JOIN O’BRIEN’S LEGER KEW
TRAINER Aidan O’Brien has a strong hand for Saturday’s William Hill St Leger with seven of the 16 entries at the latest confirmation stage.
The ante-post favourite, Kew Gardens, is one of the magnificent seven – winner of the Queen’s Vase and Grand Prix de Paris.
He warmed-up for the final Classic of the season when finishing third to Old Persian in York’s Sky Bet Great Voltigeur Stakes.
The pair are likely to have a rematch on Saturday.
The Ballydoyle team is completed by Flag Of Honour, Giuseppe Garibaldi, Nelson, Southern France, The Pentagon and Zabriskie.
Charlie Appleby and Godolphin, responsible for Old Persian, also have Brundtland and Loxley in Saturday’s showpiece.
John Gosden’s runaway Galtres Stakes winner Lah Ti Dar, who is unbeaten in three outings, stands her ground while another filly, the Andrew Balding-trained Maid Up, has been suplemented for the race at a cost of £50,000. “It’s never an easy decision as it is an expensive supplementary but she has won a Leger trial quite cosily,” said the trainer.
“The owners are very sporting people and you get only one opportunity to run in the St Leger so they were quite keen on it.
“She’s in great form so we thought we’d give it a go.”
William Hill make Kew Gardens their 5-4 favourite, with Lah Ti Dar, who has the option of running at the following day’s Arc trials meeting, next best at 7-2.
The firm’s spokesman Rupert Adams said: “We’re absolutely delighted with this field for the William Hill St Leger on Saturday.
“Kew Gardens is a hot favourite but there is some great value around with the likes of Old Persian (6-1) and Latrobe (10-1).”
The four-day meeting at Doncaster starts tomorrow and a mainly dry outlook is predicted.
Clerk of the course Roderick Duncan said: “Following 8mm of rain on Saturday the going is now officially good to soft, good in places.
“There is a risk of some rain Tuesday into Wednesday morning, but it is forecast to be dry from Wednesday onwards.”
Pretty Pollyanna will bypass an outing in Sunday’s Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh in favour of tackling the Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket later this month.
Joint-owner Tim Gredley said: “The plan is to keep her for the Cheveley Park. It was going to be a little bit complicated getting her out to Ireland and they had a lot of rain on Saturday morning.
“We were really keen to have a go at the Moyglare and try seven furlongs, as we are pretty sure she will stay over seven and a mile.
“The travelling can take a lot out of them and if we went out there and were unlucky with the ground, it puts you on the back foot. The Cheveley Park is on our own door step so we don’t have to do as much travelling and it makes a lot more sense for the welfare of the horse.”