Irish Oaks star You Got To Me added to St Leger mix | Ancient Wisdom left out
Ralph Beckett said the prospect of a good-ground Betfred St Leger helped him decide to supplement Irish Oaks winner You Got To Me for the final Classic of the season at Doncaster, live on Sky Sports Racing.
Beckett is not shy of running fillies against the colts in the Town Moor showpiece, winning it with Simple Verse, finishing second with Talent and third with Look Here.
Owners Valmont and Newsells Park Stud paid the £50,000 to add her name to the list of remaining entries, taking it to 10 at Monday’s confirmation stage.
“I don’t think stamina will be an issue,” said Beckett. “She seems in good shape. We’re conscious that her best form is on good ground or faster and it looks like being that at the weekend if the forecast is correct. It felt like a good fit for her.
“We’ve been first, second and third with fillies in the Leger. I wouldn’t say we’ve always got it right, but it is certainly not a race that holds any fears, for sure.”
Aidan O’Brien is responsible for five of the remaining entries. He has won the world’s oldest Classic seven times already, but still has some way to go to match the record of 16 victories of John Scott, set between 1827 and 1862.
The first three in the ante-post betting are all trained at Ballydoyle. Great Voltigeur runner-up and Royal Ascot winner Illinois heads the team and is set to be the mount of O’Brien’s number two jockey Wayne Lordan, with Ryan Moore choosing to go to Leopardstown to ride Auguste Rodin in the Irish Champion Stakes.
Another huge player is the unbeaten Jan Brueghel, the winner of all three of his races to date, including the Group Three Gordon Stakes at Goodwood, form which was subsequently franked by the runner-up Bellum Justum, who won the Nashville Derby on his next outing.
The third big Ballydoyle chance is Grosvenor Square, an incredibly easy winner of the Irish St Leger Trial last time out. Bounced out into an early lead, he went further and further clear, scoring by 20 lengths.
Irish Derby and Great Voltigeur winner Los Angeles has been left in by O’Brien but is being aimed at the Irish Champion Stakes. Euphoric could also represent the dominant stable.
David Menuisier’s Sunway went close behind Los Angeles in the Irish Derby and the in-form trainer is looking forward to seeing him run in another Classic, having finished fourth in the King George in the interim.
Andrew Balding’s Wild Waves has also been left in by connections, as has Charlie Johnston’s Align The Stars, but there was no sign of the Bahrain Trophy winner Ancient Wisdom.