Thursday 12th September 2019

Author: Jordan Yates

Image: Jordan Yates

To kick off my St Leger Festival Preview I’m starting with the Park Hill Stakes on Thursday which takes place at 2:40 and is a Group 2 affair that’s contested over a distance of just shy of a mile and seven furlongs. Frankie Dettori has won the race four times and he rides the current second favourite Dame Malliot who represents Ed Vaughan and sports the famous Oppenheimer colours. She was last seen when a Group 2 in France and comes here with an obvious big chance for top connections. The one I’m siding with in this particular affair though is ENBIHAAR for John Gosden and Jim Crowley. This horse has gone from strength to strength to this season and looks another really serious filly for a yard that excels with them. If turning up in the same form as her Goodwood success she’s going to be very tough to beat.

There’s another Group 2 race on the Thursday card of the St Leger meeting which takes place at 3:45 and this is the May Hill Stakes. A race for two-year-olds which is contested over the straight mile and this is a seriously competitive affair. Richard Hannon’s Cloak Of Spirits currently heads the market on the back of a win in novice company at Ascot on debut. it was a taking display that day and she firmly fits in the ‘could be anything’ camp. She is slightly on the short side in the market currently though for me in this kind of race and that’s why I’m taking her on with one as an each-way alternative, and this is the Tom Dascombe trained BOOMER who’s the mount of Richard Kingscote. She’s won her last two outings the first of these coming in a decent Newbury maiden before following up in a Goodwood Group 3. It’s likely there is a considerable amount of progression to come from this two-year-old and a bold showing here would be no great surprise.