Doncaster's St Leger Festival kicks off on Thursday
Doncaster entries: Horses to follow at the St Leger Festival
By Tony McFadden
11:22 · TUE September 10, 2024
Tony McFadden highlights an eyecatching entry on each day of Doncaster's St Leger Festival.
Ides of March - Weatherbys Scientific £300,000 2-Y-O Stakes, Thursday
Ides of March also holds an entry in the National Stakes at the Curragh on Sunday and has run to a level that would certainly entitle him to a crack at that Group 1. However, with trainer Aidan O'Brien having the unbeaten Henri Matisse seemingly earmarked for the Curragh, it's possible Doncaster's valuable sales race will be on the agenda for Ides of March.
This £300,000 event may not have Group-race status but it has been won by some talented horses down the years, most notably Ides of March's sire Wootton Bassett who went on to make the top-level breakthrough in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and has since established himself as a leading sire.
Wootton Bassett's success as a stallion means that Ides of March isn't entitled to any allowances like some of his rivals from a cheaper source, and he also has to carry a 5 lb penalty for his recent win in the Group 3 Round Tower Stakes at the Curragh (replay below).
However, that decisive three-and-a-quarter-length success in the Round Tower earned Ides of March a lofty Timeform rating of 109p which is only 3 lb lower than the figure Whistlejacket achieved for his victory in the Group 1 Prix Morny. Only four juvenile colts this season are rated higher than the progressive Ides of March, so, if given the opportunity, it would be little surprise were he to make light of the weight concession and prove a cut above his rivals at Doncaster.
Scorthy Champ, who is trained by Aidan O'Brien's son Joseph, is another juvenile with options as he holds entries in Group races at Leopardstown and the Curragh this weekend. But he would be a strong contender if having his sights set a little lower in the listed Flying Scotsman Stakes at Doncaster.
Scorthy Champ was only third of four in the Futurity Stakes at the Curragh last month but that race was won by the exciting Henri Matisse from another promising sort in Tyros Stakes winner Hotazhell.
Scorthy Champ had beaten Hotazhell when making an impressive start to his career at Leopardstown in May. But whereas that rival had made serene and significant improvement in the interim, Scorthy Champ was running for the first time since his debut and looked a bit rusty after three months off.
He's entitled to be sharper for that outing, though even the bare form of his Futurity effort would set the standard on Timeform ratings.
This year's Acomb Stakes was a notably strong renewal and the winner, The Lion In Winter, and the third home, Ruling Court, had both entered the race with the Timeform large P to highlight they were open to significant improvement after impressing in maiden company on debut.
Both horses duly took a big step forward at York, with The Lion In Winter posting the best performance by a two-year-old colt so far this season by Timeform's reckoning. The front three pulled a long way clear of the remainder and it reflects well on the runner-up Wimbledon Hawkeye that he was able to split two excellent prospects.
Wimbledon Hawkeye's Acomb performance gave a boost to the form of the Superlative Stakes, in which he had finished third behind Ancient Truth and Seagulls Eleven (replay below).
Ancient Truth looks likely to try and emulate his sire Dubawi who won the National Stakes after landing the Superlative, while Seagulls Eleven has a host of options. Seagulls Eleven was forced to miss the Solario Stakes after requiring stitches to his tongue and Hugo Palmer was quoted in the Racing Post as saying he suspected Doncaster and the Curragh might come a bit soon.
However, Seagulls Eleven was left in the Champagne Stakes at the five-day stage and would be a fascinating runner with the form of his effort in the Superlative franked by Wimbledon Hawkeye. That Superlative second would mark him out as the one to beat on form at Doncaster if he's allowed to take his chance.
Firebird had shaped with sufficient promise on her only start for Rebecca Menzies as a juvenile to earn her place among Timeform's Horses To Follow in Ireland ahead of her three-year-old campaign for Paddy Twomey.
She was given a gentle introduction by her new stable, winning twice at odds-on, but she coped well when raised in class to Group 3 company at Naas last time and looked unlucky not to complete her hat-trick.
Firebird produced an impressive turn of foot to burst clear of the others who raced far side but she was headed close home by one who raced towards the stand rail on a day when such a position proved an advantage (replay below).
Firebird may have lost her unbeaten record for her new stable, but she emerged from the race as the best long-term prospect and looked right at home in the grade. She still has more to offer - she retains the Timeform 'small p' - and would be an interesting contender in the Sceptre Stakes.
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