The Sir Michael Stoute-trained Sea Moon put up a stunning performance to rout the opposition and catapult himself to the head of the ante-post market for the Ladbrokes St Leger at Doncaster on September 10 with a memorable eight-length success in the Group 2 Sportingbet.com Great Voltigeur Stakes on the opening day of York’s Ebor Festival meeting. Those looking forward to St.leger festival betting should remember this.
All eyes were on the 5/6 favourite Seville, (representing the powerful Ballydoyle yard of Ireland’s Aidan O’Brien) who went into the race as the rock solid 3/1 favourite for the final classic of the season, but he had no answer to a majestic winning performance from Sea Moon who made the transition from handicaps to pattern race company in seemingly effortless fashion on only the fourth start of his career.
The winner of a York 10-furlong handicap off a mark of 92 only nine weeks earlier, the son of Beat Hollow always travelled well in the hands of Richard Hughes and loomed up alongside the favourite at the three furlong from home marker going equally as well as the market leader. Once Hughes asked his mount to lengthen he showed a tremendous change of gear on the rain-softened ground and fairly dashed away to score by eight-lengths (without being ridden right out) from Al Kazeem, who stayed-on to get the better of the fading Seville and grab second place.
Clearly improving at a massive rate of knots, Stoute’s
winner (available at up to 8/1 before the York contest) caused the betting
industry to run for cover as they slashed his odds for victory in the
world’s oldest classic to an initial offer of 13/8, before being knocked
down and trimming the Prince Khaled Abdullah-owned colt to a best offer of
11/8, with a couple of firms taking no chances and betting odds-on a Sea
Moon St Leger success. Looking at the
horse
racing odds shows a lot of confidence in the horse.
Judging by the way he romped home on the Knavesmire it will be a brave man who will now bet against Stoute landing only his second winner of the race, following Conduit’s success back in 2008.