RACING WEEKEND PREVIEWWITH SEPTIMUS a raging hot favourite at the Curragh, and five runners representing him at Doncaster, Aidan O'Brien is in line for an historic St Leger double this afternoon.
Victory for Septimus, or one of the two other Ballydoyle runners in the Irish Field St Leger, would provide O'Brien with a Grand Slam of Irish Classics in 2008, the first clean-sweep since Jack Rogers accomplished the feat 73 (1935) years ago.
The champion trainer finally cracked the Irish Leger code with Yeats last season and Septimus looks impossible to oppose against eight opponents that include only one cross-channel raider, the former Ballydoyle inmate Yellowstone.
Johnny Murtagh is in Doncaster to team up with the Irish Derby hero Frozen Fire, as well as US Ranger in the re-scheduled Sprint Cup, so Séamus Heffernan has a gilt-edged chance to win a third Irish Classic of his own this season.
"Septimus is very genuine and we think he will handle the ground. I haven't ridden him in a while but he seems to be working very well," Heffernan said yesterday. "Johnny has been riding him in most of his work recently but he is straight-forward."
Certainly the home Leger appears to be a more straight-forward exercise than picking the winner of the Doncaster version where Murtagh is pursuing a first win in the world's oldest classic, and O'Brien a fourth.
A field of 14 includes the Oaks winner Look Here, as well as Tommy Stack's unbeaten filly Unsung Heroine, and three Michael Stoute runners as the Newmarket legend tries to break his Leger duck.
Frozen Fire has a first start since the Irish Derby and appears the obvious Ballydoyle number one as the Irish team attempt a unique Leger double.
Godolphin brought off back-to-back sequences at the Curragh and Doncaster in 1998 and 1999, while Paul Cole also trained both the English and Irish Leger winners in 1990. However, landing both on the same day would be a first.
Conditions will be soft at Doncaster and O'Brien said yesterday: "You don't want to see extremes of going when you're stepping up in trip. Frozen Fire has always shown a lot of class and just got beat in the Dante. We all saw what he did in the Derby and we've been happy with him since."
Abraham Lincoln and Astronomer Royal join US Ranger in the Sprint Cup, while Westphalia is the Ballydoyle challenger in the Group Two Champagne Stakes.
Today's main support race at the Curragh is the Group Two Irish National Stud Blandford Stakes which looks a good opportunity for Katiyra.
The Epsom Oaks third was a slightly disappointing fifth in the Irish Oaks here but bounced back to winning form on soft ground at Gowran Park.
John Oxx and Michael Kinane will also fancy their chances in a hot looking renewal of the Listed Flame Of Tara Stakes.
Tanoura came from an impossible position to win her maiden at Leopardstown and could be progressive enough to beat the wide-margin course winner Forest Storm.
