Colt targets St Leger

DEFOE emerged as a live St Leger candidate with a gritty staying performance at Newbury yesterday.

Roger Varian’s improving colt swatted aside older horses in style to take his 100 per cent record this season to four.

Andrea Atzeni, who has won the St Leger twice on Kingston Hill and Simple Verse, switched Defoe off at the rear of the field and always looked to be travelling smoothly.

The 13-8 favourite made eyecatching progress to go on after Frontiersman had briefly led two furlongs out.

Wall Of Fire emerged as the main danger and tried to challenge on the inside of Defoe but the gap closed and Hugo Palmer’s four-year-old had to switch and was just three-quarters of a length down at the line.

The stewards allowed the result to stand following an inquiry into the incident.

Atzeni said: “He’s a gem of a horse. He’s very laid back and you wouldn’t think he’d had a race.

“The horse is getting better and he could be anything. At least we know that he stays.

“The St Leger will be a very good race but this fellow will go there with a big chance. He will also be a nice four-year-old.”

Wall Of Fire was slightly unlucky but still ran a blinder in second and has a trip to Australia in his sights.

Emma Clutterbuck, pupil assistant to trainer Hugo Palmer, said of the runner-up: “The horse has run an absolute blinder. He has finished in the first three, which is important in getting qualification for the Melbourne

Cup. He is owned by some Australians and that is where they hope he will end up.”

Coral cut

Defoe to 7-1 for the St Leger next month while Paddy Power were more impressed and trimmed his odds to just 5-1. Wall Of Fire was introduced by Sky Bet at 25-1 for the Emirates Melbourne Cup.

Red Cardinal is the 12-1 favourite for the famous “race that stops a nation” which takes place on Tuesday November 7 at Flemington racecourse.