The oldest of Britain’s five Classic races is set to take place on Town Moor next month as the St Leger Stakes brings the curtain down on the three year old’s Classic campaign following the 2000/1000 Guineas, the Oaks, and the Derby.
The St Leger dates back to 1776 with the winner unofficially named Allabacullia, as in those days racehorses did not require official naming, and you’d only have to go back four generations to find two of the founding sires in his pedigree in Darley Arabian and Curwen’s Bay Barb which underscores the historical nature of this contest.
Prior to the inception of the Guineas, the first ‘double crown’ was completed with the appropriately named Champion landing both the Derby and the St Leger 1800 and once the 2000 Guineas was first run in 1809, it took a subsequent forty four years for the ‘Triple Crown’ to be completed with West Australian in 1853 becoming the first of only fifteen thoroughbreds to achieve such a mammoth task.
Njinsky was the final one in 1970 and Camelot famously came within 3/4 length of achieving Triple Crown success in 2012 when 2/5F, only failing to collar the 25/1 outsider Encke. The increasing shift toward breeding for cheap speed has soured the appetite of winning the St Leger in recent years, with the likes of Scorpion, Sixties Icon, Masked Marvel, Leading Light and Kingston Hill have all developed into prominent National Hunt stallions with the patience of breeds wearing ever thin, thus producing weaker and stayers of lesser ability on the flat.
Despite its increasing unpopularity among breeders the race is still a valuable jewel in the crown of thoroughbred racing, and success in the St Leger is no mean feat.
Market Contenders
Scandinavia
Justify colt Scandinavia would’ve been an unlikely candidate for the St Leger at the beginning of the season with form figures of 327 last term, and a length defeat at Royal Ascot albeit a somewhat unfortunate one wasn’t enough for most to put him in the picture either. However when equipped with cheek-pieces in the Bahrain Trophy last month, an eight length route saw him develop from Sweden in the 1958 World Cup to Denmark in the 1992 European Championship as he powered clear up the July Course. Scandinavia then became the first three year old since Stradivarius in 2017 to land the Goodwood Cup, lowering the colours of 7/4F stablemate Illinois in gusty fashion.
He’s a rapidly progressive colt who bodes stamina and speed in abundance, and there’s no telling how high this son of Justify, from the family of Giants Causeway, could climb in the thoroughbred ranks.
Lambourn
Since Nijinsky, only three horses have won the Derby and contested the St Leger with Shergar in 1981 who could only manage fourth, Reference Point in 1987 succeeded in landing the middle and final leg of the Triple Crown, and Camelot in 2012. Dual Derby winner Lambourn failed to back up his Classic heroes in the Great Voltigeur Stakes at the Ebor meeting, but Aidan O’Brien remained in good spirits suggesting he barely blew after what he described as a ‘Mickey Mouse race really’.
The son of Australia has the physical makeup of that as a relentless galloper as opposed to one who could drop back in trip and blow rivals away with a turn of foot, so this step up in trip can bring out further improvement providing connections can set up a stronger pace this time around.
Lazy Griff
Middleham Park have had the pleasure of owning multiple Group 1 winners such as The Platinum Queen and Marie’s Rock, but a Classic winning colt would be the cherry on top of the blue and gold cake and Lazy Griff has a live chance. The son of Protectionist was progressive as a two year old last season, culminating with a victory in the Group Three Prix de Conde. This season he’s bumped into Lambourn on all three occasions, collared late on by him at Chester in the Vase Stakes before faring best of the prominent racers to try and mount a challenge to Lambourn who made all in the Derby, and he came from the clouds having been outpaced at the Curragh to be third to Lambourn and Serious Contender.
He’s been slightly written off all season, but in each of his runs he’s shaped as if this trip would suit and he remains fresher than most, not least his arch-rival Lambourn.
Carmers
Paddy Twomey remarked that Carmers’ Great Voltigeur second was a ‘good trial for the St Leger’ and that this has been his aim since his Queen’s Vase triumph in June.
The son of Wootton Bassett only made his debut in May in a Bellewstown Maiden over 1m5f , before backing that up in listed company at Navan and the form of his Queen’s Vase has worked out well thus far. The second has come out and won the Group Three Geoffrey Stakes, the fourth was second to Al Riffa in a Group Two at the Curragh, Scandinavia was back in fifth, and the eighth landed an Ascot handicap off 98 next time out.
The drop back in trip on a speed favouring track at York wasn’t the most obvious route with Carmers given his stamina laden make up, but he acquitted himself well against the Dante winner in Pride Of Arras, displaying a game attitude to get up for second. That was a career best RPR, and it should put him spot on for this step back up in trip on a more galloping track.
Arabian Force
Arabian Force was only narrowly behind Carmers in the Great Voltigeur when staying on relentlessly from his unfavourable pitch in rear and he has to be considered on that evidence.
The son of Lope De Vega burst on to the scene when bolting up five lengths from dual winner Gladius (106 OR) in a Salisbury Novice, though he failed to land a blow next time out in the Hampton Court Stakes. He got back on track with a nose defeat to the progressive Nahraan at Hamilton, and the step up to 1m4f evidently brought out further improvement when a length third to Pride of Arras.
This extra two furlongs visually looks to improve him further, though his rider will have to stoke him up quite early from home as he doesn’t look blessed with a natural turn of foot.
Outsiders To Consider
Furthur
Participation of many more in the market looks unlikely, but not for Waldgeist colt Furthur who landed the Geoffrey Freer in Stakes in a comfortable manner. He bounced back from a disappointing run behind Scandinavia in the Bahrain Trophy where he evidently didn’t give his running, but prior to that he was only second to Carmers in the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot when staying on strongly from rear.
Both of his wins this season have come on the flat galloping track of Newbury, so Doncaster should suit his relentless style and he’s earned his seat at the table after his dominant performance last time out.
Stay True
Connections won this with Jan Brueghel last season who was still unexposed after just three runs, and Galileo colt Stay True is a similar model who could improve once again after shaping as if needing the run in the Great Voltigeur.
He took a keen grip under Wayne Lordan there and only weakened late on, but that was his first run after a 102 day layoff having previously contested the Lingfield Derby Trial. While he may lack the flashy profile of his stablemates, he shapes as if this trip will suit and if considering those ahead of him in the Voltigeur, it would be folly to write him off now with fitness on side.
Verdict
Coolmore and Aidan O’Brien have won four of the last eight renewals of the St Leger and they look to hold the aces here. Scandinavia appears the logical choice, but the last winner of the St Leger to wear headgear was in 2013 and he might get caught out by this drop in trip having looked at home over two miles last time out.
LAMBOURN gets the nod then, as the dual Derby winner shaped as if needing the outing in the Great Voltigeur which is a race the yard have used plenty in the past to successfully go on to take the St Leger and he can fend them all off from the front.
Carmers can follow the selection home, as he’s maturing all the time and this return to 1m6f can suit. He shaped very well over inadequate conditions in the Great Voltigeur, and the son of Wootton Bassett looks a very smart stayer in the making.
The classy and improving Scandinavia can complete the tricast, but the worry is this drop back in trip and that the last winner of this contest to wear headgear was Leading Light in 2013, but a strongly run contest should see him plugging on late.
St Leger 1-2-3
- Lambourn
- Carmers
- Scandinavia
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