LEGER THE FOCUS IN WEEKEND PAPERS

The eyes of the racing world will be on Town Moor this afternoon for the 237th running of the Ladbrokes St Leger and understandably all the major newspapers lead with the final Classic of the season at Doncaster. Former ante-post favourite Galileo Rock was given the green light this morning by trainer David Wachman after he walked the track at 5.30am and he takes his chance despite the ground easing slightly. Nevertheless, because of the doubts surrounding his participation, he has been shunned by the majority of tipsters in the press corps, with only Jamie Spencer, writing in the Daily Star, opting to go for the Irish Derby runner-up. Spencer does not have a ride in the race this year but thinks that Wachman's colt will outclass his rivals. If Talent manages to win the race, she will be 42nd filly to land the St Leger and the 19th winner of the Oaks to do so. The most recent filly to capture the extended one mile and six furlong event was User Friendly back in 1992 (who also landed that year's Investec Oaks) and J A McGrath, writing as Hotspur in The Daily Telegraph, believes Ralph Beckett's filly can bridge a 21-year gap by emulating Clive Brittain's mare. That particular view is echoed by Rob Wright in The Times who argues that the Investec Oaks winner boasts a very similar profile to User Friendly given the fact they both won at Epsom on an easy surface and by similar margins. Dave Yates, writing as Newsboy in the Daily Mirror, opines that the final Classic of the season can go the way of Landing Light, who proved his stamina conclusively by winning the two mile Queen's Vase at Royal Ascot this year. It is eight years since Aidan O'Brien last won the Ladbrokes St Leger (Scorpion, 2005) but the Mirror's chief correspondent believes the maestro of Ballydoyle has a strong hand this year. Trainer Andrew Balding saddles Havana Beat in the big race and is looking to send out the first St Leger winner from his Kingsclere stables since Willie Waugh achieved the feat with Troutbeck in 1909. Writing in his Daily Mirrorcolumn, he thinks his colt is far too big at 40/1 and reckons he should be at least half the price. He was pleased with the three-year-old's work last weekend and doesn't rule out a big run. The Daily Mail's Sam Turner is another in the Leading Light camp while The Guardian's Greg Wood thinks that stablemate Foundry can take the St Leger on only his third career start. Steve Jones, writing as Templegate in the Sun, agrees with Wood and makes the twice-raced Foundry his headline pick. 'Britain's top tipster' is surprised that Ballydoyle's number one jockey, Joseph O'Brien, has plumped for Leading Light and suggests that his Royal Ascot form is not that strong. The Independent's Jon Freeman puts his faith in John Gosden and reckons that Excess Knowledge will relish every yard of the St Leger trip, while Bev Swingell's small column in the Daily Expressgives the vote to Libertarian. 'Pricewise' of the Racing Post (Tom Segal) will be hoping Excess Knowledge does the business, having tipped him up at 20/1 in his ante-post preview, while the paper's Gerald Delamere thinks the Khalid Abdullah-owned colt was the moral winner of the Gordon Stakes at Goodwood despite being beaten by Cap O'Rushes, who opposes again today. The final word goes to the Yorkshire Postwhich also believes that Godolphin can land their seventh Ladbrokes St Leger with Libertarian. The three-year-old used to be trained in the county by Elaine Burke before being snapped up by the boys in blue after he finished runner-up in the Investec Derby at Epsom. Yorkshire punters will be very familiar with the son of New Approach, who won his maiden at Pontefract before going on to win the Dante Stakes at York. He may now be trained in Newmarket by Charlie Appleby but Tom Richmond reckons many Doncaster racegoers still regard him as one of their own. FOUNDRY A WARM ORDER FOR ST LEGER Foundry is proving to be the hot selection in the Ladbrokes St Leger (3.50pm) and the sponsor has been forced to take evasive action this morning, cutting Ballydoyle's second-string to 6/1 (from 7/1). There has also been support for Libertarian in the same race and Charlie Appleby's colt is now 7/1 (from 8/1) with the Harrow-based firm. In the opening At The Races Champagne Stakes (2.05pm), Outstrip has consolidated his position at the head of the market and is now the clear 13/8 favourite (from 2/1) having been joint-favourite with The Grey Gatsby this morning. Cable Bay has also come in for support in the same race and is now 4/1 (from 11/2) though there are three non-runners so far in this particular heat. The Ladbrokes Portland Handicap (2.40pm) is always one of the big betting races of the Ladbrokes St Leger Festival and a trio of horses have been trimmed by the sponsor. Steps is 8/1 (from 10/1), Doctor Parkes has been cut to the same price (from 12/1) while Angels Will Fall has been slashed into 16/1 (from 22/1). Caspar Netscher has returned to the racecourse this season following an unsuccessful spell at stud and has been the subject of good money for the OLBG Park Stakes (3.15pm). The Charles Wentworth-owned colt is now 14/1 (from 16/1) to bounce back from a disappointing run at Newbury last time out. Voodoo Prince, the first foal of the great racemare Ouija Board and a half-brother to the promising Australia, has been popular in the Napoleons Casinos and Restaurants Handicap (4.25pm) and is now 4/1 (from 5/1) while Showpiece is the talking horse in the Agriargo UK Tractor Challenge Nursery (5.00pm) and has been shortened to 5/1 (from 7/1). There have been two horses that have contracted in price in the final race of the meeting, the Harriet De-Vere Powell Handicap (6.05pm), with Gabrial The Great now 5/1 (from 7/1) and  Global Village 6/1 (from 7/1).      