Betfred St Leger Tips: 15/2 shot no back number in Classic contest

Doncaster stages the Betfred St Leger, the final Classic of the British flat season, in the middle of a superb seven-race card on Saturday (15:40).

Seven go to post for the world-famous Group 1 over 1m6½f and I've landed on one for my Betfred St Leger Tips.

On Saturday, Aidan O'Brien bids to become the first trainer since "The Wizard of the North" John Scott in 1840 to win the St Leger for a third consecutive year.

And the Irish maestro must be odds-on to do exactly that, being responsible for the two at the very top of the market - Scandinavia and Lambourn.

The former has been our favourite for the world's oldest Classic ever since his statement victory against older, Group 1 horses in the Goodwood Cup in July, and the son of Justify remains steady in the betting. His claims are undeniable.

Likewise, Betfred Derby hero Lambourn, who also landed the Irish Derby, is hard to knock for Team Ballydoyle.

However, it's their apparent third-string, STAY TRUE, who takes my fancy.

I remember being very taken by his winning debut at Leopardstown in April, when the son of Galileo put a widening two-and-a-quarter lengths between himself and the 92-rated Game Point.

So much so, I was all over him for the Derby Trial at Lingfield the following month. Unfortunately, he was just touched off by his shorter-priced stablemate Puppet Master, who had the unrivalled Ryan Moore doing the steering. That was the difference, as far as I'm concerned.

Betfred St Leger Odds

I'm unsure why Stay True wasn't seen for the next 102 days, but he reappeared in the Great Voltigeur at York's Ebor Festival last month and very much caught the eye in finishing fourth of seven, just over a length behind the winner Pride Of Arras. The margin to the reopposing Carmers was even less, and the aforementioned Lambourn was just shy of two lengths adrift of the selection.

Lacking fitness - O'Brien has come out and said he needed the run "badly" as he was "just ready to start back" - and experience, I thought it was a mighty effort.

He was the last off the bridle under Wayne Lordan and dare I say looked the winner at the two-furlong pole, but his effort faded in the final furlong. Excusable, under the circumstances.

That performance went some way to confirming my estimation of his ability - the big question now is whether he'll cope with the extra couple of furlongs, especially if there's some cut in the ground.

He's out of a sprinter and there's hardly an abundance of stamina on her side, but that's just a guide, not gospel. We won't know until we know - so at 8/1, I think it's well worth taking a chance.

An each-way chance, if that's how you'd prefer to play it. The Betfred St Leger is one of three Extra Place Races on Saturday's card, with three places on offer, so the door is very much open in that regard.

The romantic in me feels the need to end on this point - Stay True will be the late Galileo's final Classic runner here in Britain. Wouldn't that be a fitting tribute to the greatest sire of all time?

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