2025 St Leger News - Quotes From Connections
The 2025 St Leger Stakes, the final Classic of the British flat racing season, brings together an exciting field of eight. Trainers and connections shared optimistic updates on their contenders, including Scandinavia, Carmers, Further, and Rahiebb. Aidan O'Brien's runners are seen as strong prospects, while others like Carmers and Rahiebb are expected to improve. The general consensus is that the field is competitive and results could come down to fine margins on race day.
- Key quotes ahead of the 2025 St Leger
- This Classic will be run at Doncaster on Saturday 13th September
- Read quotes from Aidan O'Brien, Paddy Twomey, Andrew Balding and more on our website
- Aidan O'Brien (Scandinavia, Lambourn & Stay True)
- Paddy Twomey (Carmers)
- Andrew Balding (Further)
- Roger Varian (Rahiebb)
- Barry Mahon (Racing Manager to Tarriance's owners)
St Leger Quotes
The final Classic of the British flat racing season takes place on Saturday, as a classy field of eight contests the historic St Leger Stakes.
Here are the quotes from the connections of the horses who'll run in Saturday's St Leger.
2025 St Leger - Key Quotes
Aidan O'Brien (Scandinavia, Lambourn & Stay True)
It will be interesting, there might not be much between them.
Scandinavia came out of Goodwood well. He will be interesting as he looks a lovely, big and improving three-year-old. Beating the older horses is always tough to do and Illinois is a very solid horse too.
Lambourn, we’ve been happy with him since York, he didn’t have a hard race there and he’s been in good form since. Obviously what he did early in the season was brilliant.
Stay True has come forward from York, which we always thought he would. He ran well in the Lingfield Derby Trial and hasn’t run much. We haven’t seen the best of him yet.
Paddy Twomey (Carmers)
He’s been good since York and he’s been a progressive horse all year.
He won well at Royal Ascot and I thought the Voltigeur was a good trial for a race like the Leger. He dropped back in trip and it will have sharpened him up a good bit and I think he will come forward for it.
This is the logical next step and the Leger trip is where his best form is at, so I think you’ll see an improved performance back over a mile and six on Saturday.
Andrew Balding (Further)
I'd hope he'd have a great chance. We made an entry and this is a trial as it were, so why not? We can put a line through his last run, and if you look at his Ascot performance and today, then he fully deserves his place in the line-up.
If we hadn't run him at Newmarket and had come here straight from Ascot then he'd have been the 6-4 favourite, I'd have thought. You always have concerns after he ran as poorly as he did at Newmarket, but I think there were legitimate excuses for that.
We've had a nice break before the Leger and hopefully we have him in the same form.
Roger Varian (Rahiebb)
We’re fond of the race and it’s nice to be involved again this year.
Going back to May, he gave Merchant 8lb in a handicap at York and was only beaten two and a half lengths and I think time has told us that was a good run.
Our Vase performance was very strong and he was still learning that day and didn’t do everything perfectly. He was only beaten a length by Carmers, so that was arguably a very good Leger trial in itself and I would be inclined to forgive him his run in the Gordon Stakes at Goodwood.
If we can focus on his run at Ascot in the Vase, he’s there or thereabouts certainly with Paddy Twomey’s horse. I personally think the top two are very strong and you’ve got a dual Derby winner who isn’t even favourite and Scandinavia has found a whole new level of form since finishing behind us (fifth) in the Vase.
I think Aidan’s big two will be tough to topple, but I have thought for a long time my horse is a Leger type who appears to be as good as he’s ever been. We’ve had this race in mind for a good while and if you can forgive him his Goodwood run, then perhaps he shouldn’t be overlooked.
Barry Mahon (Racing Manager to Tarriance's owners)
I'd say he's a stayer with a future. Hopefully, he's a horse to keep on the team for next year and he might even get a little further, the way he hit the line there.
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