Lucarno enters Leger picture
Lucarno put another spanner in the works of the St Leger betting as the John Gosden-trained colt repelled Aidan O’Brien’s army to take the Ladbrokes Great Voltigeur Stakes.
O’Brien had assembled a four-strong team for the prestigious York Group Two and while they managed to fill placings two to five, the first prize slipped away by a length.
Yellowstone, the 9-4 favourite after his victory in the Gordon Stakes at Goodwood, fared best in the runner-up spot and was also slightly kept out of the race by Lucarno (5-1) when making his move at the furlong marker.
However, he still had time to close the gap and plenty of credit must be attributed to the winner, who made much of the running despite rider Jimmy Fortune not having to be hard on him until the closing stages.
The Voltigeur is one of the traditional trials for the Leger and Lucarno was cut generally to 5-1 from around 14s, but bookmakers remain divided over who to make favourite.
Aqaleem is the 7-2 market leader with sponsors Ladbrokes, while most of the other major bookmakers have O’Brien’s Soldier Of Fortune the top-priced.
Gosden thought enough of Lucarno to run him in the Derby on just his fourth career start, where that decision was entirely justified with fourth position, and another Classic bid now looks likely.
“First time out he was second in that crackerjack of a maiden at Newbury, then he won well at Kempton and then he knocked off his Listed race,” said the Newmarket trainer.
“That was a week before the Derby but it was like a piece of work for him. Actually in a sense he never had a hard race until the Derby.
“You don’t run in the Derby without having a hard race. Then he came back and ran a super race in the Princess of Wales’s, but perhaps we should have let him roll along early.
“We freshened him up for this and he’s still a huge frame of a horse. We will not see the best of him until next year.”
Asked specifically about the Leger, Gosden replied: “That could be a plan to go there, although I have to discuss that with the owner’s racing manager James Wigan, and of course his owner-breeder Mr (George) Strawbridge.
“He has the speed to win over 10 furlongs but the Leger is a top race, it’s a Classic.
“I’d love to go, and we probably should go, but we’ll see.
“The track would suit him but do you want to be going an extended mile and six? That’s what we are going to discuss with the owner.”
Gosden could have a second string to his Leger bow courtesy of Raincoat, who was third in the Gordon Stakes.
“He’s staying in (the Leger) and is in good form,” he reported.
While Yellowstone takes more prize money back to Ballydoyle, O’Brien will have been equally delighted with the performance of Macarthur, the brother of Motivator who had not been seen for 100 days.
Ryan Moore does not need to impress anyone these days but he put in everything he had on his first ride for the team to push Macarthur from last place into contention and he was only beaten half a length in third.
Mahler was just pipped to fourth by Acapulco.
Asked about the Leger, O’Brien said: “They are all possibles and we’ll just have to wait and see for a week or two.”
The major letdown of the race was Boscobel, who beat Lucarno and Yellowstone in the King Edward VII Stakes but was beaten from half a mile out and trailed in last.
