LADBROKES ST LEGER AT DONCASTER CLOSES FOR ENTRIES ON TUESDAY, JULY 1
Connections are reminded of the closing date for entries on Tuesday, July 1, for the £500,000 Group One Ladbrokes St Leger over an extended mile and six furlongs at Doncaster on Saturday, September 13, 2008.
The oldest Classic in the world, first run in 1776, returned to its spiritual home of Town Moor last season following the racecourse’s stunning £32-million redevelopment and a crowd of over 31,000 saw the John Gosden-trained Lucarno triumph from the Aidan O’Brien-trained pair of Mahler and Honolulu.
This year’s Classic again looks set to be contested by some of Europe’s top middle-distance performers with Epsom Derby second Tartan Bearer, who is running in today’s Irish equivalent, currently heading the St Leger betting at 7/2 with sponsors Ladbrokes.
The Spectrum colt could be joined by impressive Group Three Queen’s Vase scorer Patkai (4/1) and Group Two King Edward VII Stakes runner-up Conduit (7/1), Epsom Derby fourth Doctor Fremantle (12/1) and Dr Faustus (25/1).
All five colts could bid to give trainer Sir Michael Stoute an initial Ladbrokes St Leger triumph. The Newmarket-based handler has sent out Hellenic (1990), Saddlers’ Hall (1991), Air Marshall (2000), Highest (2002) and Quiff (2004) to finish second, but has yet to be victorious in 25 attempts.
Look Here, who was a convincing winner of the Epsom Oaks for trainer Ralph Beckett earlier this month, has the Doncaster Classic as a target and could bid to become the first filly to win the Ladbrokes St Leger since User Friendly followed up her Oaks triumph with a comprehensive victory against the colts in 1992. The daughter of Hernando, who beat Doctor Fremantle on her racecourse debut, is currently 8/1 fourth favourite with Ladbrokes.
Champion trainer Aidan O’Brien is set to launch another strong challenge in search of his fourth Ladbrokes St Leger. The Irish maestro, victorious with Milan (2001), Brian Boru (2003) and Scorpion (2005), saddled four in the race last season and is likely to have several representatives in September, with Epsom Derby fifth and sixth Washington Irving (10/1) and Alessandro Volta (12/1) prominent in the betting and both participants in today’s Irish Derby.
Godolphin could bid for a fifth success in the Ladbrokes St Leger, following Classic Cliche (1995), Nedawi (1998), Mutafaweq (1999) and Rule Of Law (2004). This year Godolphin’s trainer Saeed bin Suroor could rely on Conduit’s Royal Ascot conqueror Campanologist, who is rated as a 14/1 shot by the sponsors.
After entries close on Tuesday, July 1, there is a forfeit stage on Tuesday, August 26. Supplementary entries can be made at a cost of £45,000 at the five-day confirmation stage on Monday, September 8. The entries will be revealed on Wednesday, July 2.
Doncaster’s Managing Director Adam Waterworth was delighted with the return of the Ladbrokes St Leger to Town Moor in 2007 and is looking forward to the 232nd running of the Classic on September 13.
He commented: “Last year’s Ladbrokes St Leger was one of the most successful renewals we have ever held, especially with the return to the redeveloped Doncaster, and I am really looking forward to another cracking race this season.
“It is fantastic that we are set to have an Oaks winner contest the Ladbrokes St Leger and with a number of other horses already having proved themselves as contenders at Epsom and Royal Ascot, it looks like it will yet again be a first-class Ladbrokes St Leger.”
The Ladbrokes St Leger is this year sponsored for a fourth time by the world’s biggest bookmakers. Since 2005, the prize money for the world’s oldest Classic has increased by 25 per cent and this year’s renewal is worth £500,000.
The Ladbrokes St Leger Festival runs from Wednesday, September 10, to Saturday, September 13, and consists of four days of fantastic racing with total prize money of over £1.8 million, featuring six Group Two contests, the Weatherbys Insurance £300,000 St Leger 2-Y-O Stakes and the hugely competitive Ladbrokes Portland Handicap.
