The final classic of the flat season, the Betfred St Leger Stakes, takes places at Doncaster tomorrow (3.35 p.m.) and Irish handler Joseph O’Brien has an excellent chance of landing yet another big prize.
The jockey-turned-trainer son of the legend that is Aidan O’Brien has enjoyed a stellar season so far, plundering plenty of big races on both sides of the Irish Sea. Tomorrow his best chance of landing the Group 1 St Leger lies with Enceladus, who is likely to go off as the race favourite.
Enceladus is unbeaten in three starts this season including winning the Group 3 Maison Perrier Gordon Stakes at Glorious Goodwood last time out. Tomorrow, Billy Loughnane deputises for injured stable jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle: one brilliant young jockey replacing an equally superb talent.
Yet another jockey enjoying her best-ever season is Saffie Osborne and she certainly worked wonders to land a handicap victory for this column a week ago, when she got course specialist Hickory out of all sorts of trouble to win at Ascot.
Tomorrow her mount HIGHWAYMAN, also trained by Joseph O’Brien, has a big task on official ratings to win the St Leger. However, the three-year-old colt is proven on both the ground and at the distance. More importantly, he has improved leaps and bounds in his last two starts and it is impossible to know where the ceiling of his ability lies.
Since betting is all about value, I will put up Highwayman, rather than the favourite, to land the winner’s pot of nearly £400,000. Back him 1 point each way at 12-1 with Ladbrokes, Coral or Bet Victor, all paying three places.
I am trying to wean myself off backing horses in big sprint handicaps because, without crunching the statistics, I suspect I lose money in these races overall. But I can’t resist having a bet on the 22-runner Betfred Portland Handicap at Doncaster tomorrow (2.20 p.m.) over five and a half furlongs.
The first three home in last year’s race all go again: ETERNAL SUNSHINE, Apollo One and Rosario. The revised weights this time around favour Apollo One after his disappointing season, although he did run with much more promise at York last time out.
However, I am going to put up the Jim Godlie-trained Eternal Sunshine to land the race for a successive year with the same jockey, apprentice Laura Young, in the saddle. In fact, Goldie has trained the winner of this competitive race for three of the last four years.
High numbers are often favoured in sprints at Doncaster so I hope horse and rider will ping the gate, grab the near rail and lead pretty much all the way from stall 19. Given the quantity and quality of the opposition that may be an over-optimistic wish but back Eternal Sunshine 1 point each way at 8-1 with bet365, paying six places.
At the Curragh on Sunday, some of the best sprinters from Ireland and Britain will line up for the 18-runner Group 1 BAR 1 Betting Flying Five Stakes (3.25 p.m.).
Rumstar, the stable star for Lambourn handler Jonny Portman, proved last time out that he doesn’t have to have quick ground to run a big race, being a close third in the Group 1 Coolmore City Of Troy Nunthorpe Stakes at York. He travels to Ireland with a decent chance of victory tomorrow.
However, I prefer the chances of another British-trained runner from that race in the shape of Harry Eustace’s TIME FOR SANDALS. Anyone who can do so should watch a replay of the Nunthorpe to see how unlucky this four-year-old filly was in the race.
After encountering any amount of trouble in running, she eventually finished fourth, just half a length behind Rumstar, but Time For Sandals would surely have given even the hot favourite and US-trained winner Bacio plenty to do given a clear run.
As a hold-up horse, Time For Sandals will always need luck in running but back her 1 point each way at SP (Starting Price) on Sunday morning with the bookmaker offering most places in the race – that may well be Sky Bet and/or Paddy Power.
Next week I will be taking a close look at the last two days of the big three-day Scottish meeting at Ayr.
Pending:
1 point each way Eternal Sunshine at 8-1 for the Portland Handicap, paying 1/5th odds, 6 places.
1 point each way Highwayman at 12-1 for the St Leger, paying 1/5th odds, 3 places.
1 point each way Time For Sandals at SP for the Flying Five, paying 1/5th odds, most places.
1 point each way Caburn at 40-1 for the Ayr Gold Cup, paying 1/4 odds, 4 places.
1 point each way Hard Endeavor at 40-1 for the Cambridgeshire, paying 1/4 odds, 4 places.
Last weekend: + 3.6 points.
1 point each way Hickory at 8-1 for the Ascot Hospitality Handicap, paying 1/5th odds, 4 places. 1st. +9.6 points.
1 point each way Stressfree at 8-1 for the Old Borough Handicap paying 1/5th odds, 4 places. 4th but with four non-runners meant most bookies paid only three laces. – 2 points.
1 point each way Ashnak at 14-1 for the Old Borough Handicap, paying 1/5th odds, 4 places. Unplaced. – 2 points.
1 point each way Kind of Blue at 25-1 for the Sprint Cup, paying 1/5th odds, 3 places. Unplaced. – 2 points.
2026 flat season running total: + 29.825 points.
2025-26 jumps season: – 57.785 points on all tips.
2025 flat season: + 84.12 points on all tips.
2024-5 jumps season: – 47.61 points on all tips.
2024 flat season: + 41.4 points on all tips.
2023-4 jumps season: + 42.01 points on all tips.
2023 flat season: – 48.22 points on all tips.
2022-3 jumps season: + 54.3 points on all tips.
Total for seven full seasons of tipping: + 68.215 points on all tips.
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