New London heads nine St Leger contenders in Doncaster Classic

Beckett has an outstanding record with fillies and he won the 2015 St Leger with Simple Verse, before losing it in the stewards room and then regaining it on appeal. However, he has never had one quite like the Juddmonte-owned Haskoy, who was a wide margin winner at Wolverhampton on her debut just six weeks ago and followed up in the Listed Galtres Stakes at York three weeks later, where she overcame a slow start to beat Time Lock, who carried the owner’s first colours.

The trainer, who supplemented Haskoy at a cost of £50,000, said: “I can’t ever remember having a filly who has been capable of doing what she’s done in such a short time so we are very much looking forward to it.

"She didn’t even arrive here until the last week in May as she was very immature.

“Look Here (2008 Oaks winner) won her maiden and then got beaten in the Lingfield Oaks Trial, Talent (2013 Oaks winner) got beaten first time out, and Simple Verse kept getting beaten. I can’t remember having a filly with enough natural awareness to do what she did at York on just her second start. She’d never even been on grass before, except for stalls practice at home.”

Beckett admitted that having Yesyes, another Juddmonte filly, for Thursday’s Park Hill Stakes made the decision to supplement easier to justify, but he would have been sorely tempted in any case and has high hopes of his filly, whose rider Frankie Dettori is already a six-time St Leger winner.

He acknowledges that the favourite, whose rider William Buick is bidding for a fourth win in the race, is “a very good horse”, but feels there might be a potential stamina issue for him as a Dubawi colt tackling the best part of a mile and seven furlongs.

He has fewer reservations about Haskoy’s stamina and said: “I’d be surprised if she didn’t get the trip, as she’s by Golden Horn out of a Nathaniel mare who ran in the Oaks, so the pedigree is all stamina. We’ve got a lot to look forward to if she copes with the occasion and the whole jamboree. It’s a good place to be, so fingers crossed."

A field of nine has been declared for the season’s final Classic, which is part of the 35-race QIPCO British Champions Series, with Geoffrey Freer winner Zechariah a surprise absentee.

Besides Haskoy, New London’s principal opponents on paper are the Queen’s Vase winner Eldar Eldarov, whose trainer Roger Varian gained a landmark first Classic win here with Kingston Hill in 2014, and the Cazoo Derby runner-up Hoo Ya Mal, who would be a second Classic winner of the year for George Boughey following the QIPCO 1000 Guineas success of Cachet.

Whereas Buick and Dettori have already won multiple St Legers, Eldar Eldarov’s jockey David Egan and Hoo Ya Mal’s rider David Probert have yet to win a British Classic.

Egan has won a Saudi Cup, a Sheema Classic and a Juddmonte International on Mishriff in his short career, and a first Classic would be another major milestone. The 23-year-old said: “He’s a Royal Ascot winner over the trip, where he was only getting going near the line and just got up to beat Zechariah. The favourite looks very strong, but anything can happen and I’m very confident in Eldar Eldarov, who has freshened up well and has had a clean preparation.

“At Longchamp last time the ground was pretty quick and he was just out of his comfort zone on that track over the shorter trip. They quickened away and he was outpaced, but he was staying on again at the finish. The long straight at Doncaster will suit him, and although it was quick ground at Ascot I think a bit of ease will suit him better. He’s working good and the stable is in great form.”

Probert came closest to Classic success in the Derby when Hoo Ya Mal managed to split Desert Crown and Westover as a 150/1 chance, trained then and until his sale for £1.2m shortly afterwards by his main supporter Andrew Balding.

Probert, who had a sit on the colt at Newmarket on Wednesday, is delighted to be back on board and said: "I never thought it would happen after Hoo Ya Mal was sold to Gai Waterhouse to go for the Melbourne Cup, but I’ve had a lot of success for George, who is a real good guy to ride for, and it would be great for both of us obviously if we could win the St Leger.

“It looks like Hoo Ya Mal saw the mile and six out really well last time in the March Stakes at Goodwood and I think he’s a live chance. It’s a great opportunity for me and if the ground turns out easy on Saturday that will help too.”

Form from the Irish Classics is represented by Paddy Twomey’s Derby third French Claim, who would appreciate any further rain, and by Aidan O’Brien’s Oaks fourth Emily Dickinson.

Of the others, Marco Botti’s Giavelletto ran to a good level when a wide-margin winner of a hot handicap at Newmarket and could well outrun his odds. However, Kevin Philippart de Foy’s Wolverhampton novice winner El Habeeb, who was a second supplementary entry, and the Ivan Furtado-trained filly Lizzie Jean, another all-weather winner, both need massive improvement.

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