Ladbrokes odds for the Ladbrokes St Leger: 7/2 Tartan Bearer, 4/1 Patkai, 7/1 Conduit, 8/1 Look Here, 10/1 Washington Irving, 12/1 Alessandro Volta, 12/1 Doctor Fremantle, 14/1 Campanologist, 25/1 All The Aces, 25/1 Dr Faustus, 33/1 Ancient Lights, 33/1 Bouguereau, 33/1 Checklow
CONNECTIONS MULL OVER A PAPAL BULL REPEAT
Papal Bull could bid for back-to-back success in the £100,000 Group Two Princess Of Wales’s WBX.COM Stakes (3.10pm) on Thursday, July 10, day two of Newmarket’s Ritz Club July Festival, prior to a tilt at the Group One King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot.
The Montjeu five-year–old defeated the dead-heating Laverock and Shahin by two and a half lengths last year in a tremendous renewal of the mile and a half contest, that saw subsequent St Leger hero Lucarno take fourth.
Papal Bull would be racing for the second time in the colours of the Papal Bull Syndicate, headed by Gary Patchett and Coolagown Stud’s David Stack, who bought the stallion prospect from Coolmore last year but leased him back to his previous owners for the remainder of the 2007 season.
Patchett, co-owner of Swindon Robins Speedway team, revealed this morning: “Sir Michael Stoute (trainer) keeps his cards pretty close to his chest, so I would imagine he won’t make a final decision about Newmarket until the six-day stage.
“He’s entered in the Princess of Wales’s WBX.COM Stakes and the King George. The latter is the priority because we want to win a Group One and Sir Michael will make the call as to whether he runs in both. He may use the Newmarket race as a stepping stone to Ascot.
“He wouldn’t have been entered in the Princess Of Wales’s WBX.COM Stakes if there was no intention to run him in the race, so it is on the table. It would be nice to go back and win the race again. The only issue is whether it would come too soon before the King George on July 26.
“The trainer did say to us six weeks ago that, after Epsom, he wanted to go down the Princess Of Wales’s WBX.com Stakes and King George route, rather than Saint Cloud this weekend.”
Papal Bull pleased connections with his seasonal reappearance in the Group One Coronation Cup at Epsom on June 6, when he finished strongly to take fourth behind Soldier Of Fortune.
Patchett continued: “He ran well at Epsom and we were very pleased with that. He had run well fresh in the past, although he didn’t last year, but I think that is because they got to grips with how he needs to be ridden - from the back rather than in the van.
“It was his best run in a Group One by far and bodes well for the rest of the season. We were only beaten two and half lengths by Soldier Of Fortune and we know that our fellow is going to improve. It’s a bit frustrating when you know he’s got to come with a wet sail and he comes with bundles in the tank at the end. He takes a little bit of stoking up and 50 yards past the line he probably would have been there.
“The plan was to retire him at the end of last year and the only reason we kept him in training was to win a Group One. The trainer convinced us before Christmas that he was as sure as he could be that he could get the right race under his belt that would make him an even better stallion prospect.
“He holds an Arc entry and is also engaged in a Group One in Cologne. He may even go back to Japan again for the Japan Cup, in which he was seventh last year.”
Patchett, a director of West Midlands-based Edge Logistics, has extended his racing interests in recent times. As well as owning some broodmares at Coolagown Stud, he is involved with DXB Bloodstock Ltd, which has horses with David Simcock and Peter Chapple-Hyam.
He said: “I’ve always had an interest in horseracing but, until recently, I’d never had the wherewithal to indulge my passion to the extent that I would have liked. Papal Bull is by far the best horse I’ve been involved with but the hope is that, in the future, some of the horses we’re breeding might attain that same sort of level.”
The Princess Of Wales’s WBX.COM Stakes is the feature contest on day two of the Ritz Club July Festival, which offers fantastic racing over three days from Wednesday, July 9, to Friday, July 11 at Newmarket.
Papal Bull’s trainer Sir Michael Stoute has won the race more times than any other current trainer. His six victories have come through Shardari (1986), Rock Hopper (1991), Saddlers’ Hall (1992), Little Rock (2000), Gamut (2005) and Papal Bull (2007).
Iain Turner, PR and Sponsorship Manager for the sponsors, said: “We are delighted with the quality of entries for this year’s race. We are in the third year of our sponsorship and the race has improved in quality year on year.
“With Group One and Royal Ascot winners entered from both sides of the Irish Sea, we should see a fantastic renewal on July 10. I can't wait.”
For old articles (from 1st March 2000) go to the Newslink
Archive
