G2 Great Voltigeur S. winner Idaho (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) heads 15 confirmations for Saturday's G1 Ladbrokes St Leger. The full-brother to this term's G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. winner Highland Reel (Ire) is the 10/11 antepost favourite with Ladbrokes for the world's oldest Classic. Idaho is one of seven remaining for trainer Aidan O'Brien after Monday's confirmation stage. The Ballydoyle conditioner's arsenal of seven also includes Great Voltigeur second and G3 Bahrain Trophy winner Housesofparliament (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), and O'Brien said he is likely to run “three or four.”
“Everything has been good with Idaho since York, where everything went smooth for him,” O'Brien noted. “He is a horse we have always had high hopes for. He won very nicely first time out and was still a bit green when we ran him in a Group 1 next time out.”
“You never can be confident but we have always thought he would get the trip in the Ladbrokes St Leger,” O'Brien added. “He seems to relax and is a full-brother to Highland Reel, who stays a mile-and-a-half well. Ryan Moore will probably ride at both Doncaster and Leopardstown–I think that is the plan at the moment.”
John Gosden will saddle the current second choice Muntahaa (Ire) (Dansili {GB}) for Sheikh Hamdan, that one coming off a win in the Aug. 20 Listed Chester S.
Gosden revealed that he ran Muntahaa at Chester to avoid Idaho in the Voltigeur.
“As Andrew Balding was saying, horses learn a lot at Chester,” Gosden said. “This horse never raced at two and was quite babyish. He was caught out by greenness in the [G2] King Edward VII S. but he finished well. He learned a lot at Chester and will get the trip–I just don't know if he will get the trip quick enough.”
Gosden removed Wings Of Desire (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) from the Leger lineup, and he said of the G2 Dante S. winner and King George second, “I took out Wings Of Desire today. He ran in the Dante, Derby and King George and will have a break now.”
Group 1 veteran Red Verdon (Lemon Drop Kid) is third on the betting line with Housesofparliament at 8-1.
One who was not among the confirmations is last year's G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud winner Robin Of Navan (Fr) (American Post {GB}). The Harry Dunlop charge, who suffered an injury when beating one home in the G1 Prix du Jockey Club in June, returned to be second in the G3 September S. on the Kempton all-weather last weekend, and Dunlop said he will exercise patience with the chestnut. “We've decided not to confirm him for the Leger,” said Dunlop. “There's a Group 2 in France after Arc weekend and there's the Arc Trial at Newbury. We don't want to damage all the good work we've put into him.”
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