St Leger betting sees co-favourites installed for first time
Published:After the successes of favourites Scorpion and Sixties Icon in 2005 and 2006 respectively, the St Leger has not proved a race to follow the favourites in more recent times.
The biggest-priced market leader in the St Leger betting in the past six years has been 9/4, but none have been successful. Four of this six have finished in the first three though.
However, the early signs are that there is no stand-out entrant in 2013 and some slight changes in the market mean that there are now co-favourites for victory.
Excess Knowledge, Leading Light and Galileo Rock are now each available at the each-way bet-to-nothing price of 4/1, with the former drifting slightly in recent days from 7/2 and the latter being backed in from 5/1.
All of the market principles have some negatives to overcome, particularly Excess Knowledge and Galileo Rock, who have only ever triumphed once each previously, which was in their respective maidens.
A lack of a Group-race victory on their resumes is not common among former St Leger winners.
Leading Light has twice emerged victorious already at Group 3 level and his win in the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot over 2m shows that he will have no problem seeing out the trip.
This proven stamina is something that is also lacking in the race backgrounds of the other St Leger contenders and so he may represent the safest option of the co-favourites.
The other horse to have received some support in the St Leger betting is Talent, who has shortened slightly from 14/1 into 12/1.
Given that she is already a Group 1 winner after taking the Epsom Oaks earlier this year, this still looks a big price, although no filly has won the St Leger since User Friendly in 1992.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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