Snow Fairy and Cape Blanco entered for St Leger
Snow Fairy and Cape Blanco head an impressive list of 42 entries for the Ladbrokes St Leger at Doncaster.
The days when the St Leger appeared to be on the endangered species list, in a world which was becoming obsessed with 10-furlong speed as opposed to stamina, seem some way in the distance judged on the possible field for this year’s renewal, which is run on September 11th.
Snow Fairy (pictured) stamped herself as the best three-year-old middle-distance filly in Britain or Ireland with an eight-length victory in the Irish Oaks at the Curragh on Sunday, to supplement her victory in the Oaks at Epsom last month, and would be the first filly to complete the Classic treble, if she were to win the St Leger, since User Friendly in 1992.
Cape Blanco, who runs in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot on Saturday, is one of 11 entries from the Aidan O’Brien yard. Alongside Cape Blanco, who came back from a disappointing run in the Prix du Jockey Club to win the Irish Derby at the Currgah four weeks ago, is the name of St Nicholas Abbey, last season’s champion juvenile colt, who has been off the track since being scratched from the Derby a few days before the race.
Mikhail Glinka, who was trained by O’Brien until being sold out of the yard recently, was a surprise absentee from the St Leger entries as the colt had shown himself to be a thorough stayer when he won the Queens Vase at Royal Ascot. He beat Theology by just a nose that day and Jeremy Noseda’s colt could well attempt to maintain the great season for horses owned by the various syndicates managed by Highclere Thoroughbred Racing.
Harry Herbert, manager director of Highclere Thoroughbred Racing, said: “Theology has come out of the Queen’s Vase very well. It was a tough race and agony for horse, jockey and everyone concerned that he just lost out by a nostril. He’s in good form now and Jeremy has been training him for Glorious Goodwood next week, either to run in the Gordon Stakes or the Goodwood Cup.
“We want to have a good look at those Goodwood races before we decide which one he runs in. We are hopeful that he will then continue to improve and the St Leger will certainly be a target.
“It was a huge step up from winning his maiden to his run at Ascot. He was an inexperienced horse, a little bit immature mentally as well as physically, so Jeremy and his team did a h**l of a job to get him running so well in a very good Group race.
“As Theology’s Ascot run shows, there is no question mark over his stamina for Doncaster. He stays well but I don’t think he is short of speed either. When William Buick asked him to improve and move through horses he did it very well, so if he has improved again, which we hope he has, then he is a really exciting prospect.”
Buzzword has taken time, and four runs in European Classics, to emerge as a prospect for Godolphin but his victory in the Deutsches Derby at Hamburg on Saturday gave his trainer, Mahmood al Zarooni, his first Group One winner and the colt is one of 10 Godolphin entries split equally between Al Zarooni and Saeed bin Suroor.
Al Zarooni also has Rewilding, third in the Derby, and Miss Jean Brodie, who was runner-up to Snow Fairy in the Irish Oaks while Bin Suroor, who won a fifth St Leger last year with Mastery, has Hibaayeb, who failed in the soft ground in the Irish oaks but has won both Group Two Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot last year’s Group One Fillies’ Mile last term.
The winner of the St Leger unsaddles in the parade ring at Doncaster but even that area would not be able to hold the 20,000-strong Elite Racing Club. They own James Given progressive colt Dandino, who completed a four-timer in the King George V Handicap at Royal Ascot, and could run next week at Goodwood in the Group Three Gordon Stakes.
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