Alex Hammond: St Leger Festival at Doncaster preview

This week it’s all eyes (in more ways than one) on Doncaster for the St Leger festival. The government have given the go ahead for crowds to be trialled at the four day fixture and we all hope it goes without a hitch.

I’ve been lucky enough to be going racing for over two months now and the organisation and safety planning put in place by those who run the tracks has been superb and effective. On occasion, the implementation could be described as being overzealous, but for good reason.

So, let’s hope all racegoers adhere to the measures and that and we can hold our heads high at the end of the week. It’s vital to get crowds back on track, this is our chance to prove we can do it safely. Racing has taken place on Town Moor since 1614 and this fixture in 2020 will be the most unique in its 406 year history.

So what about the action on the track? Well that will be as high quality as ever over the four days and I’m excited that our team will be bringing you all of the action on Sky Sports Racing.

On Saturday it’s the world’s oldest classic, the St Leger and Sky Bet can’t (at the time of writing) separate Pyledriver and Santiago at the top of the market with both colts available to back at 11/4.

The mile and three quarter trip will be unknown territory for William Muir’s Pyledriver, but the Aidan O’Brien trained Santiago has already won over the distance in the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot, before dropping back to 12 furlongs to win the Irish Derby and then stretching out over 2 miles when a respectable third behind Stradivarius.

So, he’s versatile and high class and should be a super horse for Cup races next season. Of the duo, he’s my preferred choice as Pyledriver isn’t a certain stayer. If you delve into his pedigree he’s not nailed on to stay 1m 6f, but there’s nothing to lose in trying.

I caught up with his jockey Martin Dwyer at Ascot on Saturday and he’s hoping for decent, good, flat racing ground. He should be in luck with the ground described at the start of the week as good to soft, soft in places.

There are a few showers forecast at the beginning of the week, but according to the forecast, should be dry from midweek onwards. It would be marvellous for Muir and his son-in-law to win their first class together (Dwyer is a Derby winner thanks to Sir Percy in 2006).

I’m leaning towards 7/2 shot Hukum to give trainer Owen Burrows the biggest win of his short career. This would really cement his position at the top table after a successful season so far that has included a trio of group wins and a first Royal Ascot victory with this lad in the King George V Stakes, which he subsequently supplemented with a victory in the Geoffrey Freer over 100 yards shorter than the trip he’ll tackle on Saturday, so stamina isn’t an issue.

The former jump jockey knows what it takes to win a Leger as he was based with Sir Michael Stoute when Conduit won the race back in 2008 and he said after the colt’s recent Newbury win that he doesn’t think he’ll be a Cup horse next season as he has plenty of speed, a quality he’ll need to win a St Leger.

A fly in the ointment could be English King (10/1) if he runs at Doncaster rather than heading to France for the Grand Prix de Paris (he will go where the best ground is and the decision will be made at the 11th hour).

He looked awesome when winning the Lingfield Derby Trial, didn’t run badly in the Derby, before a below par effort at Goodwood in the Group Three Gordon Stakes behind Mogul. Despite handling Lingfield’s cambers well, his trainer Ed Walker is keen to get him back on a conventional track, so Doncaster may see a return to form and he could fulfil the expectations of his connections. We’ll see, but I’m happy to have Hukum on my side at this point. In this strange year though, anything could happen!

After giving the Sky Sports Racing viewers, Talksport listeners and anyone who cares to follow my tip of the day a 14/1 winner at Ascot on Saturday, the pressure is on to unearth a few more this week. I can’t promise another Documenting, but I’ll give it a go!

Not quite that price, but at 7/1 Cloak Of Spirits is definitely on my radar for the Group Three Sceptre Fillies’ Stakes on Wednesday. I remember her trainer Richard Hannon being gutted when she was beaten in the May Hill at this meeting last year. It was blowing a gale on Town Moor that day though and she can be forgiven that.

She’s put in some lovely efforts this season including finishing runner up to Love in the Guineas, things didn’t pan out when she finished 5th in the Coronation Stakes behind Alpine Star and another couple of decent efforts at Epsom and Deauville give her season a solid look so far.

Deserving to win a race doesn’t necessarily mean they will, but I hope she does and at the price I’m prepared to take the risk. She has the added advantage of Andrea Atzeni in the saddle and his Doncaster record is exceptional. He has a win strike rate of 20% and a level stakes profit of almost £42.

Incidentally, Atzeni could win this year’s May Hill (Thursday) for trainer Roger Varian on Zabeel Queen. She won a decent fillies’ novice stakes at Ascot on debut, making a really good impression. She holds Group One entries and might take some stopping in this Group Two.

Another horse I’m looking forward to seeing this week is Yazaman, who is one of the protagonists in Thursday’s Weatherbys Racing Bank £200,000 2yo Stakes. Unusually, trainer William Haggas sent this juvenile out on his debut at Yarmouth with blinkers on, which isn’t usually a positive sign. However, it soon became clear why, as this colt is pretty lazy and took some stoking up by winning rider Tom Marquand to win his maiden nicely in the end.

No wins have followed, but he’s run very well in defeat. He was second in the Windsor Castle at Royal Ascot, filled the same spot in the July Stakes at Newmarket (both behind Tactical), had to settle for second once again in the Richmond Stakes to Supremacy before a disappointing effort in the Gimcrack. That form is strong in the context of this sales race though, he’s the highest rated and should get that overdue second victory.

On Saturday, the Sky Sports Racing Sky 415 Nursery can go the way of Mark Of The Man for Hannon. The colt had his hat-trick bid foiled at York in a nursery over seven furlongs last month, but didn’t run badly and caught the eye when staying on strongly after not getting the smoothest of passages.

The step up to a mile will be right up his street and off the same mark can run a big race. His stable have been firing in plenty of winners recently and it could be a good week for the team.

So there are a few of my thoughts ahead of what should be an enjoyable four days. Join me and my Sky Sports Racing colleagues from Wednesday, by when hopefully I’ll have found a few more. In the meantime, I’m on the hunt for the next Documenting. Wish me luck.

Responsible gambling

We are committed in our support of responsible gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.

If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133, or visit begambleaware.org.

Further support and information can be found at GamCare and gamblingtherapy.org.