Who will stay the St Leger trip? Pedigree guide to the Doncaster Classic

Galileo's extraordinary influence on elite racing is in evidence yet again in this year's St Leger, as he is sire of two of the eight runners and grandsire of four others.

His own representatives in the Doncaster Classic on Saturday are Il Paradiso and Nayef Road, co-incidentally both out of mares by Danehill Dancer. The cross is also responsible for Group 1 winners Alice Springs, Circus Maximus, Minding, Sovereign and The Gurkha.

St Leger runners and riders

Galileo's world champion son Frankel is the sire of hot favourite Logician, while dual Derby-winning son Australia has two in the race: Sir Ron Priestley and Western Australia.

The fourth paternal grandson of the Coolmore phenomenon in the contest is Dashing Willoughby, by Nathaniel.

It should be needless to say, as he has an outstanding record in just about every Group 1 staged over a mile or further in Britain and Ireland, but Galileo has made his presence felt in the St Leger many times before. He has three winners to his name in Sixties Icon – who led a first-crop tricast for the sire in the race, with The Last Drop second and Red Rocks third – plus Capri and Kew Gardens.

Galileo has also sired the St Leger place-getters – take a deep breath – Bondi Beach, Fields Of Athenry, Galileo Rock, Housesofparliament, Kite Wood, Mahler, Michelangelo, Midas Touch and Southern France.

The two runners in this year's St Leger who have no Galileo in their pedigrees are Sir Dragonet – although his maternal granddam is a sister to the supersire – and Technician, a son of Mastercraftsman.

We put the pedigrees of the eight runners under the microscope to assess if they have the class and staying power requisite to shine over 14 and a half furlongs and win the St Leger.

Dashing Willoughby
b c Nathaniel-Miss Dashwood (Dylan Thomas)
Bred by Meon Valley Stud

Proved he stayed well by winning the Queen's Vase at Royal Ascot, and no wonder why: sire Nathaniel was a top-class middle-distance talent and his progeny generally have plenty of grit, while dam Miss Dashwood, by King George and Arc hero Dylan Thomas, won four races between a mile and 12 furlongs.

Miss Dashwood is a half-sister to Speedy Boarding, a dual Group 1 winner over ten furlongs, while breeder Meon Valley Stud has already tasted Classic success with this family this year as Oaks winner Anapurna is a close relative.

Il Paradiso
ch c Galileo-Famous (Danehill Dancer)
Bred by Mt Brilliant Broodmares

Being by Galileo is, as has been established, a big tick for a St Leger hopeful and Il Paradiso is also out of Famous, a Moyglare Stud Stakes runner-up and sister to the brilliant Mastercraftsman, sire of a previous Doncaster Classic winner in Kingston Hill.

Il Paradiso has already won over two miles and finished a close third to Stradivarius in the Lonsdale Cup over half a furlong further; by staying well he is following in the footsteps of his siblings Abyssinian, a winner over 11 to 13 furlongs, and Galileo Silver, who got off the mark over 11 furlongs in July.

Logician
ro c Frankel-Scuffle (Daylami)
Bred by Juddmonte Farms

Frankel exhibited his exceptional talent over a mile to ten furlongs, but many of his progeny stay very well and their average winning distance comes out at 10.3 furlongs. Logician looked another star middle-distance performer for the sire, after the likes of Anapurna and Cracksman, when a decisive winner of the Great Voltigeur Stakes last time out over 12 furlongs.

However, Logician's maternal pedigree does not exactly offer a ringing endorsement for his chances of excelling over two and a half furlongs further in the St Leger. One half-sister, Suffused (by Champs Elysees, whose progeny's average winning distance is 11.9 furlongs), put up her best efforts over nine and a half to 12 furlongs, although she did win over just shy of two miles at Belmont Park. Two other half-sisters, Battlement and Sleep Walk, put up their best efforts over seven and five and a half furlongs respectively.

Logician's dam Scuffle, by a brilliant performer at ten to 12 furlongs in Daylami, was a three-time winner at around a mile and she is a half-sister to top miler Cityscape, Group 1-placed sprinter Bated Breath and to the dam of this week's Scarbrough Stakes scorer Equilateral.

