AIDAN O’BRIEN and Johnny Murtagh warmed up for Frozen Fire’s assault on the Ladbrokes St Leger as Honolulu provided the duo with a second consecutive success in the National Express Doncaster Cup on Town Moor.
The trainer-jockey combination have today’s Classic in their sights, with the Irish Derby winner set to start favourite, and were again the toast of punters as Honolulu scored as the 15 to 8 market leader.
Royal And Regal took no prisoners in the stayers’ test when bowling along in front from the outset. But O’Brien’s Queen Alexandra winner has bundles of stamina and put it to good use by pegging back Royal And Regal and staying on to collect by four lengths. Balkan Knight came through to pip the front-runner for second, with half a length separating the pair.
Murtagh said: “He’s a lovely horse and won well. He’s been working well, has improved and Aidan has been delighted with him.”
Last year’s May Hill winner Spacious returned to the Leger meeting in a bid to regain winning ways – but the 1,000 Guineas runner-up made hard work of seeing off three rivals in the conditions stakes race.
James Fanshawe’s favourite required maximum assistance from Robert Winston to assert in the final half furlong. Spacious also survived a stewards’ inquiry, being called the nose winner.
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