ITV Racing Tips: Betfred St Leger can go to Ireland – but where?

We're enjoying this Betfred St Leger Festival immensely - some great performances, fabulous contests, and here's the big one - the world's oldest Classic, the St Leger itself.

ITV are all over the first five on the Donny card with the big one due off at 15:40; while we've got two little crackers to show you from Chester, too. SEVEN live on the channel then, and it all starts at 13:15. Drink it in, lap it up, enjoy - and watch a little bit of racing history being made into the bargain.

Horse Racing Odds

Fast Racing Results

ITV Schedule in full;

13:15 Doncaster: PJ Towey Construction Handicap 1m

13:50 Doncaster: Betfred Champagne Stakes 7f

14:05 Chester: Stand Cup Stakes 1m 4.5f

14:25 Doncaster: Betfred Portland 5.5f

14:40 Chester: Watergate Cup 2m

15:00 Doncaster: Betfred Park Stakes 7f

15:40 Doncaster: Betfred St Leger Stakes 1m 6.5f

Rationale;

13:15 Doncaster - Treble Tee @ 9/4

High-quality handicap to get us rolling on Leger Day.

Our selection Treble Tee is a three-year-old gelded son of Persian King out of a Kingmambo mare, and trained by Simon & Ed Crisford at Newmarket. Three initial runs, the first of which was as a two-year-old, yielded a highlight debut success on soft ground at HQ.

Between May and June he was then gelded, and had a wind procedure, after which he caught fire form-wise with two close-up seconds in August that firmly announced his arrival as a force to be reckoned with at this level.

He's up to a mark of 97 right now but that looks fair, and he looks progressive. That soft-ground win on his CV is a massive plus, as the ground is certainly on the easier side at Donny this week, and the mighty Oisin Murphy has been given the riding assignment.

13:50 Doncaster - Oxagon @ 13/8

A much smaller field, and two horses appear to dominate the early betting exchanges.

One is John and Thady Gosden's Oxagon, a  gorgeously-bred two-year-old Frankel colt out of a Dubawi mare. One perfectly respectable Newmarket sighter on debut in July, then a significant marker left at Sandown later in the month when dotting up in novice company by no less than 8l, claimer ridden.

He gets Oisin Murphy today, same 7f trip, is well entered-up (Royal Lodge, Dewhurst, Futurity) and I'm thinking that connections must be bursting with anticipation as to how good this fella might eventually become.

This Champagne Stakes renewal could provide us all with a first tantalising glimpse of what that might look like - maybe in the manner of another Gosden winner of this fine contest, Too Darn Hot. We can but hope.

14:05 Chester - Military Academy @ 7/2

Team Gosden entrant who drops into Listed company after tackling the G1 Goodwood Cup last time (looked like he didn't stay the 2m).

Military Academy is closely matched with Hamish on their appearance in Goodwood's Listed Tapster Stakes in June (Hamish prevailed by a neck over 12f, and the runner-up gets a valuable 3lb today).

That was on soft ground, and Military Academy just couldn't quite get past. Hamish hasn't run since, so will come here fresh - but he's nine years young, and on a sounder surface ('good' seems likely), I'm hoping Military Academy can exact a degree of revenge.

The old boy is brilliant, a great credit to himself and trainer William Haggas, and could well win - but at four years of age the selection might just have his measure.

Another little belter to savour!

14:25 Doncaster - Addison Grey @ 15/2

A famous old prestigious sprint, the Portland, over the quirky 5.5f trip.

Addison Grey is a three-year-old Havana Grey colt out of a Lethal Force mare, boasting a terrific three-from-five record thus far. Great career-best last time at HQ, in a handicap restricted to greys.

Claimer-ridden on that occasion, he gets the brilliant Rossa Ryan this afternoon and trainer Clive Cox often reaches out for the Arc-winning pilot when he's got a good one to go to war with (A Bit Of Spirit, G3 Solario Stakes winner, being a fine recent example).

Our selection is up 5lb for that last win four weeks ago but his sire won on soft ground and being a 6f horse this slightly shorter trip will pose no stamina issues - Rossa however needs to time his challenge beautifully to ensure he gets there in time!

14:40 Chester - Artisan Dancer @ 11/2

Chester Cup-style contest, almost, and our selection ran well (3rd) in the Chester Plate at the May gathering.

Artisan Dancer is a five-year-old gelded son of Mastercraftsman, with six career wins in 45 starts. Encouragingly he's in just about career-best order right now, failing by just a nose at York at around this trip just six days ago.

Team Johnston descend from Middleham Moor with understandable haste given the horse is on an unchanged mark of 83, though he's up a rung for this Class 2 handicap. He's got a new jockey today, too - the excellent Jo Mason.

So - in-form, acts on this quirky track, nice racing weight of 8st 6lb - there's plenty to like about his chances and it's a lovely-looking race full stop.

15:00 Doncaster - Marvelman @ 6/1

Can scarcely believe it but we're on another Oisin Murphy conveyance - a three-year-old Invincible Spirit colt in the care of long-time supporter Andrew Balding.

Marvelman arrives fresh from a fine effort at this G2 level at Newbury four weeks ago, 2.5l behind prolific scorer More Thunder who is now rated 117. Our selection lines up here notionally off 110, leaving him a few spots behind a couple including likely favourite Shadow Of Light.

As a Group clash of course this is all about age, sex and potential penalties for winning any significant previous events. All the runners are carrying between 9st 2lb and 9st 6lb, and it certainly looks competitive.

He's coped admirably with ground far more testing than anything likely to be faced on Town Moor today, but that's encouraging if there is indeed a bit of juice in the surface. Cracking heat.

15:40 Doncaster - Carmers @ 9/2

So to the world's oldest Classic, the G1 Betfred St Leger Stakes. A fascinating line-up over a testing trip dripping with echoes from history - User Friendly, Dunfermline, Silver Patriarch, Reference Point, Oh So Sharp, Bustino - just a handful of the mighty superstars to have prevailed in the race.

The 2025 renewal sees the peerless Aidan O'Brien with three live chances - Scandinavia, Lambourn and Stay True - all of whom have highly persuasive credentials. I'm looking elsewhere and turning to an old friend of the column - Paddy Twomey's Wootton Bassett colt Carmers.

This one is sparingly campaigned and has run just four times. His career didn't start until his current, three-year-old year, and after two encouraging wins in his native Ireland came over to Royal Ascot and took down the G2 Queen's Vase (tipped up), over a similar trip to today (just half-a-furlong shorter).

That was a tremendous effort on only his third career start and after a 63-day break then ran Pride Of Arras to a length, recovering his earlier-season Dante form, in the Great Voltigeur at York.

This is a serious racehorse that is still improving. A bit of cut in the ground should be fine (his sire won on very soft), and he proved his battling qualities at Ascot (finished about a length-and-a-half ahead of Scandinavia, too).

He was running on nicely at York over a 12f trip that's probably short of ideal but as a prep for this - perfect. The quite magnificent Billy Lee is in the saddle, and I'm extremely hopeful.

Whatever happens - what a fantastic race we have in prospect!

Horse Racing Tips from Betfred Insights.