Nayef Road
ch c Galileo-Rose Bonheur (Danehill Dancer)
Bred by Ben Sangster

By Galileo out of Rose Bonheur, a dual Listed winner over six and seven furlongs, making him a brother to Apres Midi and Solar Echo, winners between a mile and ten furlongs and a three-parts brother to Middle East (by Frankel), a dual winner over a mile and Listed-placed over seven furlongs.

All of Rose Bonheur's half-siblings to race put up their best RPRs over seven furlongs, while her dam Red Feather was second in the Moyglare Stud Stakes and a Group 3 winner over a mile at three.

For all that Nayef Road won the Gordon Stakes over 12 furlongs and was earlier a keeping-on third in the Queen's Vase over two furlongs further, his pedigree does not shout that he will appreciate the stiffer stamina test in the St Leger.

Sir Dragonet
b c Camelot-Sparrow (Oasis Dream)
Bred by Orpendale, Wynatt & Chelston

Sire Camelot, who had his Triple Crown attempt dashed when touched off by Encke in the St Leger, is emerging as a fine source of middle-distance and staying talent as proved by the likes of Latrobe and Hunting Horn. In that respect he is taking after his own father Montjeu, who delivered three Leger winners in Leading Light, Masked Marvel and Scorpion.

Dam Sparrow, by champion sprinter Oasis Dream, was a six-furlong winner at two and is a half-sister to Oaks runner-up Wonder Of Wonders and to All For Glory, the dam of Oaks third Alluringly.

This is the best Classic pedigree in the studbook, as Sparrow and her half-sisters are out of Oaks second All Too Beautiful, by Sadler's Wells out of Arc heroine Urban Sea and thus a sister to Galileo and half-sister to Sea The Stars. It would be no surprise to see Sir Dragonet add another chapter to the family's illustrious story.

Sir Ron Priestley
ch c Australia-Reckoning (Danehill Dancer)
bred by Mascalls Stud

Bred on a similar cross to Il Paradiso and Nayef Road, as he is by Galileo's son Australia out of a Danehill Dancer mare. Australia has his first three-year-old runners this season and, as might be expected of a son of a Derby and an Oaks winner (Ouija Board), his progeny appear to appreciate time and a trip.

Sir Ron Priestley's three-parts brother Subjectivist, by a sharper son of Galileo in Teofilo, has shown himself to be a useful two-year-old, winning over seven furlongs and finishing second in the Stonehenge Stakes over a mile.

Dam Reckoning was Listed-placed over ten furlongs and is a half-sister to smart miler Hope Cross, from the family of Irish Derby hero Soldier Of Fortune and Sholokhov, a runner-up in the same race.

Technician
gr c Mastercraftsman-Arosa (Sadler's Wells)
Bred by Barronstown Stud

Certainly from the right nursery as Barronstown Stud have bred two of the last four St Leger winners in Kew Gardens and Simple Verse. Technician is also by a sire in Mastercraftsman who has supplied one winner of the Classic, Kingston Hill, although top-class horses by the sire who stay so far are the exception rather than the rule.

Technician's half-sister Water Hole, by the sharper influence Oasis Dream, was a useful miler and other siblings have put up their best efforts over no further than ten furlongs, but he may be getting some of his staying power from dam Arosa, a useful Sadler's Wells sister to middle-distance talents Crimson Tide and Tamarind from the family of Derby victor Shahrastani.

Western Australia
ch c Australia-What A Treasure (Cadeaux Genereux)
Bred by Pier House Stud

Australia's second runner in the race is a half-brother to Hoarding, a Listed winner over ten furlongs, and Strada Facendo, a seven-furlong maiden winner, out of What A Treasure, another seven-furlong scorer by top-class sprinter Cadeaux Genereux.

What A Treasure is a sister to Prix de la Foret winner Toylsome and a three-parts sister to Firth of Clyde Stakes winner Coral Mist, so Western Australia's immediate family connections would not fill you with confidence for excelling in the St Leger even if he is already a stakes winner over 13 furlongs.

That said, Leading Light appears further back in the family and that horse serves as a salutary reminder that a sire's influence – Montjeu in his case – can mitigate the speedier genes of the dam. Leading Light is out of Dance Parade, a winner of the Queen Mary Stakes over the minimum trip at two.

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