IT’S William Hill St Leger day at Doncaster today, so it must be Aidan O’Brien -v- John Gosden.

In 2017, Capri (AOB) won it, with Stradivarius (JG) third and Coronet (JG) fifth. Last year, Kew Gardens (AOB) won it with Lah Ti Dar (JG) second and Southern France (AOB) third.

In 2010, when John Gosden won the St Leger with Arctic Cosmos, the Aidan O’Brien-trained Midas Touch finished second. In 2011, when John Gosden won the race with Masked Marvel, the Aidan O’Brien-trained Seville finished fourth. When Lucarno provided John Gosden with his second victory in the race in 2007, Aidan O’Brien fielded the second and third, Mahler and Honolulu.

This year, it’s Logician (JG) v Sir Dragonet (AOB) and Il Paradiso (AOB) and Western Australia (AOB).* (*There are other runners too.)

Logician has been Leger favourite for a while. John Gosden’s horse has raced four times and he has won four times, and he was impressive in landing the Great Voltigeur Stakes at York last time, a race that is often a good pointer to the St Leger.

He is progressive, but he has to improve again if he is going to get up to Sir Dragonet’s level, and Sir Dragonet is a bigger price.

Aidan O’Brien’s horse sprang a surprise when he won his maiden at Tipperary on his racecourse debut, and he stepped forward impressively next time when he won the Chester Vase by eight lengths.

Sent off as favourite for the Derby on the back of that run, he ran a big race there. He looked a likely winner when he hit the front at the two-furlong marker, before getting run down late on.

Given a nice break after that, he returned in the Royal Whip Stakes and, over an inadequate 10 furlongs, he finished fourth behind Buckhurst. He could improve significantly on that run today.

He hasn’t yet been beyond a mile and a half yet, but he is by Derby winner Camelot, and his dam is out of All Too Beautiful, a full-sister to Galileo, and her half-sister Wonder Of Wonders won the Cheshire Oaks and finished second in the Oaks. Sir Dragonet should stay all right, and he could improve for the step up in distance.

Like Logician, Sir Dragonet has run just four times in his life, so he has plenty of scope for progression as he gains in experience. He could be coming to peak nicely for a trainer who knows exactly what it takes to win a St Leger, and he will have Donnacha O’Brien for company.

Il Paradiso comes into it too. Seventh in the Irish Derby, the Galileo colt ran away with a two-mile handicap at the Curragh on Irish Oaks weekend. He also ran a monster race last time in the Lonsdale Cup, going down by just over a length to Stradivarius, and missing out on the runner-up spot to Dee Ex Bee by the bob of a head.

A reproduction of that performance could take him close. He won’t lack for stamina anyway.

Portland Handicap

By contrast, it’s all about speed in the opening contest, the Portland Handicap, and Wentworth Falls could out-run his odds.

The Dansili gelding was in good form earlier in the summer, and he seems to reserve his best for Doncaster. His record on Town Moor reads 14432, all races in fields of 11 or more, and two of them in field of 21 or more. The fast pace that these big fields usually generate suits him well.

He finished third in this race last year off a mark of 94, 4lbs higher than the mark off which he races today. And he can be marked up on the bare form of that run. He was held up that day, as is his wont, but, unusually for a Portland Handicap, they didn’t go a frenetic pace. He did well to get as close as he did, coming from the rear. He was the only one of the first six home who was held up early on.

Beaten a neck in a six-furlong handicap at Doncaster in early May, he was well-beaten last time at Thirsk, but that was his first run back after a short break, and he raced in a visor for the first time, replacing his regular cheekpieces.

It would not be surprising if trainer Geoff Harker has had this race in mind for him for a while, given how well he ran in the race last year, and how well he goes at Doncaster.

He could be at his peak for tomorrow, the cheekpieces are back on, and he will love the fast ground. Hopefully he will get the fast pace that suits him so well because, if he does, he could run well at a decent price.

Recommended

Wentworth Falls 1.50 Doncaster, 1 point each-way, 14/1 (generally)

Sir Dragonet, 3.35 Doncaster, 1 point win, 5/2 (generally)