Doncaster Saturday

Betfred St Leger Stakes (Group 1)

AIDAN O’Brien is rarely short of talent in the St Leger, but while he was able to field three live contenders for the latest running of the season’s final classic, it was on the jockey front where there was a lack. With Ryan Moore sidelined by injury, and Derby winner Wayne Lordan serving a suspension, the Master of Ballydoyle had a new-look roster of Tom Marquand, Sean Levey and Mickael Barzalona.

In the end, all three riders would return with their mounts to the winners’ enclosure, but it was Marquand on Scandinavia who took the plaudits.

With the Goodwood Cup winner showcasing his stamina by beating Rahiebb (Roger Varian/Ray Dawson) by a neck, and the winner’s stablemates Stay True (Barzalona) and Lambourn (Levey) filling out the frame, with the former beaten a length and a half in total and the latter the same distance again back in fourth.

Scandinavia was sent off the 2/1 favourite and was providing O’Brien with his ninth winner of the St Leger and his third in a row after Continuous and Jan Brueghel in 2023 and 2024. He tracked Lambourn until getting briefly outpaced and dropping to third early in the home straight, but when Marquand shook him up, he responded gamely to burst past the Derby winner over two furlongs out.

Digging deep

The pair dug deep to respond to the challenge of Stay True and finally, the thrusting Rahiebb, who briefly looked like spoiling the party when producing a potent challenge from the rear of the field. It was a stirring contest in which the winner showed great stamina, courage and battling qualities, as befit a St Leger winner.

“I’m delighted,” said Aidan O’Brien. “Scandinavia is hardy, and Tom gave him a great ride. He stays very well obviously, but we were a little bit worried when the ground went on the slow side. The better the ground, the better you’ll see him.

“He has a beautiful temperament, and he stays, but he’ll probably have no problem coming back to a mile and a half as he has loads of gears. Every week he’s getting better. He’s in the Melbourne Cup and he has to get scanned to see whether he’s eligible to go or not, but there’s every chance the lads might want to go down there with him.”

“It’s such a shame for Ryan,” said a diplomatic Tom Marquand in the aftermath of victory. “But the seat has to fall to someone, and it was to me today. I’d have been happy getting any ride for Aidan O’Brien in a classic but when it was this one, I was probably extra happy.

“I rode him as a two-year-old at Newmarket and really liked him and sometimes the stars align. I never thought I’d be winning a St Leger on him, but it’s nice to ride these staying horses early on and you keep an eye on them.

“He settled into a beautiful rhythm outside Lambourn who set a nice even tempo, but it was tough for him. He’s had to battle off Paddy’s horse first, Stay True as well and then late on I was a little bit worried,” he admitted.

“It’s a long way up the straight on that ground when you’re trying to fend off good horses, but he stays extremely well as he showed at Goodwood, and I thought today was a real stamina test on that ground. I think it’s fair to say he’s still developing into a complete horse. He still has that little edge of innocence more than anything,” continued Marquand, before pausing to consider his words. “It’s not immaturity - innocence is right.”

THE Group 2 Champagne Stakes, sponsored by Betfred, kicked off the pattern action on Town Moor on Saturday and, in a race run in driving rain, victory went the way of 15/2 chance Puerto Rico (Aidan O’Brien/Sean Levey), who stayed on best to belatedly shed his maiden status having previously been runner-up at this level in the Railway Stakes and the Richmond Stakes.

The son of Wootton Bassett has been called disappointing for failing to win until now, but in his defence, he’s been looking as if he needs seven furlongs for much of the season and duly showed improved form for the step up in trip as he beat Oxagon (John and Thady Gosden/Oisin Murphy) by a length having made all the running. Cape Orator (Ralph Beckett/Hector Crouch) was third, a length and three-quarters further away, with favourite Gewan disappointing in light of his impressive Acomb Stakes win.

“That was very polished,” said Kevin Buckley, representing the owners. “Puerto Rico is a nice horse and showed a great attitude. He’s not ground dependent, and he’s been knocking on the door - I thought he ran particularly well in the Richmond Stakes at Goodwood. It’s nice to get his Group 2 win on the board and it’s been a while since Seahenge won this for us, and Westphalia before that.”

OISIN Murphy must have been disappointed that Oxagon failed to land the Champagne Stakes, but he still managed a treble on the day, to go with a four-timer on Friday as he concentrates on retaining his jockeys’ championship. The highlight of three wins on Saturday was the victory of Marvelman (Andrew Balding) in the Group 2 Park Stakes.

The son of Invincible Spirit has been progressive all season, barring a blip in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot and he capped a fine year by beating King’s Gamble by a yawning three and three-quarter lengths in the seven-furlong contest, with Audience (John and Thady Gosden/Rab Havlin) just denied second by a nose. The winner - a 13/2 shot - was paying a handsome compliment to More Thunder, who beat him into third in the Hungerford Stakes at Newbury last month, with Lennox Stakes winner Witness Stand splitting the pair.

“From August onwards, he’s really found his spark at home, and he was very impressive today,” said the winning trainer. “The only disappointment with him all season was in the Jersey Stakes. We couldn’t really explain it.”

Later in the week it was revealed that Bond Thoroughbred has bought Marvelman with a view to running in the QEII Stakes at Ascot on October 18th.

Doncaster Sunday

THE only group action on the final day of the Leger meeting came in the Group 3 Sceptre Stakes for Fillies and Mares, which was won in gritty style by 11/1 chance Fair Angellica (Richard Hughes/Finley Marsh), who hung on by a short head to fend off the challenge of Bright Thunder (Karl Burke/Shane Gray) with the front-running Spiritual (John and Thady Gosden/Rab Havlin) another length and a half behind.

The winner was another to frank the form of the Hungerford Stakes at Newbury won by More Thunder, finishing fifth that day and needing to improve only slightly to win down in class against her own sex.