Logician the logical choice and boasting a profile of many a past St Leger hero

3.35 Doncaster
William Hill St Leger | 1m6½f | Group 1 | 3yo colts and fillies | ITV/Sky

The red-hot favourite for the William Hill St Leger has raced only four times and never competed as a two-year-old. In some ways that would make him a perfectly normal winner of the world's oldest Classic.

Frankie Dettori and John Gosden have been mopping up Group 1 races all year but at the start of 2019 nobody outside of Clarehaven Stables and Khalid Abdullah's Juddmonte operation would have heard of Logician.

Even after three victories the grey son of Frankel was hardly a household name but one dazzling display changed that and propelled the unbeaten colt towards Classic stardom.

It was in the Great Voltigeur Stakes that Logician announced himself to the world. The manner in which he stormed clear of the now former Ballydoyle team member Constantinople marked him down as an athlete with Group 1 potential. Still, however, there are inevitable, indeed logical, questions that need answering.

Will Logician stay the Leger's longer trip? Is Doncaster's prevailing fast ground a potential problem? We cannot yet know the answers to those two posers. History, however, indicates we should not be worried about Logician's relative lack of experience.

No less than nine of the last 30 Legers were won by horses who had remained at home as juveniles. Two of them, Lucarno and Shantou, were trained by Gosden. Moreover, two winners in that period, Nedawi and Michelozzo, had run only three times, one fewer than Logician.

"He is a late developer but is ready for this challenge, although I would have preferred it if the ground was good rather than good to firm," said Gosden.

"Along with most of the others he's going into unknown territory, as we don't try them over this trip at home, but he shapes as if he should get it."

Abdullah's racing manager Teddy Grimthorpe agrees.

"Prince Khalid wants to win Classic races," he said. "That is an overriding desire and the St Leger qualifies in every way. Trying to fit a round peg in a round hole is the most important thing.

"He seems to be on a good curve and the Voltigeur showed us he could handle a high-class race. The extra distance is always an imponderable. It doesn't always mean anything but he did gallop out well in the Voltigeur. Sometimes they get to the winning post and take a big heave, but he didn't do that.

"Does that make him a Leger winner? Not necessarily. However, I think if you were a jockey you would be pleased to be on him."

Frankie Dettori is a jockey. He is pleased to be on him.

"The Voltigeur is the best Leger trial and he won it really well," said Dettori. "He's favourite but I'm not taking anything for granted. Sir Dragonet is a good horse and Il Paradiso is a very good stayer, so I'll be keeping an eye on them."

Logician pros: Tremendously impressive at York and finished the race like a colt who would be perfectly happy over the Leger distance

Logician cons: Yet to get into a fierce battle and ground could be quicker than ideal

Dragonet leads O'Brien's triple challenge

A William Hill St Leger hat-trick will be landed by Aidan O'Brien if one of his three Doncaster candidates – headed by beaten Investec Derby favourite Sir Dragonet – can give the master of Ballydoyle his seventh success in the Classic.

Capri and Kew Gardens have won the last two runnings of the St Leger, in which their stable companions Sir Dragonet, Il Paradiso and Western Australia on this occasion seek to thwart red-hot favourite Logician.

With Coolmore's number-one jockey Ryan Moore on duty at Leopardstown, Donnacha O'Brien has been handed the mount on Sir Dragonet, who adored the mud when romping to an eight-length Chester Vase triumph. On the sort of fast ground he will encounter at Doncaster he then finished fifth at Epsom before returning from a summer holiday to take fourth in a Curragh Group 3 last month.

Aidan O'Brien poses with St Leger candidates Sir Dragonet (left) and Il ParadisoCredit: Tom Collins

Aidan O'Brien said: "It was Sir Dragonet's first run back from a good break at the Curragh and he was just about ready to start back. Everything has gone smoothly with him since.

"You can never be sure one will stay until they try, but he was very comfortable over a mile and a half on his first few starts, so you would be very hopeful he will. We have always thought he was a very classy colt."

Certain to have no stamina problems is Padraig Beggy's mount Il Paradiso, most recently third to Stradivarius and Dee Ex Bee at York.

Sir Dragonet streaks clear in the Chester VaseCredit: Edward Whitaker

"Il Paradiso has kept progressing all season," said O'Brien. "He stays very well and is a very solid, genuine horse, as you saw at York. He has come out of that race well and we have been delighted with him.

"Western Australia has been disappointing, no doubt, but I think you will see a much better run from him here. The ground, the track and the trip will suit him."

Sir Dragonet pros: Looked wonderfully exciting at Chester, where he appeared highly likely to stay the Leger trip

Sir Dragonet cons: Fast ground could be a concern and his Curragh reappearance was hardly inspiring

Il Paradiso pros: York effort behind Stradivarius was extremely solid and marked him out as a future star stayer

Il Paradiso cons: Dropping back in trip does not look a positive and he may lack the pace of some in the field

Franny bids for famous win on Ron

Mark Johnston awaits his first St Leger victory and Franny Norton has only ridden once in the race but with Sir Ron Priestley one of the sport's most potent partnerships has a genuine chance of capturing Yorkshire's Classic.

The Paul Dean-owned colt has won five of his six starts this season, with four of those strikes coming under the 49-year-old Norton, whose mount is joined by the Andrea Atzeni-ridden Nayef Road – most recently last behind Logician at York – in a twin stable challenge.

Johnston said: "The two horses have the same rating, so they are both worth their places in the field, but Sir Ron Priestley has been far more consistent than Nayef Road. He has slowly climbed through the ranks and had only one blip this year at Royal Ascot.

"Based on Nayef Road's last run he shouldn't be in the Leger but if you take that run out he deserves to be there."

Like Norton, Rob Hornby is relatively unaccustomed to riding in Group 1 contests but he has the opportunity to shine on a massive stage aboard his Geoffrey Freer Stakes winner Technician.

Trainer Martyn Meade said: "It's a big step up, there's no doubt about that, but every time he has run a proper race he has improved.

Technician and Rob Hornby will bid to follow up their Geoffrey Freer successCredit: Mark Cranham (racingpost.com/photos)

"I think that based on his Newbury run he has every chance and I'm sure he'll stay. A furlong out at Newbury it looked as though he might not win but he keeps on going and Rob knows that."

Hornby's regular ally Andrew Balding is also represented through William Buick's mount Dashing Willoughby, who heads to Doncaster after running well behind older opposition in the Princess of Wales's Stakes and Goodwood Cup.

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