It’s Betfred St Leger day at Doncaster on Saturday afternoon as the premier stayers line up for the final Classic of the season. Our in-house tipster has a big-race selection for the Group 1 showpiece, as well as two other picks for what should be a fabulous day on Town Moor in front of the ITV Racing cameras.
2:25pm Doncaster – Betfred Portland
One of the toughest betting heats on the Flat calendar, the Betfred Portland Handicap will see a whole host of classy 5f sprint handicappers go to post and the 2024 renewal looks hugely competitive. One that stands out is John & Thady Gosden’s COVER UP, who drops back from six furlongs last time out and looks capable of landing this prize with aplomb.
A dual winner over 5f back in February, he’s since been struggling to get his head in front over six furlongs, but the drop in trip should improve his chances here. He just ran out of steam in the closing stages of a hugely competitive York event last time out, where he finished fifth, and if he can build on that effort off the same mark then looks the solid option in cracking punting assignment.
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Matthew Sutcliffe’s Value Punts – St Leger Festival Day Three Tips
Day three of the St Leger Festival features the big one, with the Betfred St Leger taking place at 3.40pm. Matty Sutcliffe plumps for the outside of the septet, with three tips on the day in all. Published: 2.18pm Thursday, 11th September (Odds correct at time of writing) 1:50 Doncaster – Betfred Champagne Stakes (Group…
Thu 12 Sep 20243:00pm Doncaster – Betfred Park Stakes
A fascinating renewal of the Park Stakes will take place at 3:00pm as some proven, older Group winners will take on some emerging youngsters in the Group 2 seven furlong event. Your eyes are immediately drawn to multiple Group winner KINROSS, who, if on his day, should storm to victory here, and he does look a really solid proposition here.
He may not be the force of old and he will have to deal with the classy three-year-old rival in Lead Artist, but Ralph Beckett’s seven-year-old won this race back in 2022 and if he can get anywhere near his best then he has to have far too much class for his adversaries in this contest.
3:40pm Doncaster – Betfred St Leger Stakes
Aidan O’Brien has a huge stranglehold over the 2024 St Leger, as he will saddle three of the favourites for the contest and while You Got To Me is an eye-catching supplementary figure in the race she may just come unstuck to the Ballydoyle battalion.
Illinois has some decent form in the book, but it’s GROSVENOR SQUARE that can improve enough to win what is a pretty mediocre renewal. A runaway 20-length winner of the Irish St Leger trial at the Curragh last time out, he won’t have it all his own way in this event, but he will relish the 1m 6f 155y test the Leger has to offer and he could just outbattle his stablemates Illinois and Jan Brueghel in a race dominated by the O’Brien team.
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