It’s St Ledger day at Doncaster on Saturday so I’ve opted to keep all four of my selections from the meeting at Doncaster.
There are plenty of competitive races throughout the afternoon, but I’ve narrowed it down to four that I’m happy to put together in a Lucky 15.
Desert Castle 5/6 – 1:45 Doncaster
Desert Castle made a very impressive winning debut and now steps up into Group company for Charlie Appleby. He only has the one run under his belt, so there’s obviously plenty more to prove, but the impression he created first time was enough to make him stand out to me.
The booking of Billy Loughnane is another positive, and this looks like the sort of race where we could see a potentially very good two-year-old take another step forward.
Twilight Calls 9/2 – 2:20 Doncaster
The Portland is normally a minefield with 22 runners declared, and you could easily make claims for at least half of this field but Twilight Calls was the horse that caught my eye.
The veteran is eight now but showed that he still has plenty to offer when winning at the track previously, and his recent form has been boosted by the fitting of a visor.
He carries 9st 3lb and has a very useful draw in stall seven. Most importantly, he comes into this race in much better form than his bare figures might initially suggest.
He is the current favourite for this race and I was hoping to get slightly larger odds than the 9/2 on offer but it is what it is.
Enceladus 9/4 – 3:35 Doncaster
The big one!
It’s hard to look past Enceladus for me, and if I’m honest I’m surprised he isn’t a tad shorter in the market and more importantly not marked up favourite for this contest. I’ll be interested to see how the market fairs over night and during the morning.
Joseph O’Brien’s colt arrives at Doncaster having won his last three starts in 2026, including a Listed success at Goodwood on his latest outing. He now has to prove himself over the extra distance, but there’s plenty in his pedigree to suggest that 1m6½f should be within his capabilities.
He’s also already shown he has the class required, having landed the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot earlier in the season.
This is obviously a very different test and Derby winner Christmas Day is going to be a huge danger, but Enceladus looks like a horse who is still improving.
The St Leger is all about stamina, and if he sees out the trip, I think he has every chance of giving Joseph O’Brien another Classic winner.
Tawajahh 5/1 – 4:48 Doncaster
I really liked the look of Tawajjah for this contest.
My selection is dropping into a competitive but what looks like a winnable Class 2 handicap and gets in with a relatively light weight on his back. The 1m2f trip should suit, while the forecast good-to-soft ground isn’t a concern. Tawajjah has also been running well of late, with recent form figures of 21 since returning from a lengthy absence.
Thunder Run is the horse in this line up who deserves a win, having run some crackers this year without getting his head in front. He’s up a further 3lb in the weights which makes things a little tougher, but he should be there abouts at the finish.
GambleAware