The final British Classic of the Flat season takes centre stage on Saturday afternoon as Doncaster hosts the St Leger.
The three-year-old class will take on the stamina-testing 1m6½f journey in their final chance to bag Classic glory, with the big race due off at 3:40 amid seven Doncaster races from 1:50-5:25.
Our racing expert Enda McElhinney has analysed the St Leger, alongside some of the key supporting events, at Doncaster on Saturday afternoon with three selections to consider.
3.40 – St Leger Stakes (Group 1, 1m6½f)
Perhaps the first point of note should be to consider that Ryan Moore rides at the Curragh for the opening day of Ireland's Champions Weekend on Saturday, ensuring he misses the chance to win a fourth St Leger.
The Ballydoyle stable jockey has partnered the three most recent of Aidan O'Brien's seven scorers in this Doncaster Classic and his absence is key, even allowing for the fact that the Irish handler still boasts three strong contenders amid a field of seven bidding for St Leger success.
Illinois is set to head the betting and is the mount of Wayne Lordan, with Gavin Ryan on Grosvenor Square and Sean Levey picking up the ride on Jan Breughel to complete the Ballydoyle trio.
Illinois was a Royal Ascot winner over 1m6f in June and comes here after being outbattled by stablemate Los Angeles in the Great Voltigeur at York last month. The Galileo colt was only held by a stubborn and high-class rival at York and the return to this longer trip should suit well. He is proving most consistent and clearly has strong credentials in this race.
Both his stablemates are also colts by the late, great Galileo. Grosvenor Square won an Irish St Leger Trial by a whopping 20-lengths four weeks ago, albeit it was a race in which some of his key rivals surely didn't give their true running.
Jan Brueghel, meanwhile, is unbeaten after three starts and showed a pleasing attitude to repel Bellum Justum – a graded winner in America since – in the Gordon Stakes at Glorious Goodwood early last month. He, too, promises more at this increased distance.
There is surely some merit in backing a Ballydoyle one-two-three in the St Leger, though it is no easy challenge to figure out how they might come home. Jan Brueghel might just come out best and give Levey his second British Classic win.
Sunway goes for Davis Menuisier, with Christophe Soumillon a fine partner in the saddle. His second in the Irish Derby behind Los Angeles hinted that this race might be a viable target and he ran respectably since in the King George at Ascot. This increased tax on stamina looks a plus.
Wild Waves has plenty to prove on ratings for Andrew Balding but has scope to improve, while You Got To Me is the only filly in the race after last month's Yorkshire Oaks second behind Content. She gets 3lb from the boys, though Simple Verse in 2015 is the only filly in the last 32 years to win the Leger.
The leaves Deira Mile for Owen Burrows and Jason Watson to complete the line-up. His sire Camelot was agonisingly denied the Triple Crown in this race in 2012. He was fourth in the Futurity Trophy Stakes here last season over a mile despite being the rank outsider and bagged a Windsor novice on seasonal bow over 1m2f.
Connections fired him straight into the Derby at Epsom where he was an honourable fourth in first-time cheekpieces behind City Of Troy. His only start since saw him finishing second-best at Windsor in the Listed August Stakes, a tactically run race that probably didn't suit.
On that evidence, this step up in trip should suit him firmly and there is still scope for improvement on what is only his fifth start for the Burrows team.
First-time blinkers are deployed and if Deira Mile can settle in the new headgear, he could be the one to thwart the Irish trio at a nice price.
Selection: Deira Mile
Next Best: Jan Brueghel
Bet On The St Leger Day
1.50 - Champagne Stakes (Group 2, 7f)
The opening race on Leger Day is a tricky affair. Aidan O'Brien saddles Monumental and Aftermath and they are a couple of colts with scope for better albeit this isn't a race in which the trainer has a particularly strong record.
Bay City Roller is 2-2 so far for George Scott and is a likely sort while John & Thady Gosden saddle Chancellor, the Kingman colt with two easy wins at this track either side of finishing third in a Listed race at Ascot in July.
Righthere Rightnow made short work of his debut task on the July Course at Newmarket (7f, good) five weeks ago and Richard Spencer wastes no time hiking him up in grade, but perhaps Wolf Of Badenoch can continue a good week for Hugo Palmer and Jamie Spencer.
The Pinatubo colt won his maiden here in June and was second in the Vintage Stakes at Glorious Goodwood despite still showing plenty of signs of greenness. He had the subsequent Gimcrack winner behind in third that afternoon and this Doncaster return can bring about more improvement.
Selection: Wolf Of Badenoch
Next Best: Monumental
4.15 - PJ Towey Construction Handicap (1m2f)
After the big race is done, look out for Mr King in the 1m2f handicap for the Iain Jardine yard.
The gelded son of Kingman won his final start in Ireland for Ger Lyons at Naas over a mile in June and caught the eye at York's Ebor Festival last month on first outing for this handler.
He was left with plenty to do from the rear in the Class 2 Clipper Handicap and did well in the circumstances to get within two lengths of the winner.
Three subsequent winners have emerged from that race – one of them at Group 3 level – and it looks to have been a strong renewal of the race.
Mr King runs from the same mark of 91 here and this extra distance has proven to suit him before. That man Spencer rides now and that could be tailor-made for a typical late burst.
King Lear for George Boughey and Liberty Lane for Karl Burke are notable contenders but the Ian Williams-trained Parlando – off bottom-weight and with Silvestre De Sousa in the saddle for the first time - is feared most after two excellent Racing League runs, including a win at Windsor, last month.
Selection: Mr King
Next Best: Parlando
