The St.Leger is an annual race which is staged at Doncaster Racecourse in South Yorkshire. It is a group 1 event and is one of the most anticipated contests of the flat season which runs throughout the summer months in the UK.
There are five ‘classics’ which take place throughout the summer and these contests always attract a number of top class entries. The St.Leger is the oldest of the quintet and typically takes place at the beginning of September and is seen by many to signify ‘the end of summer’.
It is staged over 1 mile, 6 furlongs and 115 yards and is always a hugely competitive heat. It is open to three-year old colts and fillies and recent winners include Encke, Leading Light and Capri.
Aidan O’Brien is one of a number of trainers who possess a great record in the race with the contest typically attracting top trainers and jockeys to the track. The Irish handler first won the race back in 2001 and has been victorious on six different occasions. Other successful trainers to have clinched the St.Leger are John Gosden, Saeed Bin Suroor and Luca Cumani.
Prediction Report
As always the 2018 staging of the St.Leger attracted a talented field with Kew Gardens firmly placed at the top of the betting market going into the contest. The Aidan O’Brien runner was entering for top connections and had previously been victorious in the Queens Vase at Royal Ascot and also at Longchamp in 2018. It was unsurprising to see the three-year old at the head of the market.
At the end of June, Kew Gardens had the implied probability of 4.76% alongside fellow raiders Delano Roosevelt and Saxon Warrior. The Pentagon and Amadeo Modigliani were also chalked up as having a decent chance in the final classic of the season with implied probability of 3.85% and 2.94% respectively narrowly ahead of Gustav Klimt and Brundtland.
After putting in an underwhelming performance at the Curragh, Delano Roosevelt briefly slipped down the betting and the O’Brien runner’s implied probability also decreased substantially. The implied probability of stablemate Saxon Warrior increased as a result with the Japanese-bred competitor being given a 4.76% implied probability by the biggest bookmakers in the UK.
Prior to the race getting underway, Delano Roosevelt returned to the betting with a joint highest implied probability of 4.76% once again alongside market ever-present Kew Gardens. Who had been tipped by many experts during the build-up to the event.
2018 Result
Aidan O’Brien arrived with a three-strong hand in the race and added another victory in the race to his ever-growing tally. The Irish trainer is a dab hand in group races and he was delighted to see Kew Gardens cross the line ahead of his eleven rivals. A market leader, who went off as the 3-1 favourite saw off the challenge of Lah Ti Dar to land the spoils on a wet and windy day in South Yorkshire.
One of the outsiders, Southern France finished third in the race whilst one of the aforementioned market frontrunners, The Pentagon could only finish in 11th place.
Last Year
It was back-to-back successes for Aidan O’Brien following the success of Capri in 2017. Ryan Moore was on board once again as the three-year old saw off the challenge of Crystal Ocean and Stradivarius.
O’Brien’s other runner Venice Beach was only able to finish tenth in the contest.
