St Leger live on Sky Sports Racing: Royal hope Desert Hero among nine left in Doncaster Classic on Saturday
Desert Hero will bid to become the first Classic winner in the Royal colours since Dunfermline in 1977; Frankie Dettori aiming to bow out in final Classic with victory on Gregory for John & Thady Gosden; watch every race from Doncaster live on Sky Sports Racing
Monday 11 September 2023 16:38, UK
A first Classic winner for the King and the Queen this weekend remains a possibility, with Desert Hero one of nine confirmed for the Betfred St Leger at Doncaster on Saturday.
The William Haggas-trained Sea The Stars colt has already entered the record books once this season, when winning the King George V Stakes at Royal Ascot.
On that occasion, it was the first time the King and Queen's colours had been victorious at the Royal meeting since the death of the late Queen, and having enhanced his reputation in the Gordon Stakes at Goodwood he now has the chance to follow in the footsteps of Dunfermline, who carried the royal silks to glory in 1977.
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Desert Hero's rider, Tom Marquand, said: "He ticks all the boxes of what you want from a Leger horse.
"It's a mile and three-quarters but he has speed, he stays, he relaxes right and he's with the right team, so fingers crossed we get a good draw and the right trip around."
Simon and Ed Crisford's Chesspiece is the sole Godolphin representative and was second behind Desert Hero on the Sussex Downs, while John and Thady Gosden could saddle three in the race having confirmed both market leader Gregory and the Juddmonte-owned Arrest as well as supplementing Melrose winner Middle Earth.
Oisin Murphy rides the latter and is excited about his prospects. He told Sky Sports Racing: "He has to step up on his Melrose victory, but the form has been franked. He beat Naqeeb at Newmarket in the novice and he won really at Haydock (on Saturday) and Kempton the time before, so hopefully he's improving and I'm looking forward to riding him.
"Sheikh Fahad has won the race before with Simple Verse, so hopefully he'll be bang there.
"It doesn't look like it's going to be a very big field, but there's some good horses in there.
"Time will tell, but I think he's a horse with the right profile and I'd be very excited about his future in general anyway."
Gregory has the chance to give Frankie Dettori one last Classic success and although losing his unbeaten record in the Great Voltigeur at York last month, he won the Queen's Vase over this distance at Royal Ascot.
Great Voltigeur winner Continuous is one of four in the mix for Aidan O'Brien alongside Denmark, Alexandroupolis and Bahrain Trophy runner-up Tower Of London.
Watch every race from the Betfred St Leger Festival all live on Sky Sports Racing from Thursday, September 14 to Sunday, September 17.
