RIGHT ON KEW
Gardens blooms in St Leger for Moore and O’brien
KEW GARDENS turned from late bloomer to hardy perennial with a strong-staying triumph in the William Hill St Leger at Doncaster.
The Aidan O’brien-trained son of Galileo has proved a surprise package this season, springing from Derby also-ran to win over a mile-and-ahalf at Royal Ascot and score at the highest level in the Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp in high summer.
With his keeping-on third to yesterday’s rival Old Persian in York’s Great Voltigeur Stakes last month, Kew Gardens had promised to relish every inch of the Leger distance of one mile, six furlongs and 115 yards. And so it proved. Once unsheathed down the outside of the 12-runner field by Ryan Moore, the 3-1 chance surged his way to the front and ran determinedly to the winning post to contain previously unbeaten 7-4 favourite Lah Ti Dar – one of two fillies in the contest – by two-and-a-quarter lengths.
Moore, backing up last year’s victory aboard the O’brien-saddled Capri – his first in the final Classic – said: “He has a fantastic attitude – he’s very straightforward and he won it nicely.
“He travelled well and he got there easily. My horse tries very hard and he kept going well.
“He beat a good field. He’s a super horse.”
O’brien, whose colt was shortened to 12-1 ( from 25-1) for the Prix de l’arc de Triomphe at Longchamp three weeks today, had been confident Kew Gardens would benefit from the chance to tackle the Leger’s extra yardage.
“We thought the distance would suit him,” said the master of Ballydoyle, now a six-time St Leger winner.
“He has a lot of class and we always thought he would stay well.
“He’s a horse who has progressed lovely.
“We saw what he did in Ascot and we were over the moon, and we were delighted with him in France.”
Lah Ti Dar’s trainer John Gosden admitted: “We were beaten by a proper St Leger horse.
“We are thrilled with her. She’ll be freshened up and go for the [QIPCO British Champions] Fillies & Mares Stakes [at Ascot on October 20].”
Gosden and the runnerup’s owners, Lord Andrew and Lady Madeleine Lloydwebber, had earlier seen Lah Ti Dar’s brother Too Darn Hot tighten his grip on favouritism for next year’s Classics – and defend his unbeaten record – with a scintillating Champagne Stakes win under Frankie Dettori (below).
His one-and-three-quarter-length supremacy over Phoenix Of Spain saw Paddy Power cut Too Darn Hot to 7-2 market leader ( from 6-1) for the 2,000 Guineas and 4-1 favourite (from 5-1) for the Derby.
“He’s pretty special,” beamed Dettori.
“I went through the gears and he gave me a real good feel.”