The final Classic of the season takes place at Doncaster on Saturday, with a trio of Irish runners hoping to enhance Aidan O'Brien's commendable record in the 1m6½f Group 1 St Leger Stakes.
With six previous winners of the race, trainer Aidan O'Brien remains mob-handed for this year's renewal, hoping to back up the success of Continuous in 2023. The betting market favours Illinois, winner of the two-mile Group 2 Queen's Vase at Royal Ascot, back in June. A son of Galileo, the colt has since posted two commendable seconds over twelve furlongs - behind Sosie in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp and denied a neck by stablemate Los Angeles in the Group 2 Grand Voltigeur Stakes at York. He is a proven stayer and deserves his place at the head of the market.
Jan Brueghel could be the unknown quantity from the same yard, unbeaten in three starts. An eight-length victor of a Curragh maiden in May, the colt landed the ten-furlong Group 3 International Stakes at the same track. Stepping up to twelve furlongs for the first time at Glorious Goodwood, the son of Galileo took the win by a neck ahead of Bellum Justum (winner in America on his subsequent start) but ran greenly throughout and will undoubtedly come forward for the run.
The final runner of the O'Brien trio, Grosvenor Square dominated the 1m6f Group 3 Irish StLeger Trial Stakes under a strong front-running ride from Ryan Moore, crossing the line twenty lengths in front. The son of Galileo has demonstrated considerable improvement since stepping up to a staying distance and he cannot be ignored - the form of his two Curragh runs over 1m6f put him firmly in the mix.
Of the remainder, the filly You Got To Me benefits from a sex allowance over her male counterparts. Supplemented for the race, Ralph Beckett's charge demonstrated improvement when taking the 1m4f Group 1 Irish Oaks by three-quarters of a length from Content, before finishing second behind the same rival at York in the Group 1 Yorkshire Oaks. She is expected to relish the extra distance and the weight allowance could prove key over the 1m6f trip.
WIN - YOU GOT TO ME
PLACE - JAN BRUEGHEL
