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Logician returns to Doncaster

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Last year’s St Leger hero Logician is set to make his eagerly-awaited return to action at Doncaster on Thursday.

The unbeaten Frankel colt, trained by John Gosden, has been absent since his Classic success on Town Moor 12 months ago.

Frankie Dettori’s mount will face just two rivals in the Sky Sports Racing Sky 415 Conditions Stakes over an extended 10 furlongs – the Charlie Appleby-trained Mythical Magic and Sir Michael Stoute’s dual Group Three scorer Zaaki.

Yorkshire Oaks runner-up Alpinista is one of eight fillies declared for the bet365 Park Hill Stakes.

Sir Mark Prescott’s three-year-old was beaten five lengths by the brilliant Love on the Knavesmire and steps up from a mile and a half to an extended mile and three-quarters in the Group Two heat.

Stoute sends out Galtres Stakes runner-up Vivionn – with William Haggas saddling Monica Sheriff, who was fourth in the Ebor after a long absence.

Roger Varian’s Believe In Love has won her last four races, and there is strong Irish representation in Joseph O’Brien’s Pista (William Buick) and the Aidan O’Brien-trained Snow (Dettori). David O’Meara’s Makawee and Charlie Fellowes’ Dubious Affair complete the field.

Kevin Ryan’s Star Of Emaraaty, shock winner of the Group Three Sweet Solera Stakes at Newmarket last time, sets the standard in the bet365 May Hill Fillies’ Stakes.

Dettori and Gosden team up with the once-raced Yarmouth winner Indigo Girl as she steps into Group Two company – while another unbeaten runner among the nine-strong line-up is the Varian-trained Zabeel Queen, who created a good impression in her Ascot success.

Chindit set to bid for Champagne glory

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Chindit is on course to try to give trainer Richard Hannon a third victory in the bet365 Champagne Stakes at Doncaster.

The Marlbourgh handler took Saturday’s Group Two contest for two-year-olds over seven furlongs with Threat 12 months ago and Estidhkaar in 2014 – while his father won it three times.

Chindit is unbeaten in two starts, having taken a Listed contest at Ascot in July following a debut success over this seven furlongs earlier that month.

Karl Burke may give Spycatcher the chance to lose his maiden tag, after finishing second in the Group Three Acomb Stakes at York last month.

Broxi, who was third that day for Keith Dalgleish, is also among the 16 entries.

Owen Burrow’s Albasheer, who romped home by six and a half lengths over the course and distance on debut in July, is an interesting contender – along with Roger Varian’s Newbury Listed victor Saint Lawrence.

There are eight possibles from Ireland – Joseph O’Brien’s Snapraeterea, State Of Rest, Thunder Moon and Vafortino, three trained by his father Aidan, Duke Of Mantua, St Mark’s Basilica and Wembley and John Joseph Murphy’s Charterhouse.

Limato could try to repeat his win five years ago in the bet365 Park Stakes.

Henry Candy’s stable stalwart lifted the Group Two heat over the straight seven furlongs as a three-year-old in 2015, on his only previous attempt.

The Tagula gelding has won a host of major races in his career, including two Group Ones. He took his Pattern-race tally to 12 when successful in the Criterion Stakes at Newmarket in June.

One of Limato’s two triumphs at the top level was in the Prix de la Foret in 2016.

One Master, who has won the last two renewals of the Longchamp feature, is also among 15 entries for the Park Stakes.

Others include Breathtaking Look, Glorious Journey, Molatham and Marie’s Diamond.

Aidan O’Brien has three possibles – Lancaster House, Arizona and Wichita – while Joseph O’Brien’s Speak In Colours takes the Irish representation to four.

Pyledriver spot on for St Leger challenge

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William Muir is confident Pyledriver is at the top of his game for the Pertemps St Leger at Doncaster.

The Harbour Watch colt was a 40-1 shot when runner-up on his seasonal reappearance at Kempton in early June, but has made giant strides since and disputes favouritism with the Aidan O’Brien-trained Santiago for the season’s final Classic on Saturday.

Muir acknowledges success on Town Moor would be a huge achievement for his small team during a time when, more often than not, the top prizes go to the bigger yards.

He said: “There’s a great mood in the camp. We have seven staff riding out, three staff in the yard, the staff in the office and me. It’s a small team, and everyone is delighted.

“We have about 26 horses. We’re not a fashionable yard – everyone wants somebody younger and more fashionable. It’s just one of those things, but if this horse could go and win on Saturday it would be fantastic for the whole team and everyone around it.”

A surprise win in the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot was followed by a luckless run in the Derby at Epsom, since when Pyledriver has given weight and a sound beating to his rivals in the Great Voltigeur at York last month.

Muir revealed the colt’s owners have received “life-changing” offers to sell over the course of the summer, but have so far resisted all potential buyers for a horse who did not even meet his reserve of £10,000 when sent to the sales as a foal.

William Muir with Pyledriver after his Royal Ascot triumph
William Muir with Pyledriver after his Royal Ascot triumph (Edward Whitaker/PA)

“Anybody can come into this game, go out with a relatively small amount of money and you can find these good horses. They’re hard to come by, but you can find them,” Muir added.

“The owners have turned down some big offers. If the offers had been accepted I don’t think he would have stayed in this country – places like Australia and Hong Kong wanted him really badly.

“If one person had owned him, you couldn’t have said no to the kind of offers we got – it was life-changing money – but there’s three of them, and they wanted to keep him.”

