St Leger

An exciting career awaits in Australia but, before Derby runner-up Hoo Ya Mal (GB) (Territories {Ire}) joins Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott down under, he will be prepared by George Boughey for an ambitious tilt at the St Leger at Doncaster.  Trained by Andrew Balding to split Desert Crown (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) and Westover (GB) (Frankel {GB}) at Epsom, Hoo Ya Mal was subsequently snapped up by his new connections for a whopping £1.2million at the Goffs London Sale.  While races like the Melbourne Cup are what Hoo Ya Mal...

Many open questions surrounding some of Europe's best will be answered in the space of less than an hour on Saturday, with Leopardstown's G1 Irish Champion S. and Doncaster's G1 Cazoo St Leger condensed in the middle of an absorbing spell of action. There will barely be time to reflect on the promise of the winner of the G2 KPMG Champions Juvenile S. that forms part of Irish Champions weekend before the focus is switched to Town Moor for its own glimpse of futurity in the G2 Champagne S. In...

Friday at Doncaster's St Leger festival means Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}), and after John and Thady Gosden and Frankie Dettori's Group 2 double and a treble overall on Thursday the tide is rising for the esteemed combo as the G2 Doncaster Cup looms. Bjorn Nielsen's golden boy of the staying scene since 2018 needs no introduction and this special week on Town Moor is there for turf's icons such as him to enjoy widespread adulation. If there were any doubts as to the appetite of the 7-year-old, those...

Juddmonte's St Leger winner Logician (GB) (Frankel {GB}--Scuffle {GB}, by Daylami {Ire}) has been retired from racing and will take up stallion duties at Shade Oak Stud in Shropshire from 2022. The 5-year-old has been bought by a partnership with includes Shade Oak's owner Peter Hockenhull, Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning breeder Bryan Mayoh and Grand National-winning trainer Dr Richard Newland. Juddmonte will also retain some breeding rights in the son of the Daylami (Ire) mare Scuffle (GB), a listed-placed treble winner who is a half-sister to the stallions Bated Breath (GB)...

The Classic Generation At the start of June, with France and Germany having already crept cautiously back into play after the COVID full-stop, Britain joined in with the beginning of a flourish of catch-up fare. In under a week of racing, we had a new star to gaze at, and time experts were in awe of Bjorn Nielsen's English King (Fr) (Camelot {GB}). While he looked super-slick in the Listed Lingfield Derby Trial, he was to be given the justifiably dreaded number one draw at Epsom and gave up any...

There are few days in the European racing calendar as replete with top-class action as Saturday, with Doncaster's St Leger festival reaching its climax as the Irish Champions Weekend begins at Leopardstown. With the exception of Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), Godolphin's phenomenon of 2020 Ghaiyyath (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) has emerged to dominate the middle-distance division and he bids to extend that to Ireland as he takes in the G1 Irish Champion S. With Magical (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in opposition, on paper his task involves a simple repeat of his G1...

Irish apprentice jockey Shane Crosse, who was set to travel to Doncaster on Saturday to ride the Joseph O'Brien-trained Galileo Chrome (Ire) (Australia {GB}) in the G1 St Leger and State Of Rest (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) in the G2 Champagne S., has tested positive for COVID-19 and has begun a 14-day isolation. Crosse has been asymptomatic and was tested as part of the protocol for traveling overseas to ride. Dr. Jennifer Pugh, the Irish Horse Racing Board's senior medical officer, said, "Shane was completely asymptomatic and was very surprised to...

Sheikh Hamdan's G3 Geoffrey Freer S. winner Hukum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) will line up next in the G1 St Leger on Sept. 12. The Owen Burrows-trained colt is looking to extend his perfect record this season, having also taken Royal Ascot's King George V S. on seasonal debut in June. "He's fine, and we're hoping to go to the Leger," said Racing Manager Angus Gold. "He's progressing very well, I was impressed with him at Newbury the other day. It's an extra furlong, but I don't see that...

Last year's G3 Zetland S. winner Max Vega (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) is pointing towards the Sept. 12 G1 St Leger, but will only take up that engagement if ground conditions are suitable, according to trainer Ralph Beckett. Max Vega beat just two home in the G1 Investec Derby, but looked a stayer in the making when second to Hukum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) in the G3 Geoffrey Freer S. on Aug. 15 despite rider Harry Bentley dropping his whip late on. "Max Vega will go to Doncaster,...