Our chief form analyst Jamie Lynch's live coverage of all the runners confirmed for Saturday's renewal of the world's oldest classic, the St Leger Sky Sports Racing.
It's not just any race at the Betfred St Leger at 3.40pm on Saturday. On live Sky Sports RacingIt has a fundamental function as one of the main racing intersections connecting classic race tracks, a place that highlights the delicate form lines in seasonal structures, and is the end of one road but also the beginning of a new one.
Even the last two renewals, which some see as a disappointment for the Leger, have produced winners of 10 Group events, including the Irish St Leger, Yorkshire Cup, Dubai Gold Cup and two Kerrach Cups. There has been a run of spectacular races dating back to 2017, which has produced as many as six individual Group 1 winners.
It is true that today's St. Leger needs Aidan O'Brien, who has driven 27 horses over the past eight years – a staggering 34% of all racehorses – but it also shows that Ballydoyle needs St. Leger and historically sees St. Leger as one of the most important institutions in the horse racing world.
Inevitably, this year's race was once again influenced by Coolmore, but the blow from Godolphin's absence was somewhat softened by some interesting additions. Let's take a look at the contenders.
Align the stars
horseman: Jay Fanning | trainer: C Johnston
It was in 2019 that Johnston Stables won silver and bronze at the St Leger with Sir Ron Priestley and Nyaf Road but Align The Stars has gained 17lb to 102lb after three successive wins in the summer but is still sixlbs less than the aforementioned pair before Doncaster and a stone behind the standout Ballydoyle here.
They were taught a harsh lesson when they were promoted to the Lonsdale Cup last month and it is difficult to see how they can turn things around at St Leger's given their lack of tactical advantage given the Bolidoyle squad.
Align The Stars showed improved character.
Deira Miles
Jason Watson | Owen Burroughs
How do you see his fourth in the Derby? He was behind City Of Troy and Los Angeles, which sounds like Leger level, or just ahead of Sayedaty Sadaty and Dancing Gemini, which sounds more like a listed level.
His only subsequent start in the August Stakes at Windsor was neither. Although 11-10 favourite, we won't judge him too harshly for barely keeping up with the frontrunners in a tactical race on soft ground. But he was once again gassed to his detriment, which is a concern for this long journey. He finished two-quarters of a length from where he belongs, the former coming in last year's Futurity behind Ancient Wisdom, but his break rate is not good enough.
euphoria
trainer: AP O'Brien
The 1.9 million Guineas pacer was used in two Derbys and the Great Voltigeur, but will he be needed in a race with such a talented teammate as Grosvenor Square?
Grosvenor Square
trainer: AP O'Brien
His new formula of taking the lead mid-race has actually enhanced his ability, perhaps flattering him but certainly empowering him and proving a headache for his rivals. Older stayers of the Tower of London calibre chased him in the Curragh Cup and Grosvenor Square was 20 – yes, 20 – lengths ahead in the Irish St. Leger Trial.
His half-brother Santiago emerged as the favourite after finishing fourth in the 2020 St Leger, but he was a squeaky horse, the Grosvenor Square frontrunner striking fear into the hearts of rival runners and the minds of competing riders, and last weekend's Prix du Moune was a sharp reminder of the old adage that you can shed weight in a race but not ground. Knowing what you're going to do is one thing, but putting it up against your opponent is quite another, akin to putting your hand in a blender, so to speak.
Illinois
trainer: AP O'Brien
Who am I? According to Galileo, I was third when I re-entered at age three, then second in the Lingfield Derby Trial, then went on to run in the Queen's Bay, then the Grand Prix de Paris and the Great Voltigeur, taking pole position for a fateful date at St. Leger. Illinois, yes. But it was also a productive route to the 2018 Leger winner and the following year's Stradivarius-killing Kew Gardens.
