The St Leger Stakes is the final Classic of the season and takes place at Doncaster on Saturday 14th September. The race is confined to three-year-olds.
Check out our St Leger tips for 2023 here!
In recent years the two races that have supplied the bulk of the winners have been the Great Voltigeur and the Gordon Stakes with 11 out of 16 winners since 2000 running in one or the other on their previous start. The Epsom Derby can also provide some interesting clues.
Here is a runner-by-runner guide to this year’s renewal on Town Moor.
Dashing Willoughby
Dashing Willoughby was third in the Chester Vase and then flourished for the step up in trip at Royal Ascot by taking the Queen’s Vase in fairly attritional conditions.
He has subsequently run well in the Princess of Wales’s Stakes and the Goodwood Cup and is very dangerous to dismiss given the form of the Balding stable at the moment.
On a negative note he might not get the juice in the ground that he usually needs on Saturday.
Il Paradiso
After Il Paradiso produced a career-best effort at York and gave Stradivarius a scare in the Lonsdale Cup, there was a massive plunge on the O’Brien runner for the Leger.
The colt, who had been as high as 14/1 for the Doncaster showpiece, rapidly became a 5/1 horse racing betting chance with most bookmakers.
Only seventh behind his stablemate Sovereign in the Irish Derby, he has risen from a mark of 87 to his current rating of 115. That is due in part to his victory at the Curragh and his proximity to Dee Ex Bee at York.
His trainer Aidan O'Brien has won the St Leger six times since 2001.
Logician
Logician is the rapidly progressive son of Frankel and is unbeaten in four starts, therefore making him the very worthy favourite for this contest.
His impressive Great Voltigeur win over Constantinople makes him the one they all have to beat here.
The St Leger is another quarter of a mile further that the Great Voltigeur, but the grey was running his best in the last two furlongs at York and it would come as a surprise if he did not have the requisite stamina for this.
His trainer, John Gosden said: “He has been in great form since York. He is a very relaxed character and he has a lovely big long loping stride. I thought then (back in May) this might be a Leger horse.
He has come a long way in a short time. The nice, long straight at Doncaster should suit him well.”
Nayef Road
In typical Mark Johnston style the Galileo colt has been kept busy this season, running seven times in all and picking up two wins along the way, most notably the Gordon Stakes at Glorious Goodwood.
Unfortunately for connections he never followed that run up and ran very disappointingly in the Great Voltigeur next time out.
Nayef Road is the type of horse to bounce back but on the face of things he does look quite an exposed type now at this stage of the season.
Sir Dragonet
Sir Dragonet went off the favourite for the Derby after a wide margin win in the Chester Vase. That day he beat Norway by eight lengths and had the subsequent Queen’s Vase winner Dashing Willoughby well behind.
He lost nothing in defeat when a close up fifth in the Derby, but he ran a bit flat when only fourth in the Royal Whip Stakes.
He should be much fitter for that run at the Curragh and is the main market rival to the hotpot favourite Logician.
Sir Dragonet’s jockey on Saturday, Donnacha O’Brien told Racing TV: "I ride him in all his work, he's absolutely flying at home and gives you a very good feel.
It's always an unknown when they step up in trip, but he looks to have every chance of staying it - it's an unknown for plenty in the race. I think Logician is a nice horse, but he's going to have to improve to run to my level of form, being honest, and I think my lad is probably the one to beat."
Sir Ron Priestley
Sir Ron Priestley is a tough and progressive Mark Johnston horse who made the step up into Group company with a win in the March Stakes.
Franny Norton, who has partnered the Mark Johnston-trained colt to his last four wins, is philosophical about his chances: “Sir Ron Priestley has done nothing wrong apart from one blip in Royal Ascot’s King George V Handicap.
It’s a massive step between what he’s done so far and what he’s got to do in the St Leger, but we haven’t got to the bottom of this horse just yet. He always pulls it out, and has every right to be in the race.”
Mark Johnston is looking for his first ever success in the St Leger despite being the winning most flat trainer of all time in the UK. 49-year-old Norton is also looking for his first ever Group 1 victory so there could be a fairytale ending for both men on the cards.
Technician
Technician got no kind of a run in the Chester Vase behind Sir Dragonet but has since won twice, the latest of this victories coming in the Geoffrey Freer Stakes when he got the better of the useful Morando.
He was a disappointing however at Glorious Goodwood behind Nayef Road and it remains to be seen whether he can mix it with the big boys at this level.
Western Australia
Western Australia was on pacemaking duties for Japan last time out in the Grand Prix de Paris and it looks like odds of 1.01 that he will be doing so again here, but this time for Sir Dragonet and Il Paradiso.
St Leger 2019: Our Pick
It is very hard to get away from this race being a straight shootout between Logician and Sir Dragonet, with the former just getting the verdict.
888sport suggests: Logician (win).
*Credit for the main photo belongs to Leslie Priest / AP Photo*
