Sir Michael Stoute’s long wait for a St Leger title came to an end on Saturday, as the Barbadian trainer claimed the 2008 St Leger Stakes with Conduit.

Saturday’s race was Stoute’s 24th attempt to win the St Leger, and the trainer was delighted to finally achieve a career grand slam of Classic wins.

“This is a great thrill and a great relief,” Stoute said after the race. “Now at last I won’t have to field any questions about when will I end my St Leger drought!”

The day was also a happy occasion for Conduit’s rider Frankie Dettori, who was given Conduit’s reins after Ryan Moore chose stablemate Doctor Fremantle for the race.

“I said to Sir Michael you have asked Pat Eddery, Lester Piggott, Kieren Fallon and Ryan Moore and I am the last name on the list!” Dettori said after the race. “I sympathise with Ryan because I have been there many times and chosen the wrong horse. I feel blessed that it was me today to have given Michael his first ever St Leger winner.”

Tommy Stack’s Unsung Heroine ran impressively to claim second place at the 2008 St Leger Stakes, and was followed home by Epsom Oaks winner Look Here in third place.

Aidan O’Brien’s Frozen Fire enters Staurday’s St Leger Stakes as the favourite to take the season’s final Classic, at odds of 5/2 with William Hill.

Ralph Beckett’s Look Here is second in the betting at a price 3/1, followed by Sir Michael Stoute’s Doctor Fremantle at a price of 7/1.

The race is shaping up as a duel between the season’s leading trainer, Aidan O’Brien, and Barbadian veteran trainer Sir Michael Stoute, who is looking for his first ever St. Leger Stakes win.

The two trainers will account for eight of the entries in the field, with Frozen Fire, Allesandro Volta, Washington Irivi, Bashkirov and Hindu Kush running for O’Brien, while Stoute will be pinning his hopes on a winning performance by one of Warringah, Doctor Freemantle and Conduit.

Ryan Moore has decided to ride Doctor Freemantle for the 2008 St Leger Stakes, which means Frankie Dettori will be left taking the reins of Conduit.

These runners represent one of the strongest fields to contest the St Leger in recent years, and commentators are expecting an open race. Amongst the hopefuls is Tommy Stack’s Unsung Heroine, who is looking to become the first filly in over a decade to win the race.

Leading jockey Ryan Moore is yet to decide whether he will be riding Conduit or Doctor Fremantle at the forthcoming St Leger Stakes.

Ryan’s decision will determine which horse Frankie Dettori rides at the St Leger, with the Italian jockey offered second pick of Sir Michael Stoute’s runners.

Ryan is reportedly waiting for clarity on what sort of ground conditions are likely to confront the runners at the St Leger, and will make his pick once he’s tested both runners in suitable conditions.

“Ryan is concerned about the ground for Conduit. It will be riding a second per furlong slower than standard by Saturday,” Sir Michael Stoute told reporters on Wednesday.

Moore rode Conduit to victory in the Gordon Stakes at Goodwood last month, and also piloted Doctor Freemantle to fourth place at the Prix de Paris.

“I want to sit on both of them, and talk to the boss. There’s not a lot between them,” Moore said of Stoute’s two best prospects for the race.

Meanwhile the other trainers with entries to the race have confirmed their rider pairings for the race. Johnny Murtagh will ride Frozen Fire for Adian O’Brien, Jimmy Fortune will ride Bashkirov and David McCabe will partner Hindu Kush.

Eighteen thoroughbreds were left standing following the five-day confirmation stage of the 2008 St Leger Stakes. Eight of the remaining entries are trained by Aidan O’Brien, including William Hill’s 9/4 favourite, Frozen Fire.

Ralph Beckett’s Oaks winner Look Here remained on course to become the first filly in 16 years to win the St Leger Stakes, while Patkai dropped out of the running courtesy of a poor final gallop prior to the confirmation.

Look Here is currently priced second in William Hill’s St Leger Stakes betting markets at odds of 4/1. Beckett is content with Look Here’s position in the markets, and believes his filly has what it takes to cause an upset at the season’s final English Classic, telling reporters; “I’m sure as I can be that the trip will be in her favour, and the ground should also be to her liking.”

Meanwhile Sir Michael Stoute will be banking on third priced Conduit to secure his ever St Leger Stakes win. Stoute had previously pinned his hopes on Patkai winning him the elusive St Leger title, before poor form ruled him out of contention for the race.

Conduit is present priced at 5/1 by William Hill, however Stoute remains bullish about his runner’s prospects if the ground conditions at Doncaster remain fast on the day of the race.

Jim Bolger’s New Approach took the spoils at the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown this weekend.

New Approach was bumped up to race favourite in the absence of Aidan O’Brien’s Duke of Marmalade, who was withdrawn from the race due to the soft ground conditions in Dublin.

The only serious challenge New Approach had to face was from 50-1 long odds outsider Traffic Guard, who pushed him all the way before finishing the race ½ a length behind in second place.

“On his previous run at Newmarket he was a bit too keen because we had to rush a lot of quick work into him in a short space of time,” Bolger said of his group one winner. “There was not really enough pace today and once again, we probably overdid the settling.”

“He was only doing what he had to do and Kevin confirmed that he had bundles in the tank,” Bolger said in reference to the close finish. “It was a nice, easy race for him and he should come out of it well.”

