Menuisier chasing first Classic win with Sunway in Betfred St Leger after luckless year at the highest grade

David Menuisier is hopeful that his Irish Derby runner-up Sunway can give him a first British Classic success in Saturday’s Betfred St Leger and urges anyone disappointed with the colt’s subsequent King George fourth to Goliath at Ascot to have another look at the race from different angles.

Menuisier continues to punch above his weight in the top races, but aside from the German 2000 Guineas (a Group 2) win of Devil’s Point and War Chimes’ Betfred Oaks third he has had a luckless year with his Classic three-year-olds. 

Tamfana was a fast-finishing fourth in the QIPCO 1000 Guineas before another narrow defeat in the Prix de Diane, and Sunway cane close to being brought down early on in the Prix Du Jockey Club before a strong late run took him to within three-quarters of a length of Los Angeles in the Irish Derby. That will all be forgotten if Sunway comes good on Saturday.

Menuisier said: “It would mean the world to me to win a Classic, and especially the St Leger, as it’s the oldest Classic and is the representation of what I really love – those nice, middle-distance staying races. Also it’s a race my old boss John Dunlop won a few times, with Moon Madness, Silver Patriarch and Millenary.

“I’m trying not to think about it. We try not to get ahead of ourselves, as we’ve burned our fingers before and it will be hard to win, with Aidan (O’Brien) sending some proper horses, and a filly (You Got To Me) who could be good too, but it’s a challenge we are keen to grasp.”

He added: “The only thing I was disappointed about at Ascot is that he was nearly brought down on the bend, and I thought it was a good effort in the circumstances. If you see the incident from different angles, including the JockeyCam, it’s a bit scary. Genuinely James (Doyle) said he really hung on by one leg, and Sunway lost all momentum when it mattered. James then left him alone, and he picked up again by himself.

“He’s since had a mini break and a bit of a chance to grow into himself, and I’d like to think he’s in the best possible shape. I think if anything the extra distance could be a plus, although he’s not really bred for it. He always looks as if he’s finishing his races well, and a lot of horses by Galiway do well over jumps.”

Soumillon a suitable substitute for Canda-bound Murphy

Oisin Murphy, Sunway’s usual jockey, is unavailable again, but Menuisier has secured the services of a first-class substitute in Christophe Soumillon.

He said: “Oisin rang me last week and told me that he had to go to Canada, so that gave me time to look around on what is one of the busiest of weekends. Luckily Christophe was  available, and that’s great news. He’s ridden for me twice this year and they both won, at Clairefontaine and Dieppe.”

Beckett hopeful of doubling his Betfred St Leger tally with You Got To Me

Ralph Beckett is hoping that history repeats itself, for he has supplemented his filly You Got To Me at a cost of £50,000, just as he did his 2015 St Leger winner Simple Verse, another filly. That said, he could do without all of the drama that went with that success, for Simple Verse was controversially disqualified on the day for bumping runner-up Bondi Beach, only to be reinstated on appeal at a later date.

You Got To Me has been something of a surprise package this year, but having been very headstrong to begin with she settles much better now. She beat Content by three-quarters of a length in the Irish Oaks, giving regular rider Hector Crouch a first Classic and a career highlight, and despite the runner-up turning the tables by an identical margin in the Yorkshire Oaks it looked like another improved effort from You Got To Me, who kept on particularly well and shaped very much like a stayer

Beckett said: “She’s in good form – in really good shape – and we felt that the St Leger was a good fit, especially as she’s a filly who seems to like good ground, or faster, which it looks as if she might get at Doncaster but probably wouldn’t get if we waited for QIPCO British Champions Day. She stays very well now, and she came home really strongly in the Yorkshire Oaks.”

Lordan set for Classic chance as Coolmore declare high-class trio

Horses trained by Aidan O’Brien dominated the original entries, and at Monday’s confirmation stage the stable was still responsible for five of the ten possible runners. O’Brien, who has won the race seven times, has now narrowed his team down to three, and they dominate the betting.

Ryan Moore has been in the saddle for the last three of O’Brien’s winners, including Continuous 12 months ago, but he is required at Leopardstown on Saturday for Auguste Rodin and so the stable’s number two Wayne Lordan steps in for the ride on favourite Illinois.

Lordan, who has won the QIPCO 1000 Guineas for O’Brien on both Winter and Hermosa, partnered the Galileo colt for the first time in public when he was beaten just a neck by his stable-mate Los Angeles, the Irish Derby winner, in last month’s Great Voltigeur Stakes at York.

He is already a winner over just a few yards short of the St Leger trip, in the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot, where O’Brien described him as “obviously a St Leger-type horse” and added that he “might have a little bit more class than a Cup horse”. 

O’Brien nominated the Great Voltigeur as the likely stepping stone to the St Leger, who he said was “a bit of a baby mentally still”, and he has stuck to that plan. Lordan has spoken of the “lovely feel” he got from the colt at York, and of how strongly he hit the line. 

While Illinois looks the stable’s number one hope, he will be joined by talented stable-mates Jan Breughel and Grosvenor Square, both also by Galileo and holding strong claims as second and third favourite.

Late starter Jan Breughel is unbeaten in three starts, including Group 3s over a mile and a half at the Curragh and Goodwood, and he would have been a worthy favourite in Illinois’ absence.

Grosvenor Square, down the field in the Irish Derby, was only caught close home by older stable-mate Tower of London in the Curragh Cup over this trip after racing in a very long lead, and then came home 20 lengths clear when similar tactics were adopted in the St Leger Trial over the same course and distance.

Green Team enlist Jason Watson in quest to break Classic duck

Owen Burrows’ Derby fourth Deira Mile was beaten at short odds in Listed company at Windsor last time, but that was a slowly-run race which didn’t play to his strengths. He might be a different proposition over this longer distance, with blinkers replacing cheekpieces.

He will be a first St Leger ride for Jason Watson, who will be on board for the first time and said: “His owners the Green Team and Ahmad Al Shaikh have been great to me this year and fortunately I’ve had quite a bit of luck for them. It’s a decent ride to pick up and I was happy with how he felt when I went down and sat on him on Saturday.

“He’s a decent horse and he’s been a credit to everyone involved with him, so we are looking for a big run. Ahmad has had plenty of luck with horses outrunning their odds in these big races and we are hopefully going there with a bit of a chance.”

A field of seven is completed by Andrew Balding’s Wild Waves, who showed improved form again when fourth in York’s Melrose Handicap last time but would need a massive career best to figure prominently here.