WHY, JUST WHY?

I could be accused of being head of a campaign of one to lay ruin to Doncaster's St. Leger, to render it in importance to the level of the Irish or French versions, neither of which is even considered a classic these days, a valuable prize to win but lacking any prestige whatsoever. I would like it opened-up to older horses. I would like to have it run earlier in the season and I would like several buckets of money thrown at it, to have it as the most valuable flat race in Britain.

Normally, I am a tradionalist, largely wanting to keep prestige races unchanged. The Epsom Derby must always be run over 12-furlongs. Race distance must remain in imperial. The Ascot Gold Cup should remain at 20-furlongs, and should be the most valuable race at Royal Ascot. 12-furlongs should always be recognised as the supreme distance for flat horses. Turf should always have preference over synthetic surfaces. But I am not so fuddy-duddy that I cannot embrace some change or to advocate change where I believe a rescue mission is necessary.

The St. Leger has become the 'after-thought or consolation classic'; in recent times it has become a penalty kick for one trainer and one 'group of lads'. The competitive edge of the race is only kept alive by how many horses Aiden decides to run in the race. It is a classic overshadowed by the Arc. Once upon a time a colt could run in both. Now, the Breeders and Melbourne Cups comes into the equation, furthering diminishing the appeal of the final classic of the season. Even Irish Champions Weekend takes priority over Doncaster, with Ryan Moore always choosing Leopardstown (or is the Curragh) and forfeiting a possible easily gained classic victory to add to his bulging c.v..

Why must Doncaster go head-to-head with Irish Champions Weekend when the Saturday of the Bank Holiday was only highlighted by a couple of run-of-the-mill Grade 3's. If the St.Leger had been run last Saturday it would have provided trainers with an fortnight to prepare a horse to run both at Doncaster and Longchamp. William Haggas might even have been tempted to run Maltese Cross in the St. Leger and then to go on to the Arc.

The sport as a whole gives no love to the St. Leger other than the  sort of charity we dispense into the begging bowls of rough sleepers. We do nothing to improve the lives of those who live on the street but we ease our own consciences once in a while with a couple of silver coins. Moving the race forward in the schedule by a week is not the panacea for its renaissance and perhaps it will never again be so prestigious that the Derby winner will always be aimed for it. But do we want it to become as irrelevent as the Spring Double? Did you know that the City and Suburban Handicap used to be regarded as one of the most important handicaps of the season? 

If horse racing in this country was a true family; if it were one business empire, instead of a thousand interested parties wanting a bigger slice of the cake than anyone else, if one bookmaking enterprise paid the sport seven-figures to be its sole bookmaker, a kind of tote of the High Streets (how I have missed that particular sailing) the St. Leger, for instance, could be moved forward a fortnight in the season without any dispute, the sport working as a whole for the best interests of the sport. Or the race could be upgraded to where I would like it to be, a middle leg of an all-age triple crown along with the King George & Queen Elisabeth and the Arc. Sweet dreams are made of such things.

No matter how you dress it up, and yes, I.T.V. will make a big show of this year's Derby winner being in the field, the final classic is always the weakest classic by a country mile and this year's renewal is no different. Christmas Day features in the St. Leger as he is not considered one of the leading three-year-olds at Ballydoyle and Pierre Bonnard is there because thus far he has had a very disappointing season. It is highly that neither of Aidan's two top jockeys will be riding in the St. Leger as to 'the lads' Irish Champions Weekend outranks the oldest classic in the world.

My favourite flat races are those for stayers and for a large part of my life that preference made the St. Leger my favourite of the five classics. I do not want to see it wither and die under a spreadsheet of false loyalty. I want it be revived, refurnished, so that long after my heart gives out the St. Leger thrives again, perhaps even as a rival to the Prix de I'arc de Triomphe.