St Leger tips: Matt Brocklebank's Antepost Angle preview for Doncaster Classic

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1pt win Tiger Moth in William Hill St Leger at 12/1

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Aidan O’Brien is responsible for seven of the first eight in a one-sided market for the William Hill St Leger at Doncaster on September 10.

That shouldn’t come as much of a shock given he’s won the final British Classic on six occasions in the past but the most unusual element of the current situation is that John Gosden isn’t strongly represented.

Gosden bagged his fifth Leger when Logician powered home last year and typically has a number of options at this stage in the year as we head towards York, where the Great Voltigeur Stakes has traditionally served as a strong pointer.

Some were happy to take a chance on Gosden's Worthily ahead of his Investec Derby appearance but the Newbury maiden winner was tailed off at Epsom, failing to beat a rival home, and doesn’t hold another engagement.

Perhaps he’ll be freshened up for the Ebor Festival and come storming back into the picture for Doncaster, but he’s easily passed over now, while Ed Walker's English King dented his own claims with a laboured effort at Goodwood last week.

Prior to the Gordon Stakes, Walker revealed that he was more inclined to look towards the Grand Prix de Paris as his big Group One goal, but whether a disappointing fourth behind Mogul forces a bit of a rethink remains to be seen.

English King is no bigger than 10/1 for the Leger and it’s hard to imagine anyone falling over themselves to get stuck in at that sort of price now.

Mogul leads us back to O’Brien, whose vanquished Goodwood Cup hope Santiago still tops the betting here at a best-priced 3/1 with Paddy Power and Betfair.

He’s a Royal Ascot winner, a Classic winner and didn’t do his reputation too much damage when beaten two and a quarter lengths by Stradivarius on the Sussex Downs.

We probably know where we’re at with him now but that’s seemingly not the case with TIGER MOTH, who pushed Santiago to within a head in the Irish Derby at the Curragh at the end of June.

Santiago was having his fifth public appearance that day, the runner-up just his third, and it represented a massive step up on his two previous efforts.

The signs were there, however, Tiger Moth having shaped well on his sole juvenile start before winning a hot Leopardstown maiden over 10 furlongs on his comeback.

The form of that event could hardly have worked out better, seven subsequent winners emerging from it, plus the Derby third Amran Na Bhfiann and Order Of Australia who has acquitted himself well in a couple of top-class assignments since.

Tiger Moth looks a bit of a freak of nature, his brothers and half-siblings staying not much further than seven furlongs, while his dam was a Group-race winning sprinter.

But when it comes to sire Galileo there’s always a chance that exceptional reserves of stamina can be imparted and that looks to be the case with him. For each start he’s moved up in distance and on each occasion he’s posted an improved effort.

If anything it was the change of gear displayed by Santiago that gave him the edge over his stablemate at the Curragh, and the Leger trip looks right up Tiger Moth’s street on that evidence.

Dawn Patrol is another interesting potential rival as he didn’t get a clear shot at things in the Irish Derby before running on late, but he was rather workmanlike when opening his account over 10 furlongs recently.

He finds himself shorter in the Leger market than Tiger Moth, who had his measure over 10 furlongs at Leopardstown and has improved significantly at a mile and a half in the interim, which doesn’t look quite right and now looks a good time to take the 12/1 (Betfair, Paddy Power, Betfred) before the next wave of trials, with Tiger Moth holding an entry in the Group Three Ballyroan Stakes (1m4f) back at Leopardstown later this week.

Surprise Derby hero Serpentine is available at double figures too but as short as 7/2 with bet365 and 4/1 with Betway, so everyone remains relatively in the dark. He could also be bound for the Grand Prix de Paris, which Kew Gardens won en route to landing the Leger, so we'll find out more about him in France, where he'll likely meet Mark Johnston's tough and progressive Dante winner Thunderous.

Gosden may look to fast-track Darain who makes no real appeal at 16/1, while Al Aasy now has it all to prove again despite rattling fast ground and the Goodwood undulations clearly looking against him last week.

Posted at 1620 BST on 03/08/20

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