One of the most important weeks of the flat racing calendar comes this week, as a unique clash in the diary sees the St Leger Festival and Irish Champions Weekend collide. The attention in the UK will be on the final Classic of the season, while superstar thoroughbreds will be in action on the other side of the Irish Sea across two days of action at Leopardstown and the Curragh.
The Betfred St Leger Festival – Doncaster
The four-day St Leger Festival gets underway on Thursday, with Ladies Day featuring two Group races (Group Two Park Hill Fillies’ Stakes and Group Two May Hill Stakes). Gents Day is set for Friday 11th September, with the most prestigious races coming in the form of the Group Two Flying Childers Stakes and the Group Two Doncaster Cup.
The feature race of the meeting is staged on Saturday, as the prestigious St Leger rounds off the British Classics. Aidan O’Brien has won the Classic in each of the last three years, and he will send Christmas Day to Doncaster this weekend, with the three-year-old aiming to become the first horse in 39 years to complete the Derby-Leger double. His chances should be good, as favourites have won six of the last 12 editions.
Doncaster’s St Leger Festival is rounded off on Sunday, as the card is headlined by the Group Three Sceptre Fillies’ Stakes. The track is unique in style, playing to the strengths of gallopers and those capable of staying further. Therefore, horses with excellent stamina will be likely contenders in the group races.
St Leger Stakes Preview – The Contenders
Christmas Day (Aidan O’Brien)
Aidan O’Brien’s contenders are headlined by Epsom Derby winner Christmas Day, who will aim to become the first horse in 39 years to complete the Derby-Leger double. He is yet to recapture that level of form on two recent starts, finishing second in the Irish Derby and four lengths behind Maltese Cross in the Great Voltigeur at York. Soft ground will be desirable.
Enceladus (Joseph O’Brien)
Joseph O’Brien has enjoyed an excellent year in Classics, saddling the winners of the Irish and British Oaks. Enceladus looks like the progressive contender in this year’s St Leger, taking his form to the next level when last seen winning the Group Three Gordon Stakes at Goodwood by a widening margin. Stamina will be his main strength as a half-brother to Moab, who won over a mile and six on the flat and over two miles and three over hurdles.
Pierre Bonnard (Aidan O’Brien)
Aidan O’Brien’s apparent second string comes in the form of Pierre Bonnard. The three-year-old finished ahead of Christmas Day in the Great Voltigeur, but he could struggle to confirm that form after getting 5lb from his stablemate. He was previously behind the same runner when third in the Irish Derby and seventh in the Epsom Derby.
Irish Champions Weekend – Leopardstown & The Curragh (12-13 Sep)
One of the biggest weekends of the flat season is also set for Leopardstown and the Curragh on 12th and 13th September, as Irish Champions Weekend celebrates its 13th year.
Saturday’s card at Leopardstown will be headlined by one of the most prestigious races over a mile, and two, with Constitution River, Item, and Almaqam all set to take their chance in the Group One Irish Champions Stakes. Item got the better of his re-opposing rivals in the Group One Juddmonte International, but it would be a slight concern that three of his four wins have come at York. Aidan O’Brien has saddled the winner in six of the last seven editions, ensuring that Constitution River is a red-hot favourite to reverse the form.
Other notable races on Day One of the Irish Champions Weekend include the Group One Golden Fleece Stakes and the Group One Matron Stakes.
The attention switches to the Curragh for Day Two on Sunday, with the action headlined by the fifth and final Irish Classic of the season, the Group One Irish St Leger. Jan Brueghel will be a likely favourite to give Aidan O’Brien a third win in the race since 2022. However, interesting rivals could come in the form of Dubai Honour for William Haggas and Trustyourinstinct for Joseph O’Brien.
Sunday’s card at the Curragh also includes a fascinating clash between Sun Goddess and Green Empress in the Group One Moyglare, and a competitive renewal of the Group One Flying Five Stakes, which includes Qatar Stakes winner American Affair.
Best Bets for the Weekend
Enceladus (St Leger)
Christmas Day is a vulnerable favourite in the St Leger, with the Aidan O’Brien runner requiring soft ground to be seen to best effect. Therefore, the unexposed Enceladus looks like the value play. The Joseph O’Brien runner has progressed at a rapid rate this season, winning on all three starts.
He took his form to the next level when claiming a dominant win in the Group Three Gordon Stakes. There still promises to be more to come now up in trip. Enceladus is a son of Sea The Stars, who has produced high-quality stayers, notably four-time Ascot Gold Cup winner Stradivarius.
Blue Bolt (Matron Stakes)
Blue Bolt is the one to beat in this weekend’s Matron Stakes at Leopardstown. The Andrew Balding runner has won four on the bounce this season over a mile, taking her form to the next level with dominant victories over Precise in the Group One Falmouth and Group One Prix Rothschild.
Her ability to knuckle down despite everything going wrong in the latter is respected, and she was still able to hold off her re-opposing rival to win by half a length. Expect the winning margin to be wider this Saturday.
A Boy Named Susie (Irish Champions Stakes)
The first three home in the Juddmonte International dominate the betting for the Irish Champions Stakes, but A Boy Named Susie could prove to be the value play. The unexposed runner for Joseph O’Brien remains unexposed over this distance, and ran with huge credit when finishing three lengths behind Constitution River in the Group One Coral-Eclipse, despite having no luck in the running.
He took a major step up when last seen, dominating a talented field in the Group Three Royal Whip to win by a five-length margin without a question being asked. With the top three in the betting all facing questions of fatigue following tough races, the Joseph O’Brien runner could prove to be a value each-way angle.
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