Events / John Patrick / 11 September 2007 /

Gosden inmate is the Student Punter's selection for the final Classic of the flat season

A little bit of extra curricular activity down the library this week has thrown up some interesting facts...

The St Leger, the worlds oldest classic, was first run on Cantley Common on the 24th September, 1776. The brainchild of Anthony St Leger, the race initially remained namless until 1778 when Charles Watson-Wentworth, second Marquess of Rockingham, who owned the first winner, suggested the race should be named after St Leger rather than himself.

In 1779 the St Leger was moved to the Town Moor where it remains today.

Thankfully last week showed a profit on the betting front courtesy of Duke of Marmalade, who landed the each-way money finishing second in the Irish Champion Stakes following a quiet spell.

And as a firm believer in striking whilst the iron is still hot the time is right to re-invest on Doncaster's showpiece this coming Saturday.

Although I have only been following racing closely for the past six or seven years (I am only 21 after all!), my overwhelming impression of the St Leger is that the appearance of a horse with a little Group One form will both start favourite and collect the pot.

This year however that does not seem to be the case.

With reliable Group form thin on the ground and inmates from the Aiden O'Brien responsible for three of the top four in the betting, value is to be had by looking elsewhere and to me Raincoat looks the ideal candidate to cause a shock and repel the Irish raiders.

Although the three-year-old has not raced since July, the colt's handler John Gosden has made no secret of the fact this race has been in mind for months and therefore avoided the racecourse to ensure his charge arrives fresh and primed to run a big race come Saturday.

On first glance the colt's form may not look up to scratch given this is a Group One contest, but upon closer inspection a case can be made and after all this is by no means the strongest Group One run this season.

Following a successful seasonal reappearance Raincoat finished second to Authorized in the Dante, solid form in anyone's book and form which was considered strong enough to see him sent off favourite for the French Derby over one mile and two furlongs.

Unsurprisingly he failed to shine that day over an inadequate trip but, despite meeting trouble in running, was beaten only seven lengths.

However, his fourth and final outing so far this year is of most interest.

Despite being held-up off a farcical early pace which resulted in a sprint finish, Raincoat still managed to finish third, only one length behind the winner and surrounded by horses which, if fit, would almost certainly have been at the head of the market for Saturday's race.

The son of Barathea remains open to considerable improvement, shapes as though the trip will surely suit and given the fact a pacemaker is in place to ensure a strong gallop for fancied runners Honolulu and Mahler, the gallop should be true.

Currently available at 11.5 on Betfair, Raincoat rates a solid value bet, certainly one of my strongest over the past couple of months and is a confident selection to win.

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