Golden Sword leads market for Doncaster Classic

St Leger entries

Trainer Aidan O’Brien accounts for 15 of the 41 entries revealed today for the 2009 Group One Ladbrokes St Leger, which will be run for the 233rd time at Doncaster on Saturday, September 12.

O’Brien has won the race three times before with Milan, Brian Boru and Scorpion. His team this year includes Irish Derby runner-up Golden Sword, who is quoted as 4/1 favourite by sponsor Ladbrokes.

Investec Derby third Masterofthehorse, Group Two Dante Stakes first and second Black Bear Island and Freemantle, Group Three Lingfield Derby Trial winner Age Of Aquarius, recent Ulster Derby victor Changingoftheguard, Leopardstown maiden scorer Dixie Music, Great Wisdom, who has not run since a runaway winning debut in October, and Von Jawlensky, who scored by nine lengths at the Curragh on Sunday, are other members of O’Brien’s powerful entry.

Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Again, trained by David Wachman for the Coolmore partners, and the Aga Khan’s Irish Derby third Mourayan, trained by John Oxx, embellish a strong team from Ireland.

After 34 years of trying to win the Ladbrokes St Leger that brought five seconds since his first starter in 1974, trainer Sir Michael Stoute finally won the great race in 2008 with Conduit, who went on to land the Grade One Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita in October.

Stoute is likely to bid for a second successive Ladbrokes St Leger victory with the twice-raced Harbinger, a 12/1 chance. Stoute has a second string to his bow in the lightly-raced but useful maiden Saptapadi, who like last year’s winner Conduit is owned by Ballymacoll Stud.

Saeed bin Suroor and Henry Cecil, with four wins apiece, are the two most successful current trainers in the Ladbrokes St Leger and both look to have bright prospects of adding to their tallies this year.

Bin Suroor and his Godolphin employers have seven entries including Italian Derby hero Mastery, Flying Cloud, winner of the Group Two Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot, last season’s Group One Prix Marcel Boussac third Copperbeech, 2008 Group Three Autumn Stakes winner Kite Wood, last year’s Group Criterium de Saint-Cloud second Prince Siegfried, Listed Glasgow Stakes scorer Parthenon and German Group Three victor Peligroso.

Cecil’s two entries are Father Time, winner of the Group Two King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot and 6/1 second-favourite for the Ladbrokes St Leger with the sponsor, and Native Ruler, who finished seventh in the same race.

Your Old Pal, who was runner-up in the Royal Ascot contest, has been entered by trainer Jeremy Noseda alongside recent Windsor maiden winner Plymouth Rock.

The form of Royal Ascot’s Group Three Queen’s Vase could be well represented at Doncaster via the Mark Johnston-trained winner Holberg, runner-up Yankee Doodle, third-placed Mastery, Tactic (4th), Popmurphy (5th), Stately Home (6th) and Dhushan, who finished only 12th having been sent off favourite.

Alwaary, a five-length winner of the Listed Cocked Hat Stakes at Goodwood in May, could bid to give trainer John Gosden a third Ladbrokes St Leger success following Lucarno in 2007 and Shantou in 1996.

Meanwhile veteran Yorkshire owner Jack Hanson came close to winning his local Classic when The Last Drop was second in 2006 and he and Barry Hills could be represented by Group Three Sandown Classic Trial winner Above Average this year.

The Australian-owned and once-raced Swindler, trained by Andrew Balding, adds further spice to a fascinating Classic as do Sir Mark Prescott’s rapidly improving handicappers Braveheart Move and Fortuni.