After the sad passing of the Queen on Thursday, racing in Britain was rescheduled for the weekend. The reshuffle led to the St Leger at Doncaster being moved to Sunday, the last Classic of the season in fact going off only 11 minutes before the Irish equivalent at the Curragh.
Both races were set to produce Melbourne Cup clues for this year and indeed they did, however results were mixed for potential Cup horses as we reach just seven weeks out from the big one at Flemington.
Doncaster Disappointment for Hoo Ya Mal
The St Leger at Doncaster, England’s final Classic of the year, was a different affair to what had been expected.
Its 24-hour postponement meant that the rain had got in. That may or may not have affected favourite New London, third past the post but promoted to second, while the race also produced mixed results for those watching with the Melbourne Cup in mind.
$2m purchase Hoo Ya Mal had been doing well with George Boughey before he heads to Australia. A 15/2 shot and on the drift for this race, he was disappointing in finishing eight of 9.
The winner was Royal Ascot scorer Eldar Eldarov, trained by Roger Varian. He was tough and game in winning and he is entered at Flemington.
His connections think he’s a ‘Cup’ horse for next year. That means he’ll be aimed at York, Royal Ascot, Goodwood and Doncaster and he may or may not take up his engagement at Flemington.
Camorra Another Disappointment in Ireland
The Irish St Leger is an all-aged version of the British Classic. This time, attention was focused on Camorra who leaves Ger Lyons’ yard after this and heads down under.
A 40/1 shot in fairness, Camorra was bitterly disappointing on his final European start. Midfield from the off, the five-year-old made no impression and finished eighth of 11, beaten some 20½ lengths with new connections on hand to watch.
Winner Kyprios is a star stayer in Europe now. He won’t be entered at Flemington, meaning a usually strong lead-up event leaves us with little to go on.
How the Legers Affect Cup Odds
There are still seven weeks to go and lots will change.
The Europeans are back alright, and back with a bang. James Ferguson’s Deauville Legend is rock-solid at the top of the market now, just an 8.00 chance on the TAB.
The odds will be affected plenty if Eldar Eldarov doesn’t come to Flemington. He now has a share of fifth in the market at odds of 18.00. Camorra remains strong at 15.00 despite that Leger performance, while Hoo Ya Mal also remains steady at 18.00. See here the Melbourne Cup 2020 runners’ odds.
It’s worth noting that on the British fractional odds, Eldar Eldarov came in from 33/1 to 16/1 after winning at Doncaster.
Read more news about the Melbourne Cup.
