'He looks the clear value' - why this horse can win at the St Leger meeting or the Irish Champions Festival
Our experts provide their fancies for the top-class action in Britain and Ireland this weekend
A blockbuster weekend of racing is in store with the St Leger meeting taking place at Doncaster and the Irish Champions Festival contested over two days at Leopardstown and the Curragh. Find out the selections from our top team below . . .
Havana Hurricane
2.25 Doncaster, Friday, Carlsberg Danish Pilsner Flying Childers Stakes (5f, Group 2)
By Kevin Morley
The consistent Havana Hurricane looks worth a bet at a likely decent price.
Eve Johnson Houghton has a decent team of juveniles this term and the highlight of the son of Havana Gold's campaign was his Windsor Castle success at Royal Ascot.
Beaten a short head in Newbury's Super Sprint on his following start, he wasn't quite suited by the step up to 6f in Goodwood's Vintage Stakes last time. However, he still ran well in third and his finishing kick looks better suited to this stiff 5f.
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Oxagon
1.50 Doncaster, Saturday, Betfred Champagne Stakes (7f, Group 2)
By Stuart Redding
There are several promising juveniles in this field, headed by Oxagon.
He was too green to do himself justice on his debut at Newmarket in July but looked a different horse at Sandown 19 days later.
Despite being easy to back, he travelled powerfully and pulled eight lengths clear in the home straight. The runner-up has boosted the form since and he looks well worth his place here.
Rosario
2.25 Doncaster, Saturday, Betfred Portland (5½f handicap)
By James Hill
Roger Teal has had a winner, a second and a fifth from five runners in this race since 2019 and he has two entered this time.
One is former runner-up Chipstead, but I'd be more interested in Rosario, who admittedly comes with a wealth warning as he keeps missing the start, although the last five winners were all held up, so that might not be such a bad thing.
Having won at Goodwood in May, he now races off a 3lb lower mark.
Benvenuto Cellini
3.20 Leopardstown, Saturday, KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes (1m Group 2)
By Harry Wilson
The first of ten Group races across the Irish Champions Festival is the KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes at Leopardstown on Saturday, a race that Aidan O’Brien has won in five of the last ten years. He has plenty of entries, but the pick looks to be Benvenuto Cellini.
A brother to Lingfield Oaks Trial winner Giselle, the son of Frankel relished the step up to a mile when landing a maiden in Killarney in June on his second start, comfortably accounting for stablemate Endorsement, who franked the form when going one better at Tipperary last month.
He’ll almost certainly stay further in time, so is one to keep on side with next year in mind, but he looks worth his place up in class and will be suited by any ease in the ground.
Convergent
3.50 Leopardstown, Saturday, CMG Group Stakes (1m4f, Group 3)
By Joe Eccles
It often pays to be up with the pace at Leopardstown, which is an obvious negative for hot favourite and regular hold-up performer Al Aasy.
The Shadwell runner must also concede 11lb to three-year-old Convergent, who is officially rated only 3lb inferior and looks the clear value at odds of 5-1.
Karl Burke's colt finished third behind subsequent Derby one-two Lambourn and Lazy Griff in the Chester Vase earlier this year, when he had St Leger hopeful Furthur two places behind. He was only run down late in the German Derby last time and looks open to plenty of improvement on the back of just four starts.
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Anmaat
5.30 Leopardstown, Saturday, Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes (1m2f, Group 1)
By Sam Hardy
This looks a perfect opportunity for the Owen Burrows-trained Anmaat to add another win to his CV.
The seven-year-old is a nine-time winner, two of those victories coming in Group 1s, and he arrives in good form on the back of two second-place finishes.
The form of his second to Ombudsman at Royal Ascot has been boosted and, with that rival missing the race, he may find life slightly easier.
Al Riffa
4.25 Curragh, Sunday, Comer Group International Irish St. Leger (1m6f, Group 1)
By Tom Park
Al Riffa looked a natural at this trip when tackling it for the first time in the Group 2 Curragh Cup on his last start, doing all his best work at the finish to run out a comfortable five-length winner.
He takes on consistent stayer Illinois, but I am surprised that Al Riffa is not favourite. He loves it here at the Curragh, winning three times from five starts, including the Group 1 National Stakes as a two-year-old, and has finished second on the two other occasions.
He has plenty of class and looks a decent bet at around 5-2.
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Published on inSt Leger festival
Last updated
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