Murtagh fired up for Leger
Johnny Murtagh will ride Frozen Fire in the Ladbrokes St Leger at Doncaster on Saturday as the Irishman seeks to win Britain’s oldest Classic for the first time.
The Ballydoyle team have decided to send Murtagh to the South Yorkshire track rather than have him stay at home to ride in the Irish Field St Leger at the Curragh on the same day.
Irish Derby winner Frozen Fire, the 9-4 favourite with the sponsors, heads a team of five from the Aidan O’Brien stable.
Jamie Spencer will partner Alessandro Volta, Jimmy Fortune gets the leg-up on Bashkirov, with David McCabe on Hindu Kush and Colm O’Donoghue on Washington Irving.
While O’Brien bids to win the Leger for a fourth time, it is a race that has so far eluded Sir Michael Stoute.
However, the master of Freemason Lodge has a strong triple hand with Conduit, Doctor Fremantle and Warringah as he attempts to break his Leger hoodoo.
Vodafone Derby fourth Doctor Fremantle was cut to 8-1 from 10s with the sponsors following confirmation he will be ridden by stable jockey Ryan Moore.
Ladbrokes spokesman David Williams said: “For a second successive morning we’ve seen proper money for Doctor Fremantle which prompted us to think further jockey news might be forthcoming.
“With the stable jockey now on Doctor Fremantle it was enough to take yet more evasive action. He is fast closing in on stablemate Conduit in the betting.”
Frankie Dettori has been snapped up for the ride on Gordon Stakes winner Conduit, while Richard Mullen partners third-string Warringah.
Ralph Beckett’s Look Here, winner of the Juddmonte Oaks, and Tommy Stack’s unbeaten Unsung Heroine will try to become the first filly to win the Leger since User Friendly 16 years ago.
Completing the 14-runner line-up are Top Lock, Whistledownwind, Enroller and Maidstone Mixture.
The Luca Cumani-trained Savarain plus the O’Brien trio of King Of Westphalia, New Zealand and William Hogarth were withdrawn at the 48-hour final declaration stage.
Ladbrokes St Leger
Sponsors bet: 9-4 Frozen Fire, 4-1 Look Here, 6-1 Conduit, 7-1 Alessandro Volta, 8-1 Doctor Fremantle, Unsung Heroine, 12-1 Top Lock, 25-1 Washington Irving, 33-1 Warringah, Whistledownwind, 100-1 Bashkirov, Enroller, Hindu Kush, 1000-1 Maidstone Mixture.
