The result of the 100th St Leger, the featured final event of ten on today’s programme, with its journey of ten furlongs, has ruthlessly exposed the stamina limitations of the majority of the 2026 Classic aspirants. The 2025 champion juvenile, We Jammin (3-1), fully recovered from an unexplained setback, which resulted in his absence from the 2000 Guineas, outstayed Salute The Don, the winner of this Classic, authoritatively to score by just over five lengths.
Disputing the lead virtually from the starting gates with the aforementioned 2000 Guineas hero, Salute The Don (7-2), ridden by champion Raddesh Roman, the Peter-John Parsard-conditioned We Jammin, guided by 2023 champion Reyan Lewis, was always seemingly going better. In fact, with the first 1200 metres completed in 1:15.1, it was unlikely that the frontrunners would have been overtaken as they were still fresh for the 400-metre sprint to the finish.
The surprise of the race was Jason Dacosta’s third-placed, Shaheem Gordon-ridden, London Spirit (99/1), whose maiden success was on February 26 this season and accumulated a deficit of 102 lengths in five subsequent races, but was only a head separating him from runner-up Salute The Don here.
Obviously, the major disappointment of the S. Leger was 2-1 favourite Stardom, who never looked likely to take a hand in the finish. Less so was 1000 Guineas winner, Dream Catcher (3-1), who finished 5th by 11 lengths. On now to the 12-furlong Jamaica Derby on Independence Day, August 06, and the principal contenders for this final Classic will remain, and it will be interesting to see if trainer Jason DaCosta will point Dream Catcher to the Oaks on August 1 or the Derby.
Three-year-old maiden colt Juventus One (6-1) led and won the seven-furlong opening event by 4 ½ lengths, representing the outfit of former three-time champion Anthony Nunes and ridden by former six-time titlist Omar Walker.
Veteran trainer Spencer Chung saddled two winners on the day. Firstly, race two, a six-furlong sprint, went to Goodbye Firefly (1-5) by just over two lengths with Tajay Suckoo at the reins. Secondly, in race eight run at seven furlongs, US-bred Rocket Fire Seb (1-5) scored by 1½ lengths to give Raddesh Roman his second on the day.
Roman, in tandem with Parsard for the riding and stable double, took race five with Bangarang (2-1) winning the straight five gallop by just under two lengths.
Of double success, jockey Tevin Foster was aboard Password (2-5), a twelve-length runaway in the eight-furlong race three. Trained by Lawrence Freemantle, Password also opened a double for his stable.
Foster's closing leg came astride Modern Monarch (8-5), saddled by owner Carl Anderson, to win the five-furlong straight sixth event by over seven lengths.
Fremantle’s opener was Life Is Life (2-1) ridden by Eric Haughton nearly three lengths ahead at the end of the seven-furlong gallop of race four.
Not to be outdone, the four-time champion and current leading trainer Jason DaCosta also actualized two opportunities. In race seven, over six furlongs, Eye Of The Tiger (6-5), assisted by Miss Abigail Able, won by a length and a half from in front. Then in race nine, defeat was out of the question for Dothraki (USA), ridden by Robert Halledeen, was 7 ½ lengths the best at odds of 1-2 favourite on the five-furlong round course.
