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Punters are instinctively drawn to an unbeaten horse and Jan Brueghel, a short price on bare achievement but with the potential for significant improvement at this longer trip built into his odds, has won all three starts.
The son of Galileo landed the Group 3 Gordon Stakes at Goodwood despite appearing not to handle the ups and downs of the Sussex track particularly well.
He should be far happier on Doncaster’s flat, galloping circuit, and his trainer feels Jan Brueghel has improved significantly since.
“We think this longer trip will suit Jan Brueghel and we also think he has improved a good bit since Goodwood,” O’Brien revealed. “I think the long, flat straight will really suit him and he seems in good form.”
Grosvenor Square: St Leger is on the agenda
Grosvenor Square won the Irish St Leger Trial by 20 lengths on his most start
Credit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)
Grosvenor Square might be the biggest price of O’Brien’s three runners, but he certainly looked to have a nice blend of class, stamina and speed when making all over 1m6f at the Curragh last time.
O’Brien said: “Grosvenor Square is an unusual horse in that he seems to have an awful lot of stamina but he is a very high cruiser at the same time.
“He’ll go out there and make the Leger a very tough race. We’ve been very happy with him since he won at the Curragh.”
What they say
Owen Burrows, trainer of Deira Mile
I’ve been very pleased with him since Windsor. If he reproduces his fourth in the Derby, he should go to Doncaster with a good each-way shout. I’m hoping the extra distance will suit and think he’ll like the track. Obviously he wouldn’t be good enough judged on that Windsor run, but it was his prep race for the St Leger and it turned into a messy four-runner race. He was only a length and a half behind Los Angeles at Epsom and if Los Angeles was in the St Leger I’m sure he’d be a shorter price than Illinois.
David Menuisier, trainer of Sunway
He came out of the King George very well. He passes the line strongly and Oisin [Murphy] and James [Doyle] are both confident he will stay the trip and could even improve for it. The horse is in good shape.
Ralph Beckett, trainer of You Got To Me
I’m glad we’re running. She’s in good shape and I think the race will suit her very well. If she’s in the shape I think she’s in, she should be very competitive
We have another major chance in the seven-furlong handicap (6.14) with Harry Charlton’s GRAND KARAT, who won over course and distance last month, and Ed Smyth-Osbourne’s NOODLE MISSION – another good chance for Saffie. Both horses are drawn wider than ideal but sometimes these things have a habit of working out for the best.
We may not have such a strong hand in the six-furlong handicap (6.43) but the Ian Williams-trained BE FRANK and Dave Evans’s LIHOU are both capable sprinters on their day and the latter is well handicapped on his best form. In races like this, it’s vital to have the maximum two runners as you always have a chance of putting vital points on the board.
Ireland manager Kevin Blake celebrates winning the 2023 Racing League
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Ireland manager Kevin Blake celebrates winning the 2023 Racing League
That’s definitely the case in the two-mile handicap (7.12) when we run William Muir and Chris Grassick’s SHAGPYLE and my own enigmatic WAHRAAN. William and Chris have freshened Shagpyle up for this and she’s ever so reliable, which is something that can’t be said for my chap.
If he consents to leave the stalls at a similar time to his opposition he has the talent to prove that 84 is a lenient mark. I just wish I could get into Wahraan’s head and have a chat about how important it is that he tries really hard this time. Saffie won on him at Newbury in June so has a better chance than me of getting the best out of him.
She sits out the mile race at 7.41 but Kieran O’Neill and Trevor Whelan can hopefully pull something out of the bag with RADIANT BEAUTY and VULTAR respectively. Jamie Insole, who trains Radiant Beauty with Dr Richard Newland, tells me their Kempton winner is in particularly good form.
Proceedings will undoubtedly be getting tense when the 11-furlong handicap (8.10) gets underway but Kieran’s mount DREAM HARDER will have prospects if he reproduces his Shergar Cup form while Saffie must have every chance of repeating her Racing League success at Chepstow on the in-form Ed Walker’s FANTASY BELIEVER.