CENSUS is on course for the Ladbrokes St Leger at Doncaster next month following his victory in Saturday’s CGA Geoffrey Freer Stakes at Newbury.
The Richard Hannon-trained colt reversed Royal Ascot form with Tom Dascombe’s Brown Panther to land the Group Three contest by a length and a quarter under Richard Hughes.
Both the winner and runner-up will head to Doncaster on September 10, with Census a best-priced 13-2 with Paddy Power to give Hannon a first victory in the final Classic of the season.
Hannon said: “The Leger is the plan. I thought about going to York (Great Voltigeur), but I didn’t want the travelling for him. He’d have needed a gallop, probably here, so I thought why not run him and earn a few quid.”
Harry Herbert, racing manager for owners Highclere Thoroughbred Racing, added: “He was too far back at Ascot and we were giving Brown Panther 3lb.
“He was babyish there and now he’s grown up.
“We’re really excited. The Leger here we come.”
Leger favourite Seville – a best-priced 3-1 with totesport, bet365, Betfred and Sportingbet – will take on rivals Namibian and Sea Moon in the traditional trial for the Doncaster Group One, the Great Voltigeur Stakes at York on Wednesday.
But connections of Saturday’s Geoffrey Freer runner-up, owned and bred by former Liverpool and England footballer Michael Owen, are still looking forward to lining up to bid for Classic glory next month.
Brown Panther is a best-priced 12-1 with Coral and Paddy Power for the Leger.
And Dascombe said: “The Leger is in four weeks’ time and we’ll take him on again. We’ve gone back to basics to try to get him to settle and relax.
“Obviously we’d have rather won but we haven’t and there will be a certain amount of improvement in the next few weeks.
“He may well have needed that and we’re very happy.”
Owen, who trained at Manchester United’ Carrington Complex in the morning before flying to Newbury to watch Brown Panther, added: “I’m a little disappointed he didn’t win but this was his prep for the St Leger.”
Meanwhile Marco Botti is looking at taking on Frankel again with Excelebration following his star colt’s runway success in the CGA Hungerford Stakes at Newbury on Saturday.
Sir Henry Cecil’s unbeaten mile star has already beaten Excelebration twice this season.
But Botti’s charge has since won the German 2,000 and easily defeated his elders in Saturday’s Group Two contest, coming home six lengths ahead of Beacon Lodge.
He will now step back up to Group One company with the Prix du Moulin at Longchamp on September 11 and then the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on October 15 the two most likely destinations.
Frankel is likely to line up in the latter but connections are happy for Excelebration to face him again.
Botti said: “He’s already proved that’s he a good horse, and he was very impressive. We left a little bit to work on, so I expect him to come on a lot for the run.
“We will go for another Group One race now. It could be the Prix du Moulin at Longchamp next month and maybe the QEII at Ascot. I’ve never had any doubt he’s a Group One horse.
“Frankel is not just a normal good horse, he is something else. To think we can beat him at this stage is probably a bit unrealistic but who knows, a race is a race.”
TODAY’S NAP: Walvis Bay (4.15pm Thirsk).
