St Leger betting tips and preview – Can Scandinavia win another Group 1 for Aidan O’Brien?
Doncaster racecourse hosts the final classic of the season, the St Leger this weekend with Aidan O'Brien's Scandinavia the favourite.
This comes just days after the horse racing strike on Wednesday that sees the whole industry campaigning against the proposed tax hikes.
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However, the focus is of course this weekend will be on the near 2m race that also sees stablemate to Scandinavia, Lambourn - the Derby winner also in hot contention.
A lot of the build-up to this race has focused on the jockey changes too.
With Ryan Moore out injured he could be set to ride Scandinavia or Lambourn as well as chances for other jockeys to be involved for Coolmore also on Stay True and Saratoga.
While the final field is still to be confirmed there's still only eight runners left at this stage.
And that puts the chance of the top three in the market much higher to be take up the running.
Of course Doncaster hosts a huge day of racing not just the Group 1 race - the Group 2 Champagne Stakes, Park Stakes and four Class 2 races including the Portland, a Heritage Handicap promising plenty of sprinters taking on the extended 5f course.
St Leger Betting Tips
- 3.40, St Leger: Carmers 5/1
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Tarriance is an interesting including as the three-year-old has won his last two races since being stepped up to 1m6f.
But there's going to need to be a significant rise in the ability from this Frankel colt to have a say in the matter.
Furthur won at Newbury last time out proving he is certainly at Group level, but has yet to prove it against the likes of Scandinavia and Lambourn.
He finished far behind them in two different races in Group 3's this season making his inconsistency a little tougher to side with him on this occasion.
Stay True is incredibly unexposed, started off at 1m2f which can be quite rare so he's clearly a stayer.
A close fourth behind Pride Of Arras latest at York's Group 2 under Wayne Lordan and could progress on his fourth start, but this demands a lot.
Carmers is just 5/1 which does give Stay True and Furthur a bit more value considering this horse beat the latter by just less than a length at Royal Ascot over 1m6f in the Queen's Vase.
Stay True was less than a length off Carmers in the Voltigeur at York too so any improvement from those two could hamper the Twomey-trained horse's chances.
That said, he's a strong stayer and could be amongst the prominent horses near the front, but likely not forcing the issue just keeping in touch with the pacemaker.
Scandinavia could only manage 5th in the Queen's Vase in June, but has since improved dramatically, considering he was 16/1 for that race.
His victory at 4/1 to land the Goodwood Cup puts him as the favourite for this race for form, considering he beat the likes of Illinois.
While Lambourn steps up to 1m6f for the first time having shown already, in the Derby that he's got a serious engine.
He weakened out of contention in the Voltigeur too, so this is realistically wide open.
I'd be surprised if Carmers isn't up there and that's why he would be my tip as an each-way shot.
His debut came over 1m5f and has been a consistent stayer.
Trainer Twomey rarely brings his horses over from Ireland but he's done so twice with this horse in Group 2 company.
His three wins over 1m5f+ show he's well-suited to this and could find even more with this near 2m course.
The colt also showed last time out that while he can have that stamina and speed necessary to go well in 1m4f, he's going to be able to force the issue if needed and set a stronger pace to test the stamina of the rest.
Tom Lunn's Horse Racing Profit & Loss
- From March '25: +88.19pts
- From May '24: +258.57pts
- From Oct '23: +398.04pts
All odds correct at time of writing
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