Contender for St Leger, Desert Hero, holds strong position
A First Classic Possibility for Royalty?
In a potential historic moment, Desert Hero has emerged as one of the nine confirmed contenders for the Betfred St Leger at Doncaster this Saturday. Trained by William Haggas and sired by Sea The Stars, this colt has already made headlines with a victory in the King George V Stakes at Royal Ascot earlier this season.
This win marked the return of success in racing to the royal colors since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. Now, Desert Hero aims to follow in the footsteps of Dunfermline, who triumphed wearing those same silks back in 1977.
Jockey Tom Marquand, who rode Galileo Chrome to victory in last year’s Leger, expressed his confidence in Desert Hero’s capabilities: “He ticks all the boxes of what you want from a Leger horse… It would be amazing (to win again), especially if it is Desert Hero riding for royalty.”
Simon and Ed Crisford’s Chesspiece will represent Godolphin as their sole contender. Having finished second behind Desert Hero on Sussex Downs, Chesspiece will be seeking redemption on race day.
The John and Thady Gosden team have three potential runners for this prestigious race – Gregory (the market leader), Arrest (owned by Juddmonte), and Middle Earth (recently supplemented after winning Melrose). Oisin Murphy is thrilled about riding Middle Earth: “He has to step up on his Melrose victory but hopefully he’s improving and I’m looking forward to riding him.”
Multiple Classic-winning jockey Frankie Dettori will be hoping for one last victory aboard Gregory. Despite losing his unbeaten record in the Great Voltigeur at York, Gregory previously triumphed over this distance in the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot.
Aidan O’Brien also has a strong presence with four potential contenders – Continuous (winner of the Great Voltigeur), Denmark, Alexandroupolis, and Tower Of London (runner-up in the Bahrain Trophy).
As we approach race day, Doncaster’s clerk of the course Paul Barker provided an update on ground conditions. The straight course is currently rated as good while some parts of the round course are good to soft due to recent thundery showers. However, sunny weather is expected leading up to Thursday and Friday’s races.