Racing judge and paddock scout Dave Massey is back with all 4 days of the St Leger Meeting 2025, starting with today’s best bets from Day 1 at Doncaster.

St Leger Meeting: Dave Massey’s Day 1 Best Bets

Ground on the slow side is going to ask a new question for most of these, but it isn’t an issue for the improving Half Sovereign, already a winner on good to soft at Ayr earlier in the season, and as she’s also proven herself over seven furlongs, this trip won’t be a problem either. Her run style isn’t necessarily conducive to Doncaster though, I always think it’s a tough ask to make all here, and with that I’d not be at all surprised if Goldie Bear (1.15) got a lot nearer today.

St Leger Meeting: Goldie Bear (Doncaster, 1.15)

She’s got 4½ lengths to find with Half Sovereign on their running at Newmarket last time but she was held up in a race where it paid to be on the speed. She’s 6lb better off today, and although untested on the ground, she’s a couple of relatives that both seemed to handle a bit of cut fine, which would give you some confidence she’ll handle it. Her previous third in a novice event at York has worked out well enough, the second running well in defeat and the fourth and sixth winners since, and I can see this trip suiting her well. 

St Leger Meeting: Jel Pepper (Doncaster, 1.50)

I’m very confident about the chances of Jel Pepper here and despite a big field, I’d have him around a 5-2 chance to win this.  He looked a very smart horse when dotting up on debut at Goodwood (Timeform calling the ground good to soft) and has done little wrong in two subsequent starts, third to Zavateri in the G2 July Stakes at Newmarket (form franked by the winner since) and then fourth in a similar sales race to this at Naas last time out.

He was probably not ideally drawn in stall 3, with the winner and third both coming from very high numbered stalls and the second from the middle. He held every chance until very late in the day there, trading 1-3 in the run and looking the winner, and conditions here look ideal for him.

St Leger Meeting: Swift Winds (Doncaster, 2.25)

If there’s one at a price that might upset the applecart (and Polly Pott at 40-1 did that three years ago in this, so it can happen) then I’d keep Swift Winds onside. Clueless on debut at Nottingham (got the comment “weak, needs time”) on the day she was given a couple of months off and had clearly strengthened up, winning at 40-1 at Brighton.

That looked a fluke but she improved again on that to run Wetsand to a neck in what looked a competitive little event at Goodwood last time, and she’s clearly improving leaps and bounds with each start. Goodwood proved she gets a mile, and I don’t think that ground will be an issue, so she’s worth looking at at a double-figure price.

St Leger Meeting: Elan D’Or (Doncaster, 4:10)

Another nursery to contend with (today does not get any easier punting-wise) but there’s one in here that’s on my tracker and that’s Elan D’Or (4.10).  He’s looked a handicap project from the word go, I’d say; clueless at Windsor first time up but caught the eye staying on well into midfield; a similar story at Newmarket second time up, outpaced but running on nicely late to be beaten under two lengths, and then sent to the front back at Newmarket last time out.

He finished a good third to Words Of Truth, who had been a ready winner on his previous start, and Watcha Snoop, who also ran out an easy winner at Ascot last week, making all to win a novice event with a bit in hand. It looks good form and an opening mark of 76 does not look all that taxing. There should be improvement to come on his handicap debut and a step up to 7f looks sure to suit (on both the visuals and on pedigree). 

 By Dave Massey

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