By Tom Frary
In the history of the G1 St Leger, it is hard to imagine a trainer going into a single renewal with a stronger hand than Aidan O'Brien enjoys on Saturday with his three sons of Galileo (Ire) all perfect candidates for the job. So perfect are the profiles of the trio for Doncaster that it is a shame for the operation that they have all come along at the same time, but in view of the long-term health of the “oldest Classic” it is fortunate for all that they have opted to send all three to post. While it is hard to get away from the feeling that Illinois (Ire) is the number one, particularly with Wayne Lordan booked, many will be looking at Jan Brueghel (Ire) and Grosvenor Square (Ire) as more than viable alternatives.
Illinois completed the 14 furlongs of Royal Ascot's G2 Queen's Vase in just over three minutes, so he has already been through the pain barrier that this race demands with its all-important extra 115 yards. Runner-up in the G1 Grand Prix de Paris and in the key prep, York's G2 Great Voltigeur Stakes, he has completed all the required steps to get to this point with an admirable honesty.
Beaten only by Los Angeles (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) at York last month, the half-brother to Danedream (Ger) (Lomitas {GB}) is close enough to the stable's elite to warrant maximum respect. “We always thought he'd stay and the Voltigeur was a lovely trial for him,” he said. “Nice ground is important to him, he's closely related to an Arc winner so he has a lot of class and we think and hope the Leger will suit him well. We would have run him in the Derby, but City Of Troy was there. We've had the Leger in mind for a long time for him.”
One thing is for sure and that is that Grosvenor Square will set a demanding test for his peers, having registered a sensational 2:56.50 winning time in the G3 Irish St Leger Trial Stakes at The Curragh. It is difficult to imagine a 20-length winner of a recognised prep not being in the first two in the betting and the feeling is that he has at least one stablemate capable of reeling him in. It took an incredible effort from Tower Of London (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) to do that in the G2 Curragh Cup, where he still managed to put seven lengths between him and the subsequent G2 Lonsdale Cup winner Vauban (Fr) (Galiway {GB}) under Gavin Ryan.
“He could be very different, a difficult horse to deal with if you are riding against him,” O'Brien said of the 'pacemaker'. “If you let him go he might not come back and if you don't let him go he might kill you. He's unbelievable, he has an awful lot of stamina, a very high cruising speed and is very genuine. He's a very rare horse and I think he's very exciting for people to watch. He will make the Leger a very tough race, I think people will want to watch him from everywhere because he wears his heart on his sleeve.”
Whether that war of attrition is what the unbeaten G3 Gordon Stakes-winning TDN Rising Star Jan Brueghel needs at this point of his career remains to be seen, given how green he has looked so far. His Goodwood form looks smart in hindsight, with the runner-up Bellum Justum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) going on to glory in the GIII Nashville Derby but it may be his previous defeat of the smart Trustyourinstinct (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) over an inadequate 10 furlongs in The Curragh's G3 International Stakes is worthy of more note.
“A long straight will suit him,” O'Brien said of the third piece of the puzzle. “He was very green the last day at Goodwood when the track didn't really suit him, which can happen, but he got the trip well despite being the first off the bridle. We think he has improved a good bit since Goodwood. The form has worked out, it was a tough race for him but he dealt with it and was on top at the line.”
Fillies don't have a strong record in this, with the extended trip tending to empty the tank but Ralph Beckett is the one trainer who has managed to produce one to upstage the colts in the 2015 winner Simple Verse (Ire) (Duke Of Marmalade {Ire}). Valmont and Newsells Park Stud Bloodstock's G1 Irish Oaks heroine You Got To Me (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) has stamina to prove, but the way she saw out her midsummer mile-and-a-half tests including when second in the G1 Yorkshire Oaks suggests it is within reach.
“We go there with a solid chance of hitting the board I think and if she could be placed or better in another Classic, then all power to her,” Valmont's racing adviser Alex Elliott said. “After The Curragh, Hector [Crouch] and Ralph felt they had a good handle on her moving forward and it looked that way at York. It was just about a career-best at York. She's had quite a long year, but if Ralph is happy and thinks she's happy then we're all for having a go. Hopefully the ground will hold and we're all really looking forward to it.”
Strangely given his pedigree, Guy Pariente Holding and Qatar Racing's Sunway (Fr) (Galiway {GB}) relishes a stamina slog as he proven when fourth in a highly attritional renewal of the G1 King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot in July. Closely tied on the formbook with Illinois on his G1 Irish Derby second, he helps make up a strong edition of this beloved race.
Trainer David Menuisier has enjoyed some ill fortune in the European Classics so far in 2024 and is keen to put that right here. “It would mean the world to me to win a Classic and especially the St Leger, as it's the oldest Classic and is the representation of what I really love–those nice, middle-distance staying races,” he said. “Also it's a race my old boss John Dunlop won a few times, with Moon Madness, Silver Patriarch and Millenary.”
“I'm trying not to think about it. We try not to get ahead of ourselves, as we've burned our fingers before and it will be hard to win, with Aidan sending some proper horses and a filly who could be good too, but it's a challenge we are keen to grasp,” he added. “I think if anything the extra distance could be a plus, although he's not really bred for it. He always looks as if he's finishing his races well and a lot of horses by Galiway do well over jumps.”
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