“He’s in the Champion Stakes at Newmarket, he’s in the Arc and he’s also in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. He’ll probably run in two of those three.”

The build up to the 2008 St Leger Stakes continues this weekend as the leading lights of flat racing head to Leopardstown to contest the Irish Champion Stakes.

With up to 30 milliliters of rain expected over Dublin before the weekend, this year’s star trainer, Aidan O’Brien, has indicated that he may pull Duke of Marmalade out of the race rather than risk his champion runner on a heavy racetrack.

“The plan is to run Duke Of Marmalade, but if they get all the rain that’s forecast we would be talking about ground that would not be ideal for the horse,” O’Brien told the Racing Post. “Everyone knows he’s a horse who likes good, fast ground, so we’ll have to wait and see what happens with the weather and review the situation if necessary.”

Duke of Marmalade is favourite in the Irish Champion Stakes betting markets at odds of 1/1 with William Hill. Jim Bolger’s New Approach is his closest challenger at 6/5, while King of Rome, another O’Brien runner is priced third in the Champions Stakes betting markets.

Meanwhile O’Brien also holds onto top spot in the St Leger Stakes betting markets with Frozen Fire priced 9/4 ahead of Conduit at 9/2.

Duke of Marmalade captured his 5th group one win of the season at Newmarket on Saturday, winning the International Stakes to hand Aidan O’Brien his 18th group one title of the season.

What was pitched as a heavyweight face-off between Duke of Marmalade and Epsom Derby winner New Approach turned out to be a damp squib as Jim Bolger’s runner never looked like mounting a serious challenge for the title.

Pheonix Tower put in a good performance to take second place at the International Stakes, while New Approach finished some way off in third place.

“I’ve said before that he is very durable, very consistent and he tries for you,” winning jockey Johnnie Murtagh said after the race. “You can see the size of him and he has a great will to win, he’s just a great horse. Soft ground, fast ground it doesn’t matter he’s able to take it, he eats up every day and he loves racing. I’m a lucky jockey, it’s very easy when you are riding horses like this.”

O’Brien will be looking for his 19th group one victory at this weekend’s Champion Stakes in Ireland, before the Irish and English St Legers take center stage.
 

Sir Michael Stoute’s Patkai has emerged as the favourite for the St Leger in William Hill’s ante-post betting markets.

Patkai’s odds have shortened to 5/2 following indications that neither Frozen Fire nor Tartan Bearer are likely to run at Doncaster on the 13th of September. Oaks winner Look Here is currently priced second at 6-1 , alongside Conduit.

The movement in the betting markets will come as good news to Sir Michael Stoute who is not only looking to win his first Classic of the season, but also his take first ever title at the St Leger.

Patkai last won at the Royal Ascot meeting in June, where he took the Group 3 Queen’s Vase. The thoroughbred’s other win for the season came at Haydock with a first place in the listed Tomboy Cavanagh Handicap.

Patkai’s position at the head of the St Leger betting markets is not only due to recent performances, but to his reputation as a stayer. Patkai has won twice over distances  greater than 1 mile 2 furlongs, including an impressive win over 2 miles.
 

Aidan O’Brien marched closer to his goal of winning a world record 26 Group One races in a season this weekend as he claimed his 15th Group One victory of the year.

O’Brien’s latest Group One winner is Mastercraftsman, who won the Phoenix Stakes in Curragh, earning himself a slot as favourite in next year’s 2,000 Guineas betting markets.

Mastercraftsman’s rider Johnny Murtagh, who has enjoyed massive success with the Coolmore Stud this season, told reporters: “I wanted to make it a solid race because he has a huge stride. But he is one of these ones that you might think will get the mile, although he has loads of speed and a huge stride that gets horses in trouble, like he did today.”

Mastercraftsman’s performance was notable for featuring a 4½ length margin of victory over Michael Bell’s Coventry Stakes winner Art Connoisseur.

Despite moving closer to his goal of 26 Group One wins, Aidan O’Brien was not present at Curragh on Saturday, preferring to watch his son represent Ireland in an eventing competition.

Murtagh described O’Brien as a genius after the race, saying “The way the horses come out and perform every day is amazing. Whenever they get into a battle, they never get beaten.”
 

The 2008 St Leger Stakes looks set to feature a rematch between the 2008 Epsom Oaks winner and runner-up.

Ralph Beckett’s Look Here won the Epsom Oaks in 2008, and was followed home by Roger Charlton’s Clowance, who finished the race 9 lengths adrift of the winner.

Clowance’s owner, Barry Hurley, believes that his runner did not adapt well to the undulating turf at Epsom, and that a run over the level turf of Doncaster might deliver very different results.

“I’d be absolutely dying for that rematch because I don’t think she was suited by Epsom,” Hurley told reporters. “She’ll stay all day and if it was lucky enough to be a bog, I think she’d go very close to winning something like that.”

While Clowance is certain to run in the 2008 St Leger at Doncaster, Look Here’s participation in the race is still in doubt. Look Here will first be running at the Darley York Oaks in August before a final decision is made about the filly’s participation in the 2008 St. Leger.

Look Here is priced 7/1 I William Hills St Leger ante-post betting markets, while Clowance is a long shot art 50-1.