The sad passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth 11 on Thursday plunged Britain into mourning, with horseracing, amongst a host of activities, being impacted upon.
This has resulted in an additional day of racing at Doncaster on Sunday to ensure that the final classic of the term, the Gr1 Cazoo St Leger and other important races lost as result of the cancellations can take place.
Flags will fly at half-mast, jockeys will wear black armbands and a period of silence will be observed prior to the opening race, writes Hadley Lakay.
The Cazoo St Leger Stakes is a Gr1 flat race open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is held each year in September at Doncaster over a distance of 1 mile, 6 furlongs, and 115 yards (2,921 metres).
First St Leger winner – Allabaculia
The St Leger is the oldest of Britain’s five Classics, the inaugural running being in 1776.
The Race, named after Anthony St Leger, is the last leg of the Triple Crown and the Fillies’ Triple Crown, together with the 1,000 Guineas and the Oaks. It was initially held over two miles but is now raced over one mile, six furlongs, and one hundred and fifteen yards.
Since its inception in 1776, forty-two fillies have won the St Ledger, albeit only seven have done so since WWII.
A filly, Allabaculia, won the inaugural St Leger, and numerous outstanding female performances have since graced the Doncaster winner’s enclosure, notably Sceptre in 1902 and Pretty Polly two years later.
Doncaster is a large pear-shaped course almost two miles long with a long four-and-a-half furlong straight. The course is very flat and one of the fairest in the country and suits the long-striding galloping horses.
What about the pace? French Claim seems to be the horse who will set the pace, and if Danny Tudhope makes the gallop an honest one, the big long striding horses who run on from off the pace will be the ones doing their best work down the long stretch.
The William Buick-ridden and Charlie Appleby-trained three-year-old bay colt, New London, definitely seems the horse to beat despite the prohibitive odds of even money on most bookmakers’ boards.
This long-striding colt of top sire Dubawi has been brought along slowly by his top conditioner.
New London – deserving favourite! (Pic – Godolphin)
Winning his Maiden by a small margin, he stepped into a Novice Open Company, winning by a widening 2.2 lengths. He was then put into a Gr3 event, having only four runners and Ryan Moore riding a brilliant tactical race on the highly regarded Changingoftheguard in a front running masterclass at Chester. New London struggled to quicken at the top of the straight and finished second.
His subsequent two runs brought two wins, and he comes into the St Ledger in winning form. New London is a long-striding galloper and must be vigorously ridden to enable all the gear changes. Doncaster is the perfect track for him to do this, where the long straight will enable him to gradually build up and then deliver the finish he displayed in all his runs bar the one at Chester.
The unbeaten Filly Haskoy has only had two runs, but both have been impressive. She hacked up on the bridle on debut, pulverising a Maiden field by seven lengths. She was then thrown into the Galtres Stakes, a Listed event over one mile and 6 furlongs.
Making her run from well off the pace and on the “wrong side” of the course, she made up several lengths in the last 400m to nab the leaders on the better going in the centre of the course in the shadow of the post.
The turn of foot, combined with the courage she showed on that day, saw her owners supplement her into the St Ledger and then retain the services of Frankie Dettori to pilot her in the Highlight of the St Ledger Festival, to be run on Sunday and not Saturday in memory of Queen Elizabeths Passing.
The Race does not stop there, but New London and Haskoy should be the main protagonists as they enter the last two hundred metres, as both these horses will love the long straight at Doncaster. Both also have two of the world’s best Jockeys on board, and they will be giving their respective mounts every chance to win the great classic on Sunday afternoon.
- First race is off at 13h30
