As the United States Of America celebrates its 250th anniversary, so does the world’s oldest Classic race. How many sporting events last this long? So, who will take Saturday's special renewal of the Betfred St Leger?
First of all, it's great to see the Derby winner, Christmas Day, lining up. Not all that many do the double, a fact that I appreciated early in my racing life when even the mighty Shergar could manage only fourth. In more recent years, Camelot just missed out on his Triple Crown attempt.
Remember, the Leger is only a furlong and a half shorter than two miles but you still need speed as well as stamina to take it. Never Say Die, St Paddy, Nijinksy and Reference Point are the last four to have backed up here after Epsom, however, so good luck to Christmas Day. He is closely matched with stablemate Pierre Bonnard but Aidan O'Brien's hopes of a tenth Leger may be challenged by his own son, Joseph, trainer of the favourite, Enceladus.
I feel rather sorry for Action who, being a close relative of last year's Derby winner and Leger fourth Lambourn, did little wrong in a juvenile campaign which yielded a third to Bow Echo in the Royal Lodge Stakes and then an even better second to Hawk Mountain here in the Group 1 Futurity. Even this year's campaign didn't start too badly when he improved on a fourth in the Sandown Classic Trial to chase home the future Juddmonte hero, Item, in the Dante at York. It all started to go wrong when he raced way too freely in first-time cheekpieces in the Derby and since then he has been sacrificed as a pacemaker in the Irish Derby, King George and the Juddmonte.
In the last-named, he didn't get away anywhere quickly enough to do his job and a mid-race move still ended with him being tailed off. It doesn't augur well for his prospects as he steps up in trip here. I think he needs an arm around his powerful shoulders!
Many who watched this year's Derby may have gone away thinking that Alderman might end up being aimed at the Leger after he finished off rather well to take fifth (would have been fourth in another stride or two) behind Christmas Day, some two and a half lengths in front of Rebel Rocker in sixth. See the latest horse racing news, interviews and features from Sky Sports Racing Note that Pierre Bonnard, Ancient Egypt and Item were among those behind him. However, he failed to build on that in the Bahrain Trophy at Newmarket, notably on firm going, when last of the five runners.
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