No, I am not referring to the final leg of the Trinidad Triple Crown which will take place on September 25. The dearth of local horse racing has resulted in the Triple Crown series being a shadow of its former self and while a horse must win the race, we will preview the Trinidad Derby on another occasion.
The final classic in question is the 2023 edition of the Betfred St Leger at Doncaster Racecourse in the UK. This race takes place on Saturday (September 16) and a very exciting race is in prospect with all the top trainers expected to be represented.
Champion trainers elect – John and Thady Gosden – saddle three of the top five contenders on betting odds. Ante post favourite is Queen’s Vase winner, Gregory, a winner of three of his four starts and a staying on third in the Great Voltigeur, a race two furlongs short of the Leger distance. He appeared to be crying out for more distance and he will get it on Saturday. He is sure to be hard to beat.
The Gosdens will also saddle, Middle Earth, another lightly raced colt who has won two of his four starts, most recently, the Melrose Handicap at York’s Ebor meeting. This colt has gotten better as the distances have gotten longer and will be a formidable rival for his stable companion. The trio is completed by beaten Derby favourite, Arrest. The son of Frankel got back on the winning trail when running out a comfortable winner of the Geoffrey Freer at Newbury. This colt needs soft underfoot conditions to be seen at his best and if it turns up soft on Saturday, he is likely to take all the beating.
Heading the opposition is the Continuous, trained by the all-conquering, Aidan O’Brien. This colt did not appear to be good enough until following a good second to Derby runner-up King of Steel in the King Edward Stakes at Royal Ascot with a surprise win in the Great Voltigeur at York beating Leger favourite Gregory. This one is also Japanese-bred but seems to be filled with stamina. He quickened impressively to lead at York but was not going away from his rivals at the line. He is sure to run his race and if he continues to improve may not be an easy pushover. His connections also have the English Oaks runner-up and Irish Oaks winner, Savethelastdancepencilled in for the race. She will prefer a soft surface and so may miss the race unless it comes up soft. She was third in the Yorkshire Oaks on her final start and while soft ground will work in her favour, it will also bring the likes of Arrest more firmly into the race and the filly is unlikely to win even if she runs very well.
The other two strong contenders are Gordon Stakes one-two, Desert Hero and Chesspiece. Desert Hero is owned by His Majesty The King and would be a poignant winner of this classic in his first full year of ownership. Should he win it would no doubt bring back memories of his mother’s win with Dunfermline so many years ago. Desert Hero outbattled Godolphin’s Chesspiece in the Gordon Stakes and both colts are likely to run good races once again. Godolphin may also be represented by Charlie Appleby’s Castle Way. This colt split Continuous and Gregory in the Great Voltigeur but the Appleby stable has had a poor season by their standards and it is unlikely that this colt will provide them with some cheer at the end of a cheerless year.
In a very competitive race, the safe bet is to stick with the Gosdens – one of their colts will win the race. A win for Arrest will give his sire Frankel a second classic winner and seal another championship year for this great horse. Another major race at this meeting is the Betfred Champagne Stakes which will also be run off on Saturday.
The 2022 edition of this race was won by the 2023 2000 Guineas winner, Chaldean. The favourite for the race is Godolphin’s Aablan. This colt is unbeaten in two and won the Solario at Sandown in his latest start, albeit only barely. Given the overall form of the stable, I am prepared to oppose this colt. The one that I like most is Richard Hannon’s Rosallion. This colt was brilliant when winning the Winkfield Stakes at Ascot and the horse he beat comfortably, Al Musmak, was an impressive winner on Saturday. He is likely to be too fast for Aablan.
The other feature on Saturday will be the Betfred Park Stakes and seven furlongs specialist Kinross, missed the Haydock Sprint Cup to wait for this and he should provide Frankie Dettori with another big win at one of the final big festivals of the UK season. This gelding has few peers over this distance in Europe. Good luck to all!
