring narrowly over course and distance last time (he’s just one from 31 at other venues) and a 3lb rise still leaves him 1lb lower than when successful in this race last year. The five-year-old could get pressed for the early lead by Roman Di Loria but with that one on his outside I expected him to be first to the inside rail.
Andrew Mount’s Best Bets
2.25 Doncaster – BERGERAC (1pt ew – 14/1 Betfair, Paddy Power) & VINTAGE CLARETS (1pt ew – 12/1 generally)
5.10 Leopardstown – CERULEAN BAY (1.5pt win – 11/2 generally)
5.45 Leopardstown – ARISAIG (1pt ew – 11/1 William Hill)
6.50 Musselburgh – SHOWTIME MAHOMES (1pt win – 5/2 Paddy Power)
Andrew Mount’s tips for Saturday, 14th September 2024.
Andrew Mount’s Myth Busters – Can we trust the official going description or is it usually wrong?
Haydock stages the Group 1 Sprint Cup this Saturday (September 7th, 2024) where the official going at the time of writing is ‘good to soft, soft in places’ with a GoingStick reading of 6.00. Of the three weather forecasts I study, the one I trust the most has just 3.5mm of rain due to fall…
Wed 04 Sep 2024Looking For More Racing Info? Check Out Our Racecards & Top Tips Sections
Make sure you’re following us on all our social media platforms to keep up to date with all the latest horse racing news and the best tips.