St. Leger Should Sort Out 3-year-old Stayers
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Photo: Caroline Norris
Irish Derby winner Capri wins last year's Juddmonte Beresford Stakes
The William Hill St. Leger (G1) is the final classic on the British racing calendar and the Sept. 16 renewal at Doncaster finds 11 3-year-olds trying to confirm their place among the top stayers.
The St. Leger, which dates back to 1776, covers a mile and 6 1/2 furlongs on the South Yorkshire course.
This year's field includes plenty of potential, including the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby (G1) winner, the runner-up from the Darley Yorkshire Oaks (G1), and a Royal Ascot winner. None has yet emerged as a standout and sorting out such matters is one reason the St. Leger exists.
Capri finished sixth in the Investec Derby (G1) at Epsom, then won the Irish Derby by a neck over Cracksman. Capri has not raced since that July 1 start. Cracksman, meanwhile, franked the form of that race with a win in the Betway Great Voltigeur Stakes (G2) at York Aug. 23 and the Qatar Prix Niel (G2) at Chantilly Sept. 10.
Ryan Moore will ride Capri, a colt by Galileo (IRE)—Dialafara (FR), by Anabaa, for trainer Aidan O'Brien and Coolmore partners.
Stradivarius, winner of the Queen's Vase (G2) at Royal Ascot and Qatar Goodwood Cup (G1) Aug. 1, attracted surprisingly modest early support with the bookmakers. The Goodwood triumph was over one of England's premier stayers, Big Orange. John Gosden trains Stradivarius, a Sea The Stars colt.
The filly attraction in the St. Leger is Yorkshire Oaks runner-up Coronet. The Dubawi (IRE) filly, a Denford Stud homebred trained by Gosden, will try male competition for the first time this season.
Attracting significant antepost support for the St. Leger is Crystal Ocean, another Sea The Stars colt who exits a win in the 1 1/2-mile Qatar Gordon Stakes (G3) at Goodwood Aug. 5—only his second win. Sir Michael Stoute trains for Sir Evelyn De Rothschild. Moore rode the colt at Goodwood but hands the reins to Jim Crowley for the St. Leger.
Roger Varian will saddle Defoe, a Dalakhani colt riding a four-race winning streak. His most recent win, and first in a pattern race, was Newbury's Betfred Geoffrey Freer Stakes (G3).