Wimbledon Racing / Darrell Williams / 10 October 2008 / Leave a comment

Darrell Williams feels the race lacks strength in depth and believes the winner is likely to come from the top end of ante post market.

I'd hoped my early preview of the St Leger last week, which kicks off with eight first round heats at Wimbledon on Saturday, might have put us ahead of the game, and given doubts about one or two of the leading hopes, by selecting College Causeway I thought we might have been in a good position even before the event began.

Alas the antiquated ruling that requires the Irish runners to have two local trials, even though their Irish form is widely known, put paid to, in my mind, a potential winner travelling over. So we now find ourselves behind without a round having even been run.

The more I look at the runners left in, I'm convinced the race lacks strength in depth, and the winner is highly likely to come from the top end of the ante post market. Lenson Joker is, of course, the one to beat, as he bids to go one better than when chasing home Spiridon Louis 12 months ago. Tony Collett's charge would surely seal the Greyhound of the Year crown if he can deliver here, and on a run of 11 consecutive victories many will look no further. Given his excellent trial the other day, and his love of Wimbledon - remember he was also a Derby Quarter-finalist - that could easily turn out to be an excellent play, but at the odds he simply has to be taken on.

I did consider Flying Winner as a saver in my original piece, given the superb record of top class marathon runners in recent Legers, but also suggested not backing her until nearer the event. However her preparation has hardly been ideal and with a lack of local form, she is now reluctantly overlooked.

Bubbly Totti, on the other hand, has plenty to recommend him. Ted Soppitt's runner for the Champagne Club Syndicate could hardly be in better form, with his win on Sky at Belle Vue the other day his seventh in eleven starts, a run which also includes victory in the recent Yorkshire Leger at Doncaster. When you remember he was also runner-up in the Scottish Derby, and reached the Derby Quarter-finals at the host track, it's enough to make him my (revised) main selection.

Closely matched with 'Totti' on Yorkshire Leger form and in the same heat on Saturday (8.45) I'd also suggest a small interest on Midway Skipper. Perhaps by virtue of coming from an unfashionable yard, that of Henry Chalkley, her achievements have probably not been given the credit they deserve. A winner of eight of her last ten races, she was also third in the TV Trophy, and actually beat her rival in the Yorkshire Leger semis, before finishing third in the final. A beating of Flying Winner at Coventry last week is further evidence of her current well being, and only the omission of any Wimbledon form prevents me from going in even stronger.

That last comment also applies to Head Iton Paddy, who nevertheless comes here in good heart on a run of three wins, and warrants inclusion purely on the basis of price, with Chris Allsopp's runner simply too big in the ante post lists.