Frankie Dettori poised for sixth St Leger on worthy favourite Rewilding

REWILDING has so much in his favour he has run out of boxes to tick as the likely winner of today's Ladbrokes St Leger at Doncaster.

The colt has been improving at a rate of knots all season, his jockey Frankie Dettori has won the oldest Classic five times, his owners Godolphin have done likewise, he handles all types of ground, and he could not have been more impressive when routing his rivals in his prep race, the Great Voltigeur at York.

The trickle of ante-post money which followed that awesome display on the Knavesmire has become a deluge, and his price now is generally 5-4 - that looks fair, and will even look mighty generous should he trot into the winner's enclosure as expected at around 3.30 this afternoon.

Racing has proved time and time again that there is no such thing as a cast-iron certainty, and the trip of an extended one mile, six furlongs is an unknown distance for Rewilding, but he has shaped like a Leger horse all season, and he looks a cut above the rivals he faces at Town Moor today.

That argument takes on more credence given his rich pedigree as he is a half-brother to three Group 1 scorers from a top-notch middle-distance family that includes the likes of Dar Re Mi.

Trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni has worked wonders with the colt, previously handled by Andre Fabre in France. He made quite a splash on his British debut when running amok in the Cocked Hat Stakes at Goodwood - forcing connections to supplement him into the Derby.

And while he shaped most promisingly at Epsom, staying on from the rear to finish third, he was blatantly left hamstrung by the exacting undulations of the Surrey venue.

His return to action at a more conventional track in a white-hot renewal of the Great Voltigeur underlined that theory, and rubber-stamped his unquestionable class.

Rewilding was faultless at York, turning the renowned Leger trial into nothing more than a light hack and defeating a clutch of reopposing rivals by upwards of four lengths. Punters should not be detracted by any potential quagmire either, as Rewilding won on heavy ground in France.

While rookie trainer Al Zarooni has obviously yet to win a Classic, Godolphin's Leger record is superb, with five winning gongs already shoehorned into Sheikh Mohammed's trophy cabinet.

The Dettori factor also has a magnetic pull. The Italian is a specialist in this Classic, having won the race five times and has long held an unswerving belief that Rewilding holds the key to a sixth Leger for him.

Aidan O'Brien seeks his fourth Leger through Midas Touch and Joshua Tree. With Johnny Murtagh not at Doncaster, the trainer will use Colm O'Donoghue and Jamie Spencer for the respective runners. Total Command was only ninth in the Voltigeur, his first run since finishing third in the Queen's Vase at Royal Ascot, but trainer Sir Michael Stoute forgives him that effort. "His preparation for the Voltigeur went badly, we felt he badly needed the race," said Stoute.

"He had a skin infection and a joint infection and he was getting messed around. The ground was probably quick enough for him at York too. Everything has gone smoothly since then."

John Gosden, twice successful before, runs Arctic Cosmos. He caught the eye when closing to third behind Rebel Soldier and today's rival Dandino in the Gordon Stakes at Goodwood.

"We had this race in mind since he was second in the King Edward VII at Royal Ascot," he said.

"He's a giant of a horse - the end of this year and next year will be important for him - and he will appreciate some rain.

Ed Dunlop admits he is completely in the dark as to whether Snow Fairy will stay the St Leger trip. Should the dual Oaks winner come home first at Doncaster, she will become only the seventh filly since the Second World War and the first since User Friendly in 1992 to take the season's final Classic. "She has been a star to us, whatever happens on Saturday we won't forget what has happened already," said Dunlop.

It's also the Irish St Leger at the Curragh today, and the Jeremy Noseda-trained Sans Frontieres goes to Ireland on the back of convincing wins in the Princess of Wales's Stakes at Newmarket and Newbury's Geoffrey Freer Stakes. A good display here should guarantee his place in the line-up for the Melbourne Cup.