Bookies fearing Ballydoyle ahead of blockbuster weekend of racing action

BoyleSports has reported significant support on a number of Aidan O’Brien runners as bookies brace themselves for a Ballydoyle battalion ahead of the St Leger and Irish Champions Festival.

Illinois will lead a three-pronged attack for the stable on the final Classic of the year, Doncaster's St Leger, and will head to the mile-and-three-quarter start as a short priced 7/4 favourite ahead of stablemates Jan Breughel (7/2) and Grovesnor Square (4/1).

Irish Oaks winner You Got To Me (5/1) flies the flag for the home team having been supplemented at a cost of £50,000, while David Menuisier’s Sunway (6/1) is also a likely contender.

With O’Brien holding a leading chance of securing a second British Classic of the season, he will field a formidable team of juveniles and older horses across the Irish Champions Festival, with a well-backed Auguste Rodin (5/2) leading the charge in the feature Irish Champion Stakes.

Punters are expecting the son of Deep Impact to bounce back from a below par performance in the King George as they play a popular O’Brien accumulator across Saturday and Sunday.

Auguste Rodin’s task of overhauling hot favourite Economics (Evs) has not stopped backers adding last year’s winner to their betting slips, with Illinois (7/4) in Doncaster’s St Leger, Kyprios (4/5) in the Irish St Leger and star two-year-old Bedtime Story (4/5) in the Moyglare Stud Stakes making up the 30/1 accumulator.

Brian O’Keeffe, spokesperson for BoyleSports, said: “It could be an absolute betting bonanza this weekend with top-class racing on both sides of the Irish Sea and punters are putting their faith in one man. Aidan O’Brien has a whole host of well-fancied runners and if they start to click, it’ll be a great weekend for everyone but the bookies.”

St Leger

7/4        Illinois

7/2        Jan Breughel

4/1        Grovesnor Square

5/1        You Got To Me

6/1        Sunway

16/1      Deira Mile

66/1      Wild Waves

Irish Champion Stakes

Evs        Economics

5/2        Auguste Rodin

5/1        Los Angeles

11/1      Ghostwriter

14/1      Luxembourg

14/1      Shin Emperor

50/1      Royal Rhyme

200/1   Hans Anderson

Irish St Leger

4/5        Kyprios

11/4      Giavellotto

6/1        Continuous

6/1        Vauban

10/1      Al Qareem

16/1      Point Lonsdale

33/1 bar