Ladbrokes Market Moves: 2.05pm: 13/8 (from 2/1) Outstrip; 4/1 (from 11/2) Cable Bay 2.40pm: 8/1 (from 10/1) Steps; 8/1 (from 12/1) Doctor Parkes; 16/1 (from 22/1) Angels Will Fall 3.15pm: 14/1 (from 16/1) Caspar Netscher 3.50pm: 6/1 (from 7/1) Foundry; 7/1 (from 8/1) Libertarian 4.25pm: 4/1 (from 5/1) Voodoo Prince 5.00pm: 5/1 (from 7/1) Showpiece 6.05pm: 5/1 (from 7/1) Gabrial The Great; 6/1 (from 7/1) Global Village DONCASTER FIRST-BORN ON ST LEGER DAY GETS FREE LIFE MEMBERSHIP AT THE RACECOURSE A longstanding tradition continues with the first-born child in Doncaster on St Leger day gaining free life membership at Doncaster Racecourse. This year's lucky recipient is Isabell Lal, born at 2.36am in Doncaster Royal Infirmary and weighing 7lb 12oz, to Marianna Trebulova. The father is Anoop Lal. Ladbrokes St Leger Day is biggest day of the year at Doncaster Racecourse, with over 30,000 racegoers expected to attend today. The St Leger, the world's oldest Classic race, is being run for the 237th time, with 11 runners due to go to post at 3.50pm. LADBROKES ST LEGER MILESTONES *This year's Ladbrokes St Leger is the richest ever run, with a total prize fund of £600,000. The winner will take home £340,260. The first winner Allabaculia earned £131. *The 2013 Ladbrokes St Leger is the 237th running. The race is the oldest of the Classics, founded four years before the Derby. It has been run away from Doncaster on 12 occasions: at Newmarket 1915-18 and 1942-44; at Thirsk in 1940; at Manchester in 1941; at York in 1945 and 2006; at Ayr in 1989. The Classic did not take place in 1939. *Talent would be the 42nd filly to win the St Leger. The first of the 41 to have done so was the race's first winner Allabaculia (who was un-named at the time of her victory); the most recent User Friendly in 1992. *Talent would be the 19th winner of the Oaks to win the St Leger. The first to take both Classics was Queen Of Trumps in 1835; the most recent User Friendly in 1992. *Since User Friendly won the St Leger, 15 fillies have taken part, of whom seven have been placed. They include three Oaks winners: Ramruma (2nd 1999), Look Here (3rd 2008) and Snow Fairy (4th 2010). The other fillies to have been placed since 1992 are Book At Bedtime (4th 1997), High And Low (2nd 1998), Quiff (2nd 2004) and Unsung Heroine (2nd 2008). *There are four challengers from Ireland for this year's Ladbrokes St Leger: Leading Light and Foundry for Aidan O'Brien; Galileo Rock for David Wachman and Ralston Road for Pat Shanahan. *There have been only seven St Leger winners trained in Ireland. The first was Ballymoss in 1957, the most recent Scorpion in 2005. Six of the Irish victors have been based at Ballydoyle: Ballymoss, Nijinsky (1970) and Boucher (1972) were trained there by Vincent O'Brien and Milan (2001), Brian Boru (2003) and Scorpion by Aidan O'Brien (no relation). The only one of the Irish winners not resident at the Co Tipperary establishment was Paddy Prendergast-trained Ragusa in 1963. *Secret Number would be a sixth victory for Saeed Bin Suroor, which would make him joint-second on the trainers' all-time St Leger leaderboard. The 19th century figure John Scott is outstandingly the best with 16 victories between 1827 and 1862, followed by Mat Dawson, John Porter, Cecil Boyd-Rochfort and Dick Hern with six each. *Secret Number (Saeed Bin Suroor), Cap O'Rushes or Libertarian (both Charlie Appleby) would provide a seventh victory for Godolphin, which would make Sheikh Mohammed's operation jointly the most successful in the St Leger. The 9th Duke of Hamilton won seven between 1786 and 1814; Godolphin's six have been Classic Cliche 1995, Nedawi 1998, Mutafaweq 1999, Rule Of Law 2004, Mastery 2009 (all trained by Bin Suroor) and Encke last year (by Mahmood Al Zarooni). *Excess Knowledge would be a fourth victory in seven runnings (and a fifth in all) for trainer John Gosden, successful with Lucarno (2007), Arctic Cosmos (2010) and Masked Marvel (2011), and Shantou (1996). *Jockeys having their first Ladbrokes St Leger rides are James Doyle (Excess Knowledge), Liam Keniry (Havana Beat), Tadhg O'Shea (Ralston Road) and Jim Crowley (Talent). Mickael Barzalona, on Cap O'Rushes this year, won last year on Encke, his first ride in the Classic. NON-RUNNERS      First race, 2.05pm: THE AT THE RACES CHAMPAGNE STAKES No.1   ANJAAL (Going) No. 3   EXOGENESIS (IRE) (Going) No. 5   PICKS PINTA (Going) Second race, 2.40pm: THE LADBROKES PORTLAND HANDICAP No. 6   INXILE (IRE) (Self cert (Lame)) Third race, 3.15pm: THE OLBG PARK STAKES No. 7   PINTURA (Vets cert (Bruised foot)) Fifth race, 4.25pm: THE NAPOLEONS CASINOS AND RESTAURANTS HANDICAP No. 3   CHARLES CAMOIN (Going) Sixth race, 5.00pm: The AGRIARGO UK TRACTOR CHALLENGE NURSERY No. 5   WHAT ABOUT CARLO (FR) (Going) No. 8   RUDI FIVE ONE (FR) (Going) Eighth race, 6.05pm: THE HARRIET DE-VERE POWELL HANDICAP No. 2   MONT RAS (Going) No. 10  AJRAAM (USA) (Going)