Bumper entry for Doncaster The 225th renewal of the world`s oldest Classic, the Stg£350,000 Group One Rothmans Royals St Leger, has attracted a bumper entry of 62 - four more than last year, it was announced today. Aidan O`Brien, who has landed six European Classics so far this season, has the largest number of entries of any trainer - 14 in total. They are headed by the brilliant filly Imagine, who is a dual Classic winner already, having landed the Irish 1000 Guineas and Vodafone Oaks. O`Brien`s other entries are Bonnard, Chamela Bay, El Bueno, Hans Anderson, Hemingway, Ice Dancer, Life Match, Mediterranean, Milan, Pebble Island, Saddler`s Creek, Snake Mountain and Snowflake. Apart from O`Brien`s entries, Ireland is well represented with five other possibles. Included among these are the John Oxx-trained pair Sahara Slew, winner of the Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot, and the Irish Derby fourth Pugin. Sahara Slew is currently sidelined but Pugin could be on course for Town Moor. 'Hehad a great run in the Derby and I`m hopeful he will be a Leger type,' said Oxx. Godolphin won the Rothmans Royal St Leger three times during the 1990s with Classic Cliche (1995), Nedawi (1998) and Mutafaweq (1999). In 2001, the Maktoum family`s operation has seven entries - Alunissage, Atlantis Prince, Equerry, Morahib, Musha Merr, Narrative and Wareed. Lambourn-based Barry Hills was victorious in the Rothmans Royals St Leger with Moonax (1994) and he has entered Mr Combustible and Storming Home - fourth and fifth respectively in the Vodafone Derby at Epsom. Storming Home has since won the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot, while Mr Combustible finished sixth in Sunday`s Irish Derby. Last year`s winning trainer, John Dunlop, who was successful with Millenary and also Silver Patriarch (1997) and Moon Madness (1986), has Fair Question and Shaandar entered in 2001. Michael Jarvis may have waited over 30 years for his first British Classic victory, achieved byAmeerat in the Sagitta 1000 Guineas, but the Newmarket handler has a strong Leger hand in Italian Derby winner Morshdi and Derby eighth Putra Sandhurst. The Leger was named as Morshdi`s long-term target after he had finished second to Galileo in Sunday`s Irish Derby. Henry Cecil, successful with Light Cavalry (1980), Oh So Sharp (1985), Reference Point (1987) and Michelozzo (1989), has just one entry, Year Two Thousand. He was a close fourth in the Queen`s Vase to And Beyond, who is one of three entries from Mark Johnston`s Middleham stable. Although Newmarket trainer Sir Michael Stoute has yet to win the Leger, he holds a strong entry of seven - Alexius, Artillery, Beekeeper, Dilshaan, Flight Of Fancy, Halawan, and Qaatef. Dilshaan took last season`s Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster and this season`s Dante Stakes at York, while Flight Of Fancy, second to Imagine in the Oaks, will be attempting to become the Queen`s first Classic winner since Dunfermline outstayed Alleged in the 1977 St Leger. Three entries hail from Europe this year, the French-trained Roman Saddle and the German-trained duo Krombacher and Street Poker, ninth and seventh respectively in Sunday`s German Derby.
