Aidan O’Brien has sweet sixteen to shuffle in St Leger

Idaho is ante-post favourite for the St Leger.Picture: Racingfotos.com

The world oldest Classic, the Ladbrokes St Leger, will be run for the 240th time on Saturday, September 10 at Doncaster, with this year’s renewal attracting a great entry of 42 (up from 29 in 2015), which is revealed today.

Boasting record total prize money of £700,000 (£650,000 last year), the Ladbrokes St Leger takes place over one mile, six furlongs and 132 yards and is the highlight of the four-day Ladbrokes St Leger Festival.

It is also the penultimate leg of the Long Distance category in the QIPCO British Champions Series.

Ireland’s champion Flat trainer Aidan O’Brien is seeking his fifth St Leger success and has a total of 16 entries, the most of any trainer.

The Ballydoyle contingent includes Investec Derby second US Army Ranger and Idaho, who was third in the Epsom Downs Classic before going on to fill the runner-up position in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at the Curragh. The later is ante-post favourite at a best price of 6/1.

Also among the Ballydoyle hopefuls is Sword Fighter, who has already proved his stamina by landing both the two-mile Listed Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot and the Group 2 Curragh Cup over a mile and three quarters..

There could also be a first British Classic runner for O’Brien’s son Joseph, who is in his rookie season as a trainer. O’Brien junior, who won the race as a jockey on Leading Light in 2013, has entered recent 14-furlong Leopardstown Listed scorer Arya Tara. The Dylan Thomas filly is owned by his mother Anne-Marie and ridden by his sister Ana.

Another filly with an entry is dual Classic-placed Harlequeen, trained by Mick Channon, who finished third in the Investec Oaks at Epsom and then filled the same position in the Darley Irish Oaks.

Newmarket-based John Gosden has a fine St Leger record, gaining glory four times in the final of Britain’s five Classics. His pair of entries this year are Investec Derby fourth Wings Of Desire, who is set to contest the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot on Saturday, plus Muntahaa , third to Across The Stars (Sir Michael Stoute) in the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot.