This Saturday at the Betfred St Leger in Doncaster, Aidan O’Brien is set to lead a team of three horses. Seven have been declared overall for the season’s closing Classic. The Ballydoyle team is spearheaded by the Royal Ascot victor, Illinois, who subsequentially finished behind stablemate and Irish Derby champion, Los Angeles, at the Great Voltigeur in York. Nevertheless, Los Angeles will not participate in the Doncaster event, as initially expected.
Aside from Illinois, O’Brien has another pair of promising colts, Jan Brueghel and Grosvenor Square. Brueghel, undefeated in his last three races, claimed victory at the Group Three Gordon Stakes at Goodwood recently. Meanwhile, Grosvenor Square has steadily gained momentum this season, securing a notable victory by a margin of 20 lengths in the Irish St Leger Trial during his last outing.
David Menuisier’s Sunway, ridden by Christophe Soumillon, is among the competition. Although Sunway narrowly missed out on a win to Los Angeles at the Irish Derby, his performance at the King George event against seasoned contenders was commendable. Oisín Murphy, a regular jockey for Sunway, will not ride at the British Champions Series event, as he is due to race in Canada.
Owen Burrows’s Deira Mile, who previously placed fourth in the Derby to City Of Troy, is also expected to perform well. An unexpected contender in the field is Ralph Beckett’s filly, You Got To Me, who claimed victory at the Irish Oaks at Curragh. She was included in the Saturday race following a courageous show at the Yorkshire Oaks. The final competitor in the line-up is Wild Waves, trained by Andrew Balding.