Dave Massey is back with his St Leger Day 2024 preview, and hopes the filly can teach the colts a lesson at Doncaster.
St Leger Day 2024: You Got To Me (3:40) – Back
Ralph Becket’’s filly was supplemented for the race at the start of the week and connections can make that gamble pay off with victory here. She wouldn’t have been near the top of the Beckett tree at the start of the season but her win in the Oaks trial at Lingfield saw her start the climb towards the top, and although the Oaks itself provided just a step too far at that stage of her career, she lost little in defeat in finishing a close fourth.
Too keen for her own good in the Ribblesdale, she did remarkably well to keep going for a 2½l fourth behind Port Fairy when finishing tailed off looked a more likely scenario at halfway, having gone well clear after having set some fast fractions.
A deserved victory in the Irish Oaks followed, and on her latest start she stayed on all the way up the York straight to finish second to Content, who may well have been racing on the quickest line. On more than one occasion she’s looked like this step up in trip to 14f would suit, and the 3lb allowance she gets from the boys can only help. For me, she’s the one they all have to beat.
St Leger Day 2024: Chancellor (1:50) – Take On
We’re rather hamstrung by what we can lay on Saturday and whilst the idea of backing You Got To Me and making Illinois a lay made some appeal, I realise that I could get it wrong twice in the same race quite easily and where’s the fun in that, eh? Instead, let’s try and get Chancellor beat in the Champagne Stakes, with a couple of potential improvers in Righthere Rightnow and (particularly) Wolf Of Badenoch on our side.
Chancellor is 2-2 at Doncaster, which is obviously a tick in the box for him, and it’s been a tale of steady rather than huge improvement on each start. I’m quite surprised connections haven’t stepped him up to a mile for his next test, preferring to stay at 7f instead, and I reckon Wolf Of Badenoch might just have a bit more toe.
He too has a C&D win to his name, having won here on debut (form working out) and although beaten by the useful Aomori City in the Vintage last time, third home Cool Hoof Luke has since taken the Gimcrack to give that form a really good look. He still looks very green and I’d not be at all surprised if he took a huge step forward today.
St Leger Day 2024: Albasheer (2:25) – Each Way
All season long, backing horses that have been poorly-drawn in York sprints on subsequent starts (once better drawn, obviously) has thrown up winners and good-priced place horses. I was tempted in with Vintage Clarets here on such an angle, particularly as we’re coming to the time of the year when he tends to come good, and the booking of Jamie Spencer catches the eye too.
Using the poorly-drawn York angle also throws up top weight Albasheer on the other side of the draw from stall 6. He didn’t have a snowball in hell’s chance of winning from stall 19 at the Ebor meeting and indeed showed how little chance he had when bouncing straight back and almost taking the Beverley Bullet a fortnight ago, needing one more stride to get on top of Democracy Dilemma.
Had he not gone to Beverley and come straight here he’d be carrying 4lb less but he won off 105 at Newcastle last year, and this intermediate 5½f trip might be ideal.
By Dave Massey
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