Sixteen left in St Leger
A year ago he was a bit-part player, five months ago he was the new kid on the block and by next month he could be a Classic-winning trainer.
Mahmood al Zarooni’s could crown his swift rise as Godolphin's latest recruit to its training roster by winning the Ladbrokes St Leger at Doncaster next month. He has three of the 16 entries left following the final scratchings, deadline including Rewilding (pictured), who heads market for the world’s oldest Classic, for which supplementary entries - at a cost of £45,000 - can be made at the five-day confirmation stage.
The Derby may have remained stubbornly beyond Godolphin’s reach but their royal-blue colours have been seen in the winner’s enclosure after the St Leger five times before with Classic Cliche (1995), Nedawi (1998), Mutafaweq (1999), Rule Of Law (2004) and again 12 months ago when Mastery got the better of stable companion Kite Wood in a close finish. All of those were trained by Saeed bin Suroor, with Al Zarooni an interested onlooker as part of the team. But this year, with Bin Suroor’s name absent from the entries, it is his former assistant who will be playing his hand that is completed by Buzzword, the winner of the Deutsches Derby, and Vibrant Force.
The vibrancy of Rewilding’s Classic candidature displayed itself in a four-length victory in the Group Two Great Voltigeur Stakes at York last week, having finished third to Workforce in the Derby and won a Listed race at Goodwood after his switch from André Fabre. “Rewilding has been very well since the Great Voltigeur,” Al Zarooni said. “The race didn’t take as much out of him compared to the Derby as he didn’t go to York fully wound up.
“The course at York suited him better than Epsom and Goodwood, where he didn’t look comfortable, and the strong pace also helped him. We don’t do much with him at home and we pushed him too hard earlier in the season to get him ready for the Derby, which took a lot out of him. We know him better now and we know that we don’t have to be too hard on him. He has the class to run well.
“Buzzword will probably not head to Doncaster and he could go to Turkey for the Bosphorus Cup a week earlier. He stayed a mile-and-a-half well in the German Derby but I don’t think that he would get the extra distance of the St Leger. We also have Vibrant Force but any decision regarding pacemakers will be taken nearer the time. Rewilding needs a good pace to be at his best but it looks like there may be one or two horses remaining who will set the gallop.
“I was lucky enough to be at Doncaster when Mastery and Kite Wood finished first and second last year and it was a great day for Godolphin. We love to have Classic winners and I am hopeful that Rewilding can add to our success in the race.”
Ed Dunlop has already won two Classics this season with Snow Fairy, in the Oaks and the Irish equivalent, but the trainer has yet to commit to a tilt at a third Classic with the Prix Vermeille at Longchamp the day after the St Leger.
The decision that faces Aidan O’Brien, a three-times winner of the St Leger, is which of his six remaining entries he will send from Ireland. O’Brien is set to launch another strong challenge with Midas Touch, second in both the Irish Derby and Great Voltigeur, and Irish Derby winner Cape Blanco but another colt who comes into calculations is Joshua Tree. He may have finished two-and-a-quarter lengths behind Midas Touch in the Great Voltigeur but it was his first run for 325 days and could well be expected to improve on that form.
Other previous winning trainers still represented are John Gosden (Shantou 1996 and Lucarno 2007) with Arctic Cosmos, Jeremy Noseda (Sixties Icon 2006) with Theology, Mark Tompkins (Bob’s Return 1993) with Ted Spread and Sir Michael Stoute (Conduit 2008) who has Total Command still in the race.
James Given is bidding for a first Classic success with Dandino, who failed by a head to win the Group Three Gordon Stakes at Glorious Goodwood last month and looks the type to progress for the step up to the extended mile-and-three-quarters.
In fact he has not stopped improving. Four months ago he won his maiden at Redcar, two months ago he won a valuable handicap at Royal Ascot and next month?
Who knows?
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