Horse racing fans can look forward to a trio of prestigious Group 1 races this weekend, with the English St Leger, Irish St Leger and Irish Champion Stakes all set to take place on Saturday. It could be a glorious day for Aidan O’Brien, who trains the favourite all three and could net his Coolmore paymasters a fortune if they all deliver on their promise.
In the biggest of the bunch, the €1.1 million Irish Champion Stakes, O’Brien has entered his brilliant three-year-old bay filly Minding. She is a world class horse and has won seven of 10 career races, including her last three on the bounce. Minding has won four of her five starts at Group 1 level this season, including Classic triumphs in the 1000 Guineas and the Oaks at Epsom, along with victories in the Nassau Stakes and the Pretty Polly. But this is the first time she has raced males.
Coolmore’s business model is based around breeding stallions that can be put out to stud, and it would not do for a filly to be stealing their limelight, particularly when his current crop includes such star names as Idaho, The Gurka and US Army Ranger, so he normally keeps his fillies away from the big events and leaves them contesting races for fillies only. But Minding could well be his greatest filly of all time and the stable has taken the bold decision of pitting her against stablemates including Highland Reel, who won the King George, and Found, winner of the Breeders Cup, in the Irish Champion Stakes, where she could well upstage the lot of them.
Minding is the 11/4 favourite for the race with Green Listed Bookmakers thanks to her stunning form this season, but she faces a monumental battle. She is up against Harzand, winner of the English and Irish Derbies (3/1) and they will vie for favouritism in the build-up to the race. There are another seven Group 1 winners taking place in this event, and it is shaping up to be the race of the season. Found (11/1 with Bet Victor) and Highland Reel (14/1 with Betfred and Bet Victor) will be dangerous, as will French Derby winner Almanazor (15/2 with Paddy Power) and all look good each way shots. But it could well boil down to a straight battle between Minding and Harzand, the two horses of the season. It will be tight but Harzand is arguably the better bet as he beat Idaho over this trip in the Ballysax on this course and is unbeaten all season, while Minding is more of a risk as she has never taken on colts before.
Idaho heads up the betting in the St Leger at Doncaster, where he is 5/6 favourite after a strong season. He placed in the English and Irish Derbies, finishing behind Harzand on both occasions, and comfortably won the Group 2 Great Voltigeur Stakes at York last month. That is seen as the most important trial for the St Leger and he finished ahead of stablemate Housesofparliament, who is third favourite for the St Leger at 10/1 with Paddy Power. Idaho might not look particularly attractive at that price but it is one of the weaker St Leger fields we have seen in recent years and he is the form horse in the race, so it is hard to oppose him. The only worry is that he may struggle will stamina over the extra two furlongs, and that could open the door for Housesofparliament, who looks a very good each way bet.
Another O’Brien trained son of Galileo is overwhelming favourite for the Irish St Leger. Order of St George will face just five opponents in the race, two of them trained by the ubiquitous O’Brien, and the best price you can get on him is a mere 1/4 with Bet365. Again it seems hard to oppose him but at that price you might want to avoid the race altogether, or add Order of St George to an accumulator.
In case that wasn’t enough action for O’Brien, he also trains the 6/5 favourite in the Group 3 KMEG Enterprise Stakes, US Army Ranger, who was runner-up to Harzand and finished ahead of Idaho in the Investec Derby and looks a great bet to win this one. Another tip would be an each way bet on Red Pike at 16/1 to win the Ladbrokes Portland Handicap at Doncaster. He won on this course over this trip last year and should be in with a great chance this time around.
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