O’Brien enters 16 hopefuls for St Leger

Trainer Aidan O’Brien certainly seems to have his sights set firmly on September’s St Leger at Doncaster, with sixteen of the forty-two strong field coming from Ballydoyle in Ireland. Having finished second and third respectively at Epsom in June, both US Army Ranger and Idaho look set to be among the potential frontrunners come race day. Alongside them for O’Brien will be stablemates Sword Fighter, Housesofparliament and Even Song, with the latter looking to come back from a disappointing run at the Irish Oaks just last week. The O’Brien family could well clash in Doncaster, with son Joseph hunting for a first ever British classic runner in the race, with Arya Tara looking likely to be an option for the former jockey who won the St Leger back in 2016 with Leading Light. Elsewhere at Doncaster, the news that Derby hero Harzand has not been chosen for the classic will come as a disappointment to many. Having been the favourite for the race among many bookmakers, the responsibility now falls on Idaho, who is the 4/1 favourite with Betway. With the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe looking like being a much more likely option for Harzand, who has claimed success on four out of five starts to date, and is given odds of 6/1 by Betway for the race at the start of October. For a full horse racing betting schedule, including enhanced odds offers, check out Betway’s website for the remainder of the 2016 action. As far as competition for O’Brien at Doncaster is concerned, fellow trainer John Gosden looks likely to be the main protagonist. As Gosden hunts for a fifth win in the final classic of the British season, Wings of Desire and Muntahaa are handed the responsibility of mounting a serious challenge. Wings of Desire is currently the 5/1 second favourite with Betway, behind Idaho, while Muntahaa is offered outsider odds of 10/1 in the horse racing betting market. Having finished sixth behind Harzand at Epsom, Red Verdon is also at 10/1 with Betway, with trainer Ed Dunlop revealing that the colt will be conditioned specifically with Doncaster in mind.