Saturday sees the St. Leger Festival arrive at its Classic conclusion as a field of seven staying stars tackle the biggest 1m6f event of the season for the three-year-olds. Responsible for three of the entries, Aidan O’Brien looks like a tough nut to crack in the big one, but the feature is only one of seven contests on a cracking card.
Here, we focus on the supporting action and pick out our three best bets in the Group 2 double of the Champagne Stakes and Park Stakes and the final Maiden at the meeting.
1:50 Betfred Champagne Stakes, 7f, Group 2
The juveniles set the ball rolling on Day 3 in an event won by future Group 1 stars Chaldean, Bayside Boy, and Too Darn Hot in recent years. Just six go to post in 2024, but with a host of wonderful pedigrees and solid form on show, it would be no surprise to see the winner go on to compete at the top table.
John Gosden took this with Champion Juvenile Too Darn Hot in 2018 and saddles the current market leader Chancellor. Two from three in his career to date, this son of Kingman impressed when scoring over course and distance last time out. However, this is a step up from Class 3 level, and his only defeat came when beaten at odds-on in the Listed Pat Eddery Stakes. He did lose a shoe that day, but, on balance, he’s a little short for our liking.
Richard Spencer’s Righthere Rightnow comes next, following his emphatic debut success at Newmarket in August. By Kodiac and of a Dark Angel mare, he boasts a speedy pedigree but had no trouble with 7f last time and could prove dangerous.
Wolf Of Badenach is only third in the market but arguably brings the strongest form to the table, having finished second in the Group 2 Vintage Stakes last time. He was no match for the highly regarded Aomori City that day but did well to see off the rest despite looking in need of the experience.
George Scott’s Bay City Roller is the other runner available at a single-figure price and arrives with a perfect two-from-two record. The combined winning margin of those Class 4 wins is under a length, but he possesses an admirable attitude and is going the right way.
Aidan O’Brien fields two in the race. Surprisingly, they are the two outsiders of the field. That’s an unusual scenario for a contest such as this, and we can’t help but feel Aftermath and Monumental are underestimated at double-figure odds.
By Justify and out of a Galileo mare, Aftermath boasts an increasingly familiar Ballydoyle pedigree and ran a race full of promise when second on debut, but Monumental gets our vote.
As a son of Kingman and the mare Riqa, who earned black type over a mile, the mount of Gavin Ryan is nicely bred for the task at hand and has done little wrong in three starts to date. Running green and finding trouble in running on debut, he stepped up to finish second to his speedy stablemate Ides Of March at the Curragh. Moving up to this trip last time out at Gowran Park, he overcame a troubled passage to kick clear in the straight and win by a widening 2½l. At 11/1, he looks decent value to hit the frame.
Recommended Bet: Monumental each way at 11/1 with BetVictor
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3:00 Betfred Park Stakes, 7f, Group 2
Our next selection comes in the second 7f Group 2 contest, this time for runners aged three and above.
2022 winner Kinross heads the betting for Ralph Beckett and Rossa Ryan. Successful eight times over this specialist trip – including twice in Group 1 company – the son of Kingman is always to be feared over 7f. However, he is seven years old now, and his three efforts this season have been below his best.
William Haggas has his string in decent hear at present – as evidenced by the shock success of Montassib in the Sprint Cup last weekend – and sends the three-year-old Lake Forest into battle. A Group 2 winner as a juvenile, he has yet to tackle this trip but was doing all his best work late when second to Elite Status over 6f in the Hackwood Stakes last time.
Poet Master is another to note. The Karl Burke runner carries a 3lb penalty for his comfortable win in the Minstrel Stakes, which makes life tougher, but he’s a course and distance winner at the top of his game and should go well for PJ McDonald.
In a competitive heat, our vote goes to the impeccably bred and lightly raced three-year-old Lead Artist. By Dubawi and out of the Frankel mare Obligate, who scored in Group 2 company over a mile, this Juddmonte runner makes stacks of appeal on paper and arrives on the back of a career-best win in the Group 3 Bonhams Thoroughbred Stakes. This represents the next step up the ladder, but he’s more open to improvement than most and may be up to the task.
Recommended Bet: Lead Artist to win at 3/1 with bet365
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4:50 British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Stakes, 1m, Class 2
Only introduced in 2020, this Maiden event has already produced future Group winner Israr, and the field contains several eye-catching pedigrees in 2024.
John & Thady Gosden have landed the past two editions of this and will be represented by the Cracksman colt Valedictory this year. Out of the US 1m1f Grade 3 winner Valiant Girl, this 140,000 GNS purchase looks the part on paper but lacks the racecourse experience of others in the field.
Charlie Appleby’s Masubi seems likely to prove popular in the market following an encouraging debut third at Kempton. He should step up on that but looked to fade in the closing stages of that 1m event and may be vulnerable inside the final furlong.
William Haggas’s Yabher is a half-brother to the Listed winner Al Mubhir and is one to watch in the market, but this can go to the Aidan O’Brien runner Scandinavia.
By sire of the moment Justify and out of the Galileo mare Fabulous, who has already given us the Group 1 winner Above The Curve, this fine physical specimen took a step forward from his debut effort when second in a decent Maiden at Newmarket. Finishing best of all that day, greenness in the middle stages cost him his chance of victory. With another month under his belt, he is fancied to settle better here and may prove tough to deny on the run to the line.
Recommended Bet: Scandinavia to win at Best Morning Price
Paul Harrison
Falling in love with racing at a young age, Paul’s passion for sports and betting took him to Salford University, where he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Business Economics with Gambling Studies. Having spent ten years in the employment of a leading bookmaker, Paul opted to go it alone and pursue his dream job as a freelance writer.
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