Los Angeles will probably be the favourite if he lines up at Doncaster and his stated swerve for Irish Champion (and Arc) is a statement of confidence in Illinois, who lost to him by a neck in the Great Voltigeur but was given two pounds. The only horses other than Los Angeles to have beaten Illinois over 1½m are Ambiente Friendly and Sosie, both of whom will be in Arc-graded action on Sunday. Sky Sports Racing Illinois showed how effective he can be over 1¾m at the Prix Niel and Royal Ascot in June. In short, Illinois is the sculptural form of the Leger winner, or maybe even a carbon copy.
Los Angeles wins at Voltigeur
Jan Bruegel
trainer: AP O'Brien
An undefeated horse who looked beaten twice in Group races but came out of the fire with a thud both times, Ryan Moore has been instrumental in knowing him and what he needs. The surface of his talent is barely scratched and a longer trip on Saturday could make a big difference for him, but the truth is that horses like him rarely win the St. Leger. The field for a fully formed galloper is much bigger than for a novice grinder. He has the tools and the ticket to transform before our eyes at Doncaster but if he wins I'll lose.
Los Angeles
trainer: AP O'Brien
As the season progressed he looked less like a typical St Leger horse and the way he won the Great Voltigeur (which by the looks of it, looked like he had a lot going for him) would have made him a more likely candidate for Saturday if Doncaster was the destination, but he has been adamant that he will instead go to Leopardstown as a warm-up for the Arc.
Sunway will be headed by Christopher Soumillon.
Sunway
C. Sumiyong | D. Carpenter
A brother to Seaway, Sunway is a youngster who might not have the pedigree to be a tough St. Leger, but his performances suggest otherwise. He won a Group 1 in a gentle two-mile race, was second in the Irish Derby and was third fastest in the final furlong behind Goliath and Bluestalking in the King George. Speaking of Goliath, Christophe Soumillon, who was his jockey at Ascot, has been booked at Doncaster by David Menuzier, whose faith in Sunway has never wavered.
Illinois was beaten by Los Angeles by a neck in the Voltigeur, by two lengths by Saucier in the Grand Prix de Paris, and Sunway was beaten by the same two by ¾ lengths and 2¼ lengths in the Irish Derby and the French Derby respectively. So it is clear that there is little difference in ability between Illinois and Sunway, which is confirmed by the ratings of 116 to 115. Sunway's stamina is something to be trusted, but his racing suggests that he will not enjoy the journey, much less stay until the end.
rough waves
D. Tudoff | AM Bolding
Andrew Bolding has a habit of taking big bets on classics and Berkshire Loco almost won the St. Leger as an outsider in 2020, but Wild Wave, rated 95 after finishing fourth at Melrose, is out of his pay grade here.
You came to me
Hector Crouch | RM Beckett
Brushing ran 10 times in the season when she won the Galtres in a 70-grade handicap and also ran in the filly St Leger Park Hill, so you can see where You Got To Me got her motherly directness and endurance.
On the road to glory at Irish Oaks is You Got To Me.
She has matured and calmed down, adding a bit of polish to her fire to help Content pull off the miracle, winning the Irish Oak and finishing second in the Yorkshire version. Ralph Beckett successfully complemented Simple Verse in the 2015 St Leger, finishing second and third with other fillies Talent and Look Here. You Got To Me's courageous class will take her far and her form is as good as most considering her filly allowance, but the fire in her raises reasonable concerns about her compatibility with a longer race like the Leger.
Jamie Lynch's Verdict
With the Irish Oaks winner and Irish Derby runner-up in the mix, this year's St Leger is not a pure Ballydoyle advantage, with the supplemented You Got To Me and the fit Sunway both in form to take on Aidan O'Brien's side. It will be an entertaining and exciting contest if Grosvenor Square can leave a dent in the pitch and put doubt in the minds of all their rivals. But at Ballydoyle, everyone is a team and sometimes everyone is a team and this year Illinois If a designer had drawn him, he couldn't have looked more like the Saint-Legard winner.
