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Racing News |
Fantastic Four Days at Doncaster for the Ladbrokes St Leger Festival
08/09/08
Four fantastic days of thrilling sport happen during the Ladbrokes St Leger Festival at Doncaster on Wednesday, September 10, to Saturday, September 13 inclusive.
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The prestigious meeting commences on Wednesday, when the highlight of a six-race programme is the £45,000 Listed Construction News Scarborough Stakes (2.35pm) over five furlongs. The race has an excellent field of nine declared runners including Group One winner Benbaun.
Thursday’s racing includes the eagerly anticipated £100,000 Group Two Goffs/DBS Park Hill Stakes (2pm), the fillies’ St Leger, in which Group Three Moet Hennessy Fillies’ Stakes winner Gravitation could clash with Group Two Ribblesdale Stakes heroine Michita.
Michita’s trainer, John Gosden, is set to have another talented filly in action that afternoon as Rainbow View, hugely impressive when winning the Group Three Sweet Solera Stakes at Newmarket last month, is among 15 classy competitors engaged in the £80,000 Group Two Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield May Hill Stakes (3.10pm) for juvenile fillies. Also on Thursday is the lucrative Weatherbys Insurance £300,000 2-Y-O Stakes (2.35pm).
Racing on Friday kicks off with a real speed test for two-year-olds, the £80,000 Group Two Polypipe Flying Childers Stakes (1.35pm) over five furlongs. The field could include the talented Kevin Ryan-trained duo of Senor Mirasol and Rivalux World, as well as Weatherbys Super Sprint winner Jargelle.
The highlight of Friday's cracking seven-race card is the two and a quarter-mile £100,000 Group Two National Express Doncaster Cup (2.40pm), which could see the great Yeats line up for trainer Aidan O'Brien. The high-class entry of 15 also includes Group One winner Allegretto and Yeats’ stablemate Honolulu, third in last season's Ladbrokes St Leger.
The £165,000 Ladbrokes Sprint Cup, moved to Ladbrokes St Leger Day at Doncaster following Haydock Park’s abandonment at the weekend, provides extra Group One action, with the top sprinters over six furlongs set to take part. It will be run at 2.35pm, with the first race, the Group Two Keepmoat Champagne Stakes moved forward to 1.35pm and the second race, the £75,000 Ladbrokes Portland Heritage Handicap, now off at 2.05pm. The extra race means that prize money at Doncaster’s Ladbrokes St Leger Festival breaks the £2-million barrier for the first time. Total advertised prize money comes to a new record of £2,072,500.
Frozen Fire, winner of the Group One Irish Derby for O'Brien, is currently the 9/4 favourite with the sponsors for the Ladbrokes St Leger (3.10pm) on Saturday, but the Montjeu colt will face stiff competition from stablemate Alessandro Volta, the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Conduit and Oaks heroine Look Here from Ralph Beckett’s stable. There are 18 three-year-olds still in the Ladbrokes St Leger following today’s five-day confirmation stage.
REVISED ORDER OF RUNNING ON LADBROKES ST LEGER DAY, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2008
Time Race Conditions Distance TV Prize Money
1.35pm Keepmoat Champagne Stakes (Group 2) 2yo colts & geldings 7f ATR £100,000
2.05pm Ladbrokes Portland (Heritage Handicap) 3yo+ 5f 140yds ATR/C4 £75,000
2.35pm Ladbrokes Sprint Cup (Group One) 3yo+ 6f ATR/C4 £165,000
3.10pm Ladbrokes St Leger (Group 1) 3yo, entire colts & fillies 1m 6f 132yds ATR/C4 £500,000
3.45pm National Express Park Stakes (Group 2) 3yo+ 7f ATR/C4 £150,000
4.15pm Keepmoat Handicap 3yo+, 91-105 1m 4f ATR £20,000
4.50pm Landini Tractors Nursery 2yo 1m ATR £20,000
5.25pm State Club Handicap 3yo+, 96-110 1m ATR £20,000
TOTAL £1,050,000
CURRENT GOING NEWS AT DONCASTER
Doncaster’s Clerk of the course David Williams commented on Monday morning: “We have changed the ground this morning to GOOD TO SOFT on the straight course and GOOD TO SOFT, SOFT IN PLACES on the round course which is better than it was previously.
“That is subject to change because we have a band of rain coming in tomorrow afternoon and we are forecast to receive anything up to 10 millimetres through to Wednesday morning.
“It is forecast to be a dry day today but I anticipate that I will not change the going description again because there is little wind. The rain tomorrow will give us a good idea of where we stand with regard to the start of the Ladbrokes St Leger Festival on Wednesday.”
