ENCKE WINS THE LADBROKES ST. LEGER STAKES!

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

Ladbroke St. Leger Stakes Contender Profile: DARTFORD

Owner: Mr. B. E. Nielsen
Trainer: John Gosden
Breeder: Juddmonte Farms Inc
Jockey: R. Havlin

RACE RECORD

Age 3

5th Betfred the Bonus King Geoffrey Freer Stakes (Eng-III)
7th Handicap race
3rd Handicap race
5th Maiden race
2nd Maiden race
3rd Maiden race

Age 2

5th Maiden race

PEDIGREE

		Storm Cat
	Giant's Causeway
		Mariah's Storm
Dartford
		Kris S.
	Apple of Kent
		Proflare

Ladbrokes St. Leger Stakes Entries and Post Positions

Here are the entries and post positions for the 1 mile, 6 furlong, 132-yard Ladbrokes St. Leger Stakes (Eng-I), to be run on Saturday at Doncaster Racecourse in England. The historic race is the third and final leg of the English Triple Crown, and this year's edition promises to be especially exciting thanks to the presence of the undefeated Camelot, who is bidding to become the first English Triple Crown winner since Nijinsky in 1970.

His primary opposition is expected to come from Thought Worthy and Main Sequence, the 1-2 finishers in the Neptune Investment Great Voltigeur Stakes (Eng-II) at York last month. Trainer John Gosden, who has won three of the last five renewals of the race, trains Thought Worthy, as well as Michelangelo and Dartford.

PP	Horse	Jockey	Trainer
1	Camelot	Joseph O'Brien	Aidan O'Brien
2	Dartford	R. Havlin	John Gosden
3	Encke	M. Barzalona	M. Al Zarooni
4	Guarantee	P. Makin	W. Haggas
5	Main Sequence	T. Durcan	D. Lanigan
6	Michelangelo	Frankie Dettori	John Gosden
7	Thomas Chippendale	Tom Queally	Henry Cecil
8	Thought Worthy	William Buick	John Gosden
9	Ursa Major	John Murtagh	T. Carmody

-Keelerman