It had to be Kew! O’BRIEN NETS SIXTH ST LEGER

KEW GARDENS fended off the late lunge of favourite Lah Ti Dar to give Aidan O’Brien a sixth victory in Britain’s oldest Classic.

Sent off a 3-1 chance under Ryan Moore in the William Hill St Leger, the winner was always travelling best and showed tremendous stamina to grab the 1m 6f marathon on Town Moor.

Kew Gardens was buried in the pack early on as stablemate Nelson set the early pace with Epsom Derby runner-up Dee Ex Bee.

They were lining up in behind with half a mile to run, where inexperience seemed to tell on the market leader Lah Ti Dar who looked in trouble.

Moore was eager to push on, assuming control at the two-furlong point. By the time Lah Ti Dar eventually found her stride for Frankie Dettori, Kew Gardens had already flown, securing his second Group One victory of the season by two-and-a-quarter lengths.

Another O’Brien stablemate, Southern France, kept on for third. Kew Gardens won the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot in June as well as the Grand Prix de Paris in July and O’Brien was delighted to see the Galileo colt add a Classic to his record.

He said: “We couldn’t be happier with him. He’s a horse that’s progressed lovely.

“We saw what he did at Ascot and we were delighted with him in France.

“We always thought he was a horse that would stay well and we thought the distance would suit him. “He has a lot of class and we’re over the moon really.” Moore and O’Brien had to dash off to Leopardstown for the Irish Champion Stakes card but the rider had time to add: “He travelled well and got there easy.

“He’s a very uncomplicated horse with a fantastic attitude and he won it nicely. He kept going well.”

Betfair cut Kew Gardens to 12-1 from 25-1 for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on October 6.

John Gosden was not too disheartened to finish second with Lah Ti Dar, as he felt his filly was caught out by her relative lack of experience,saying: “She ran a great race and, as Frankie said, that’s the first real race of her life. She’s only ever seen about one horse before today.

“She was beaten by a proper horse and a proper Leger horse – a Grand Prix de Paris winner and a Queen’s Vase winner.

“She’s run an absolute blinder and we are thrilled with her.

“The early pace was a lot slower than we thought it would be. Everyone said, ‘Oh that’s good, she’ll stay’, and I said, ‘Actually, I’m not sure it’s going to suit her’.

“In the end the best horse won – make no mistake – but I like the way she was closing him down late on. She was getting to him and getting to him.

“There was a period at the three furlong marker where you said she’s not going to be placed but then she got balanced and organised.

“We’ll freshen her up and go for the fillies’ and mares’ race on Champions Day at Ascot and then put her away for next year.”