Encke posted a surprising upset in the $852,500 Ladbrokes St. Leger Stakes (Eng-I) on Saturday at Doncaster Racecourse, holding off the previously unbeaten Camelot to deny that one from completing a sweep of the English Triple Crown.
Ridden to victory by Mickael Barzalona, Encke was content to settle into fifth place early on in the 1 13/16ths miles race while Dartford and Thought Worthy set a good pace on the front end. Ursa Major and Thomas Chippendale were also up close to the pace, with Michelangelo back in sixth and just ahead of Camelot, who saved ground along the inside while leading only Guarantee and the slow-starting Main Sequence.
The positions remained relatively unchanged around the second bend and during the preliminary stages of the homestretch, but coming inside the final three-eighths of a mile or so, Encke shifted to the outside and made a bold run to seize command of the lead. In the meantime, Camelot was in behind horses searching for racing room, and had to briefly check off the heels of Dartford, who was tiring after his early exertions. In the vicinity of the three-sixteenths pole, Camelot found racing room and moved to the outside for a clear run at Encke, but Encke had already opened up an insurmountable four-length advantage. Camelot gave it his best try, rallying strongly inside the final eighth of a mile, but fell three-quarters of a length short at the finish. The final time was a good 3:03.81 seconds.
Michelangelo put in a decent run to finish third, three lengths behind Camelot, while Ursa Major rounded out the top four. Main Sequence, Thought Worthy, Guarantee, Thomas Chippendale, and Dartford completed the order of finish. The winner is owned by Godolphin Racing and trained by Mahmood Al Zarooni.
-Keelerman
