William Hill St Leger Odds and Preview – Horse Racing Betting September 14

Logician is logical St Leger choice

Horse Racing Betting

The William Hill St Leger is the world’s oldest classic and appears to have re-established itself in recent years. However, detractors have resurfaced this year in calling for the distance of just short of 1m7f to be reduced to attract better horses. This year’s entry does appear to lack a bit of quality and five of the eight declared runners are from just two stables.

St Leger History and Trends

The race is named after sportsman and gambler Anthony St Leger, who lived at Park Hill near Doncaster and had the idea of a race for three-year-olds, with colts carrying 8st and fillies 7st 12lb, over two miles.

A field of six lined up for the inaugural St Leger with an unnamed filly by Sampson (later called Allabaculia), owned by Prime Minister the Marquess of Rockingham, beating Colonel St Leger’s unnamed filly by Trusty.

The Classic did not have a title until 1778, when Rockingham proposed that it should carry St Leger’s name, and the same year the event moved to the present site on Doncaster’s Town Moor, with the first two runnings having been staged on nearby Cantley Common.

The final leg of the famous Triple Crown, West Australian became the first winner of the 2000 Guineas, Derby and St Leger in 1853, a feat that only 14 other horses have achieved since, most recently Nijinsky in 1970.

Aidan O’Brien has won the St Leger six times previously with Milan (2001), Brian Boru (2003), Scorpion (2005), Leading Light (2013), Capri (2017) and Kew Gardens (2018). He is responsible three of the eight runners this yea . Masked Marvel set a new course record in 2011, handing trainer John Gosden a third victory in five years and a fourth in all. Gosden’s other successes came courtesy of Shantou (1996), Lucarno (2007) and Arctic Cosmos (2010) and the Newmarket maestro saddles the favourite Logician this year.

  • 15 of the last 17 winners had won at least twice previously and finished in the first three last time
  • All but three of the last 17 winners were having a first run at Doncaster
  • Frankie Dettori has ridden the winner five times in 21 years but none since 2008
  • Andrea Atzeni has ridden the winner in two of the last five years

Recent St Leger Winners

Year Winner Jockey Trainer Age Weight SP Draw Rating Runs-Wins
2007 Lucarno Jimmy Fortune John Gosden 3 9-0 7/2 8 (10) 113 7 3
2008 Conduit Frankie Dettori Sir Michael Stoute 3 9-0 8/1 5 (14) 112 4 2
2009 Mastery Ted Durcan Saeed Bin Suroor 3 9-0 14/1 7 (8) 111 5 1
2010 Arctic Cosmos William Buick John Gosden 3 9-0 12/1 8 (10) 111 5 2
2011 Masked Marvel William Buick John Gosden 3 9-0 15/2 3 (9) 109 4 2
2012 Encke Mickael Barzalona Mahmood Al Zarooni 3 9-0 25/1 1 (9) 112 3 1
2013 Leading Light Joseph O’Brien A P O’Brien 3 9-0 7/2 7 (11) 110 3 3
2014 Kingston Hill Andrea Atzeni Roger Varian 3 9-1 9/4 4 (14) 120 3 0
2015 Simple Verse Andrea Atzeni Ralph Beckett 3 8-12 8/1 1 (8) 108 6 3
2016 Harbour Law George Baker Laura Mongan 3 9-1 22/1 9 (9) 102 5 2
2017 Capri Ryan Moore A P O’Brien 3 9-1 3/1 9 (11) 120 4 1
2018 Kew Gardens Ryan Moore A P O’Brien 3 9-1 3/1 8 (12) 116 6 2

Unibet is currently the only major bookmaker showing LOGICIAN at odds against.
John Gosden’s grey, unbeaten in four runs, is hardly stirring value at 11/10 in a race in which he’s probably really the only one of two yet to prove his stamina. However, he certainly wasn’t stopping when bounding clear over 1m4f in the Great Voltigeur at York – traditionally the best St Leger trial – and no jockey outfoxes Frankie Dettori when it comes to riding Group 1 winners.
Of Aidan O’Brien’s trio, Chester Vase winner Sir Dragonet has a bit to prove after only finishing fourth in his prep race at the Curragh. Donnacha O’Brien does ride so he can probably be considered the Ballydoyle number one but he’s only a general 3/1 with Il Paradiso at 13/2 in places. The latter is a genuine stayer who will relish the long straight at Doncaster.
Mark Johnston saddles Sir Ron Priestley and Nayef Road. The latter looks held on all known form but the former is very tough and is a rare ride in a classic for weighing room veteran Franny Norton. He’s a general 11/1 while Technician also appeals for each-way purposes at a best 16/1.

St Leger Current Best Odds

Logician 11/10, Sir Dragonet 3/1, Il Paradiso 13/2, Sir Ron Priestley 11/1, Technician 16/1, Dashing Willoughby 20/1, Nayef Road 33/1, Western Australia 66/1
(Odds correct at 3.45pm September 12)