The name O’Brien dominated the final field in the 250th edition of the St Leger, with Aidan and Joseph O’Brien saddling six of the 11 runners between them. With Ryan Moore on duty at the Irish Champions Festival, Ronan Whelan took the ride aboard the Aidan O’Brien number one, Christmas Day. Bidding to become the first horse to complete the Derby/St Leger double since Reference Point in 1987, the son of Camelot started as the 7/4 favourite. Of the other O’Brien runners, Pierre Bonnard and Amelia Earhart had run well in their prep races, but Action looked out of his depth on recent form.
Whereas the members of the Aidan O’Brien team had appeared in two Classics apiece, the Joseph O’Brien duo of Enceladus and Highwayman were making their debuts in Group 1 company. With Billy Loughnane in the saddle, the four-timer-seeking Enceladus started as clear second favourite behind Christmas Day. Highwayman also arrived at the top of his game following a Listed success at Leopardstown. A win for the Persian King colt would see Saffie Osborne become the first female jockey to ride the winner of any British Classic.
The home team looked up against it on paper, with all five British runners priced at 22/1 or bigger. Trainers’ Championship contender Andrew Balding saddled Hatteen and Galiyan, but both had a mountain to climb on form, as did Karl Burke’s lightly raced Golden Story. Richard Hannon’s Adlerman and Faye Bromley’s Rebel Rocker made their second Classic appearances of the season, having finished fifth and sixth in the Epsom Derby.
Result
- 1st – Highwayman 11/1, Jockey: Saffie Osborne, Trainer: Joseph Patrick O’Brien
- 2nd – Enceladus 5/2, Jockey: Billy Loughnane, Trainer: Joseph Patrick O’Brien
- 3rd – Amelia Earhart 22/1, Jockey: Tom Marquand, Trainer: Aidan O’Brien
Prize Money Breakdown
- 1st – £396,970
- 2nd – £150,500
- 3rd – £75,320
- 4th – £37,520
- 5th – £18,830
- 6th – £9,450
Tote and Forecast Payouts
- Tote Win – £12
- Tote Places – 1st – £2.60, 2nd – £1.45, 3rd – £5.70
- Exacta – £29.90
- Computer Straight Forecast (CSF) – £36.85
- Trifecta – £603.30
- Tricast – £613.51
Recap
Market leader Christmas Day broke well from the stalls to take the early lead tight against the inside rail. Rebel Rocker came next, followed by Action and Pierre Bonnard, with Highwayman sitting fifth. The well-fancied Enceladus was held up towards the rear, alongside Amelia Earhart, Golden Story, and Alderman.
As expected, it wasn’t long before Action began to fulfil his pace-making duties, with Sean Levey tracking across to make the running. Christmas Day held his ground in second, with Pierre Bonnard making up an Aidan O’Brien one-two-three. Rebel Rocker, Highwayman, and Hatteen raced together in mid-division, with Amelia Earhart and Golden Story bringing up the rear.
Action had opened up a five-length lead as the field passed the halfway mark. No move yet from the runners in the main pack. Christmas Day was well positioned to strike in second, ahead of Pierre Bonnard in third. The order remained unchanged as the runners entered the final bend.
Christmas Day was the first to make his bid in the straight, easing past a backpedalling Action. Fellow prominent racers Rebel Rocker and Pierre Bonnard followed him through, with Hatteen sticking to his guns towards the inside. The biggest challenges appeared on the outside of the pack, as the Joseph O’Brien duo of Highwayman and Enceladus began to make their move.
Having grabbed the lead, Christmas Day found disappointingly little and began to beat a retreat. Hatteen moved past the favourite to the inside as Highwayman found top gear on the outside. The lesser fancied of the Joseph O’Brien duo moved a length clear approaching the final furlong. Enceladus latched onto his stablemate as Amelia Earhart picked off rivals from further back.
Having grabbed the initiative, Highwayman was in no mood to relinquish it. A length and a half clear with 100 yards to go, he saw out the trip in style, stretching his lead to two and a half lengths at the line. Enceladus was best of the rest in second, with Amelia Earhart snatching third in the dying strides.
A one-two for Joseph O’Brien, who claimed his second St Leger as a trainer, six years after his first with Galileo Chrome in 2020. However, the big story of the race was winning rider Saffie Osborne. Two hundred and fifty years after the first edition of the St Leger, the 24-year-old became the first female jockey to win any British Classic.
Runners
- 1. Action – SP: 66/1, Trainer: Aidan O’Brien, Jockey: Sean Levey
- 2. Alderman – SP: 40/1, Trainer: Richard Hannon, Jockey: Rossa Ryan
- 3. Christmas Day – SP: 7/4F, Trainer: Aidan O’Brien, Jockey: Ronan Whelan
- 4. Enceladus – SP: 5/2, Trainer: Joseph Patrick O’Brien, Jockey: Billy Loughnane
- 5. Galiyan – SP: 40/1, Trainer: Andrew Balding, Jockey: Daniel Tudhope
- 6. Golden Story – SP: 33/1, Trainer: Karl Burke, Jockey: Clifford Lee
- 7. Hatteen – SP: 22/1, Trainer: Andrew Balding, Jockey: Faleh Bughenaim
- 8. Highwayman – SP: 11/1, Trainer: Joseph Patrick O’Brien, Jockey: Saffie Osborne
- 9. Pierre Bonnard – SP: 3/1, Trainer: Aidan O’Brien, Jockey: Wayne Lordan
- 10. Rebel Rocker – SP: 100/1, Trainer: Faye Bramley, Jockey: Jason Watson
- 11. Amelia Earhart – SP: 22/1, Trainer: Aidan O’Brien, Jockey: Tom Marquand
Non-Runners
All ran.