The Lambourn handler insists he could not be happier with his stable star as he completes preparations for a race that is part of the 2020 Qipco British Champions Series – and he is optimistic the son of unbeaten sprinter Harbour Watch will stay the distance of a mile and three-quarters.

“He’s in great order and has done all the work he needs to do. As long as he stays like this for the rest of the week, I couldn’t be taking him there in better shape,” said Muir.

“I’ve always been a glass-half-full kind of person – my glass is always overflowing, to be fair.

“I think he will stay and I think we’ve got a great chance, but it is a horse race. I thought we had a great chance in the Derby, and it all went wrong, but you shake yourself down and go again.”

Whatever happens this weekend, Muir already has his eyes on some other major races – both this year and next.

“He’ll go for the Champion Stakes at Ascot after Saturday, as long as the hose is fine. That will be his last run of the year, because we’re not going abroad – it’s too difficult with the Covid,” Muir added.

“Next year is mapped out already in my mind. You could start off at Newmarket in the Jockey Club Stakes, then you’d go Coronation Cup at Epsom, Hardwicke at Royal Ascot, the King George – and at the back-end of the season, if we’re out of this Covid, we could go for the Arc.”

Pyledriver was one of 15 horses left in the St Leger at Monday’s confirmation stage.

As well as Santiago, Aidan O’Brien may be represented by Dawn Patrol, Mythical and Tiger Moth – while his son Joseph could saddle the progressive Galileo Chrome.

English King is among Pyledriver's potential rivals
English King is among Pyledriver’s potential rivals (Mark Cranham/PA)

Other leading hopes include the Owen Burrows-trained Hukum, Mark Johnston’s Subjectivist and Ed Walker’s English King.

The latter also has the option of running in the Grand Prix de Paris the following afternoon.

“He’s in great form and is all set to run somewhere this weekend,” said Walker.

“We’ll have a look at both races during the week, see what the ground is looking like and decide where we go.

“We’ll make a decision much closer to the time.”

Menuisier looks to Wonderful Tonight to continue rise through the ranks

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David Menuisier has come a long way since starting out with four horses – and his latest stable star Wonderful Tonight could ensure things become even better by giving him further Group One glory.

With both the Pertemps St Leger at Doncaster on Saturday and the Prix Vermeille at ParisLongchamp 24 hours later under consideration for the three-year-old, it could be a weekend to savour for the Coombelands handler, whichever option he decides to pursue.

But while there may be plenty of big-race plans for Menuisier to look forward to at the moment, his career was almost over before it even started back in 2014.

He recalled: “We started in January 2014, got the licence in April, and we only had enough money to last us until June. We had one paying horse that joined us in May, the other four my parents sent over – two were Flat horses and the other two were store horses.

“We spread the word around that we were selling the store horses and somebody was really interested. They made an offer, which was about a third of what we expected, but beggars can’t be choosers, so we decided to accept the offer, but he had to pass the vet.

“Everything went quite smoothly, they just had to listen to his heart and the vet found a heart murmur, so that was the end of that as he failed the vetting.

“There was a week or 10 days left in June and we were wiped out, basically, and I was distraught, as that was our last hope to carry on.”

Just as Menuisier was preparing to concede defeat, he received a call that would change his life forever.

He said: “The very next day I got another phone call from someone that was interested and they were offering even less money, but that was irrelevant at that point.

“I accepted the offer and the other vet came down. Everything went smoothly again and there was only one thing left and it was his heart.

“He listened to it and said ‘that’s all good’ and we were shocked he managed to pass. The vet turned around and said to me ‘I know he has a murmur, but that is a good sign as it means he has a big heart!’.

“He vetted the filly as well and the next day he managed to get her sold as well. It was extraordinary and I remember like it was yesterday, as I was ready to write the letter to relinquish the barn.”

From the sale of the two horses, Menuisier was able to purchase a lead horse to accompany Slunovrat, who would go on to reward his handler’s perseverance by becoming his first winner less than two months later – but only after giving him an almighty scare.

He said: “I was running Slunovrat for the third time to get him handicapped at Kempton and he fell over right behind the horse of Amanda Perrett’s we were tracking. He was our last hope and we nearly lost him, so it shows you should never give up.

“We ran him at Newbury first time in a handicap in August and he ran a stormer to finish second, but for us it was like a win. Then I sent him to Newcastle and he managed to win there over a mile and a half. It was the best day of our lives.

“We came back the next day at two or three in the morning and Clive (Washbourn) rang later on August 26 and said ‘I was waiting for you to prove you can train a winner and now you have, I want you to buy me some horses’.”

Menuisier’s association with Washbourn has been a major part of his success, highlighted by the exploits of globetrotting Group Two winner Thundering Blue, who could enjoy his swansong in the Listed Foundation Stakes at Goodwood later this month.

Menuisier said: “He is getting on and has some serious mileage on the track – and air miles, too.

“We would like to find him a good opportunity to go out on a high before he is retired.”

With Thundering Blue nearing the end of his career, Wonderful Tonight remains at the peak of her powers – something Menuisier hopes the Le Havre filly will continue in whichever Group One she ends up contesting next weekend.

He added: “I think the main plan is to run in the Vermeille and as I’m French, it is one of those races you dream of winning all your life.

“The Leger is not the plan at this stage, but it could come into contention if it looks wet here and not so in France as she will stay.

“The Vermeille does look like a very good race as you will find a few fillies with Arc credentials in there.

“It would be a great birthday present to win either race, as I’m changing decade with my birthday on Saturday.”