Sport

Camelot left with eight to beat

RACING: EIGHT RIVALS stand between Camelot and an historic Triple Crown in Saturday’s Ladbrokes St Leger at Doncaster.

Fri Sept 14 2012 - 01:00

RACING:EIGHT RIVALS stand between Camelot and an historic Triple Crown in Saturday's Ladbrokes St Leger at Doncaster.

Aidan O’Brien’s 2000 Guineas and Epsom Derby hero aims to become the first horse since Nijinsky in 1970 to complete the British Classic hat-trick on Town Moor and will be partnered by the trainer’s son, Joseph.

Camelot is the sole representative from Ballydoyle after neither Imperial Monarch nor Monday’s Galway winner Chamonix were declared.

There is another challenger from Ireland in the shape of Tommy Carmody’s Ursa Major, who has been well backed of late.

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Epsom Derby runner-up Main Sequence represents David Lanigan, Encke goes for the Godolphin team under Mickael Barzalona and hugely-impressive Melrose Stakes winner Guarantee takes a significant step up in class for William Haggas.

John Gosden has two of the nine declared runners in Thought Worthy and Michelangelo, with Frankie Dettori coming in for the ride on the latter after stable jockey William Buick opted to partner the Great Voltigeur winner. Dettori partnered Gosden’s Shantou to win the St Leger in 1996. The Clarehaven trainer also saddles big outsider and likely pacemaker Dartford.

The field is completed by the Henry Cecil-trained Thomas Chippendale, who carries the colours of Yorkshireman, Robert Ogden.

Wild Coco showed stamina is her forte yesterday as she outstayed her rivals in the DFS Park Hill Stakes at Doncaster.

Sent off the 7 to 4 favourite having won the Lillie Langtry Stakes on her reappearance this season, Henry Cecil’s four-year-old took a further step forward by winning the contest known as the “fillies’ St Leger”.

She looked to have plenty to do three furlongs out as champion jockey Paul Hanagan kicked clear on Estimate.

However, Wild Coco was just hitting top gear inside the final furlong under Tom Queally and always looked like getting up, winning by a length and a quarter. Estimate lost second on the line to Hazel Lavery.

The other Group race on the card, the Sceptre Stakes, went to the rejuvenated Sunday Times.Peter Chapple-Hyam’s filly was second in the Cheveley Park Stakes at two but in three runs this season had shown very little.

The 22 to 1 chance quickened up in smart style to beat Godolphin’s Gamilati by a length.