Best bets for the horse racing Sunday 11th September

Following the sad news of Thursday all horse racing in the UK was rightly abandoned on Friday and Saturday. The loss of Her Majesty will be mourned across the globe, and it is a loss that will be felt especially hard by many in horse racing, the sport for which she showed such a passion and knowledge. RIP.

There is plenty to get your teeth into on Sunday here in the UK and Ireland and I will be getting involved in a number of races including of course the final Classic of the season the St Leger.  Hopefully I have a winner or two up my sleeve.  

Best bets for the Cazoo St Leger Festival at Doncaster  

It’s the final Classic of the season at the Cazoo St Leger Festival as the St Leger takes centre stage of a nine-race card.  

The 12.30 is the 7f Group Two Coral Champagne Stakes and the race I am perhaps most looking forward to though sadly it is now done to three runners. I tipped Chaldean on debut back in June at Newbury when he was beaten, he has won his subsequent two starts! I mentioned back in June he was bred by Whitsbury Manor Stud and Juddmonte had to go to 550,000 Guineas to buy this one as a foal suggesting they liked the look of him; the colt is a chestnut son of Frankel out of the unraced mare Suelita (Dutch Art) and a half-brother to five winners including G.2 Mill Reef Stakes winner Alkumait. I have tipped Silver Knott on all of his three starts to date and he has won two. As I mentioned before this colt has some bloodstock royalty on his page, it isn’t surprising he cost 725,000 Guineas as a yearling. By Lope De Vega, the French 2,000 Guineas and Derby winner, he is out of God Given, a multiple Group winner in her day, and should progress with Shamardal and Nathaniel as grand-sires – Shamardal was also of course Champion two-year-old. This looks a proper race with these two involved and I could back both but have plumped for Silver Knott as his G.3 Solario Stakes win was very impressive last time. I have the 4-5 early.  

The re-arranged Group Two 5f Flying Childers Stakes at 1.35 looks to be all about The Platinum Queen for me. I tipped her at Goodwood when she broke the track record whilst winning and backed her again for the G.1 Nunthorpe Stakes last time when inexperience was her undoing late on but it was still a cracking effort to come second. Two slight concerns are she has been busy and the ground here is softer than she has run on before though they shouldn’t get any more rain Sunday. Oisin Orr is back in the saddle today and I have had to back her at the 13-8 overnight and expect her to be out and gone all being well. Trillium looks the danger and was being nibbled at in the market on Thursday afternoon and is now joint jolly.    

With a number of the big names missing from the field the 2m2f Group Two Doncaster Cup at 2.45 looks at the mercy of Trueshan, especially as we have the word soft in the going. He’s long odds-on and unbackable though.  Sacred was due to run in the Group Two  Park Stakes but is a non-runner now. 

The main event, the last Classic of the season, the 1m6½f Group One Cazoo St Leger Stakes is due off at 3.55 As mentioned on the Classics Page earlier this week I have been holding off from having a bet in the hope someone would go bigger than Evens about the jolly New London. I am not convinced his is the best St Leger ever and the Charlie Appleby trained son of Dubawi should prove too good for this field provided he stays the trip – never gone over 1m4f yet in his career. His only defeat came at Chester on a tight track that clearly didn’t suit and this galloping track should be much more to his liking. I have taken the 6-5 this morning. I have a feeling Eldar Eldarov will be better over Cup distances next year whilst Haskoy could be anything as they say. Hoo Ya Mal couldn’t live with the favourite in the Gordon Stakes but has subsequently proved he stays winning the 1m6f G.3 March Stakes so if New London falters late-on might be the one to take advantage.  

Irish Champions Weekend Sunday at the Curragh  

The Group One Comer Group International Irish St. Leger looks to be all about Kyprios and the three-yea-old is unsurprisingly unbackable at odds-on. In fact, there are a few short ones on the card that I can’t have. The one I have backed is Meditate for the 7f Group One Moyglare Stud Stakes at 3.00. I have the 6-5 with Power overnight. Having tipped her when she won the G.3 Albany Stakes at the Royal meeting I wanted to back her at York for the G.2 Lowther Stakes but she didn't travel over. She ran in the G.2  Debutante Stakes over track and trip instead three-weeks ago with what appeared to be a bit left in the tank, she was even able to stumble late on and still win. 

Be lucky