Can Appleby and New London win St Leger Stakes?

Published 2022/07/29

Can Appleby and New London win St Leger Stakes?

New London put down a dominant performance at Glorious Goodwood in the John Pearce Racing Gordon Stakes to stake his claim for the St Leger in September. The Godolphin-owned horse excelled at Goodwood with a flawless outing with William Buick in the saddle, and now trainer Charlie Appleby will be targeting one of the ultimate crowns of the flat racing season at Doncaster Racecourse.

There will be a strong level of competition, including the impressive horse Westover. However, New London is the favourite in the horse racing betting odds after his triumph at a price of 3/1. Appleby will be bidding to win the event for the second year in a row, attempting to join an elite company of trainers to secure successive victories in the St Leger.

A second win would put him alongside Aidan O’Brien, John Gosden and Saeed bin Suroor, highlighting the esteem in which he would be held, although Appleby is terrific trainer in his own right. He has started to establish a legacy to match the modern greats in horse racing, and another triumph in one of the three classics would be another step in the right direction.

Appleby cannot complete a clean sweep of the classics this term after Nations Pride lost out in The Derby. Coroebus did get the season off to a special start with a triumph in the 2,000 Guineas, but he now has the chance to wrap up the campaign with another major win.

New London certainly has all the credentials to win in Doncaster, and has been on the mark in almost every race since making his debut last season. New London won his first race at Newmarket in October last year, beating out Soul Stopper on the line by a neck. He was considered a slight outsider on his return to the track in 2022 against Aldous Huxley out of Gosden’s yard, but delivered another strong run and won by a comfortable margin to highlight his quality on the track. However, there was a humbling experience in the Chester Vase Stakes on the horizon. New London was the overwhelming favourite for the event, but failed to perform for Buick as he lost out to Changingoftheguard in a surprise defeat.

A return to Newmarket in July was required to revive his form. He faced a talented field in the contest, but was still the leading contender despite his setback at Chester. On this occasion, the Irish thoroughbred responded to win the race by three lengths. It set the stage for the John Pearce Racing Gordon Stakes at Goodwood where the field was once again packed with quality charges aiming to dislodge the favourite for the winners’ circle. Buick and New London were on their mettle and put forward a clean run, easing away from their rivals down the stretch to close out the victory ahead of Deauville Legend.

The Godolphin horse now has match those standards to join his predecessor Hurricane Lane to win the St Leger. He certainly has the talent and the brilliance of Buick in the saddle to win the event for Appleby and etch a place in history.