Racing

Aidan O’Brien to field St Leger trio as seven declared for Saturday’s race

Racing news: Nicky Henderson reports Constitution Hill in ‘particularly good form’ after wind operation

Grosvenor Square is one of three Aidan O'Brien horses declared for Saturday's Betfred St Leger at Doncaster. Photograph: Damien Eagers/PA Wire
Thu Sept 12 2024 - 13:49

Aidan O’Brien will fire a three-strong team at the Betfred St Leger at Doncaster on Saturday as seven were declared for the final Classic of the season.

The Ballydoyle squad is headed by Royal Ascot winner Illinois, who subsequently chased home stablemate and Irish Derby winner Los Angeles in the Great Voltigeur at York. Los Angeles was not declared for Doncaster, as anticipated.

As well as Illinois, O’Brien has two other colts gunning for glory who would be stable stars in most yards.

Jan Brueghel is unbeaten in three outings, including in the Group Three Gordon Stakes at Goodwood last time out.

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Also representing Ballydoyle is Grosvenor Square, who has slowly come to the boil this season but exploded with a 20-length victory in the Irish St Leger Trial last time out.

The opposition is headed by David Menuisier’s Sunway, the mount of Christophe Soumillon.

He was narrowly denied by Los Angeles in the Irish Derby and then not disgraced against older horses in the King George at Ascot.

Oisín Murphy has been Sunway’s regular rider but misses the British Champions Series event to ride in Canada on Saturday.

“Oisín rang me last week and told me that he had to go to Canada, so that gave me time to look around on what is one of the busiest of weekends,” said Menuisier.

“Luckily Christophe was available, and that’s great news. He’s ridden for me twice this year and they both won, at Clairefontaine and Dieppe.”

Owen Burrows’s Deira Mile was fourth in the Derby to City Of Troy and promises to be suited by stepping up in trip while the real fly in the ointment is the filly, Ralph Beckett’s You Got To Me.

She won the Irish Oaks at the Curragh and was supplemented following her brave attempt to follow up in the Yorkshire Oaks.

The Andrew Balding-trained Wild Waves completes the field.

Meanwhile, Nicky Henderson revealed Constitution Hill has undergone wind surgery as he looks forward to the new campaign with his star hurdler.

Although yet to taste defeat in eight starts under rules, the seven-year-old made it to the track only once last season, winning his second Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on St Stephen’s Day.

National Hunt racing’s pre-eminent star was unable to defend his crown in the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival due to a respiratory problem, while a possible comeback at Punchestown in the spring did not come off after he was hospitalised with suspected colic.

Henderson issued an upbeat report on Constitution Hill’s wellbeing after he returned from his summer break in July, though, and he has since undergone a minor operation ahead of a planned return in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle on November 30th.

In a statement posted on X, the Seven Barrows handler said: “We had a very enjoyable day yesterday with a large party here as part of National Racehorse Week.

“Altior paid us a visit from Mick and Chloe Fitzgerald’s where he is having a great retirement. He loved seeing his fans again. He looks absolutely stunning and is really enjoying life.

“Jonbon and Constitution Hill were not surprisingly very popular with the enthusiastic crowd. Constitution Hill is in particularly good form. He is still on the burly side following his summer holiday, but his work is starting to build up for his intended reappearance in the Fighting Fifth.

“He has had a wind operation a few weeks ago, which we feel might help him, and Jonbon looks absolutely magnificent and is on course to begin his next campaign in the Shloer chase at Cheltenham on November 17th before going on to the Tingle Creek, both of which he won last year.”