DOCTOR Fremantle is making steady progress following a setback and could still make the Ladbrokes St Leger at Doncaster next month.
His participation in the final Classic of the season has been in the balance since he bruised a foot two weeks ago when being prepared for the Great Voltigeur Stakes. “He’s coming on all right and we are hopeful of getting him there. Obviously he won
’t get a run before the Leger,” said Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to owner Khalid Abdullah.
“It is a very delicate balance in that I don’t want to say ‘don’t worry he’ll make it, easy peasy,’ but equally I don’t want to put everyone completely away. At the moment we are hopeful of getting him there.”
The son of Sadler’s Wells has proved himself to be a very smart colt, winning the Chester Vase and finishing fourth to New Approach in the Derby before occupying the same position behind Montmartre in the Juddmonte Grand de Paris at Longchamp on his latest start.
Doctor Fremantle, 14-1 with the sponsors, is one of four horses from Sir Michael Stoute’s stable among 24 possibles for the St Leger at the latest acceptance stage.
The others are leading ante-post fancy Conduit, Great Voltigeur failure Patkai and Warringah, but Stoute has taken Derby runner-up Tartan Bearer out of the race.
Irish Derby winner Frozen Fire has been left in by Aidan O’Brien, who has nine entries.
Juddmonte Oaks heroine Look Here stands her ground for trainer Ralph Beckett, while the only other filly left in is Tommy Stack’s Unsung Heroine.
Totesport have three co-favourites at 5-1 with their spokesman Damian Walker saying: “Rarely can the St Leger have had such an open look to it. The front six horses in our betting are separated by just a single point and no horse has really captured the imagination of ante-post punters.”
LADBROKES ST LEGER
Sponsors bet: 4-1 Centennial (needs to be supplemented), 5-1 Conduit, Look Here, 6-1 Alessandro Volta, 12-1 Unsung Heroine, Top Lock, 14-1 Doctor Fremantle, 20-1 Campanologist, Washington Irving, 33-1 bar.
Totesport bet: 5-1 Conduit, Look Here, Patkai, 11-2 Frozen Fire, 6-1 Alessandro Volta, Centennial, 8-1 Unsung Heroine, 10-1 Doctor Fremantle, 16-1 Campanologist, Top Lock, Washington Irving, 33-1 bar.
The full article contains 410 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
