Big Duke claims the reinvented ATC St Leger

Clinton Payne - Saturday October 14

The Darren Weir-trained Big Duke enhanced his Melbourne Cup prospects with a solid staying performance to win the $500,000 ATC St Leger Stakes (2600m) at Randwick on Saturday.

Advertisement
Big Duke holds off Auvray in the ATC St Leger Stakes. Photo: Steve Hart

Big Duke is 23rd in the order of entry for Australia's greatest staying race where he is a $26 chance.

"We always thought he's a realistic chance," Weir stable rep Jarrod McLean said.

"Amelie's Star was really good last week and I haven't laid eyes on the Japanese horse (Admire Deus) yet but he's in Warrnambool now so I'm looking forward to getting back and seeing him tomorrow.

"This horse is a good stayer and he's had a great preparation for it so I'm really looking forward to what the next month holds for him."

Big Duke ($2.20 fav) defeated the luckless Richard Freedman-trained Auvray ($14) by three-quarters of a length with another 2-3/4 lengths back to Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott's Cismontane ($31) in third.

"He has got Group I ability," winning jockey Brenton Avdulla said. "Today I travelled really sweetly. The tempo was good.

"From the six furlongs (1200m) onwards, I was just looking for my way out and I was able to duck back to the inside and I went up the rise with plenty of horse.

"When we got to the front he had a bit of a look around but I reckon if Auvray got to me he would have kept running for me."

While everything in the run went the way of Big Duke, the same couldn't be said for the runner-up.

Auvray was making his run from back in the field coming to the home turn when he ran into a dead-end with the early pacesetter Zero To Ten dropping out quickly.

Auvray was held up for a good distance then got going again and did a superb job to cut back the margin to less than a length.

"We just had to wait for Destiny's Kiss to go and we were just in the wrong place at the wrong time," Auvray's jockey Kerrin McEvoy said.

"We were so far back that I didn't want to go around them and cover the extra ground so I stayed to the inside but unfortunately it didn't work out this time.

"Full credit to Richard (Freedman), he's got him going great. He was definitely unlucky not to win."

Auvray is also entered for the Melbourne Cup but it's likely he would need to win the ballot exemption race – the Lexus Stakes (2500m) at Flemington on November 4 to force his way into the field. The seven-year-old is 43rd in the Melbourne Cup order of entry.

"He's been up for a long time so we'll see how he comes through today before I decide if we go to Melbourne or not," Freedman said.

"He's still in the Cup but that's a long way off and there are plenty of nice races for him down there if we decide to go.

"He's been up since early this year but he still looks great and dare I say it but I think that was his best run for me."

Auvray is a $251 chance for the Melbourne Cup.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Sires With Winners - Saturday October 25
Here is the full list of 136 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Yes Yes Yes 3YO Shooting for G2 on Monday
Last year’s Gr.2 James and Annie Sarten Memorial (1400m) set Savaglee up for Group One glory in Christchurch, and Matamata trainer Pam Gerard is hoping to follow a similar blueprint in 2025 with her Yes Yes Yes 3YO Affirmative Action..
Undefeated 3YO King of Light Wins Listed Belgravia
Dan Morton's exciting three year old King Of Light (Earthlight) remains unbeaten in three starts, as the gelding graduated to stakes company with a scintillating first up victory in the Listed Belgravia Stakes on Cox Plate Day at Ascot.
Te Akau Win G3 War Decree Stakes with Snitzel Filly
Te Akau Racing made a blistering start to the afternoon across both New Zealand meetings on Saturday, racking up six wins in a three-hour period including with a pair of potential candidates for next month’s Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m).
Wootton Bassett Colt Leads Coolmore G1 Trifecta
The last British Group I race of the flat season was run overnight at Doncaster with Aidan O’Brien producing a trifecta of two year-old colts led by a son of the late Wootton Bassett (GB) in Hawk Mountain, who was too good for a pair of Frankel colts.
Transatlantic Takes $1million Five Diamonds Prelude
Transatlantic’s lucrative spring carnival continued at Randwick with an arrogant victory in the $1m Five Diamonds Prelude.
First Winner for Home Affairs
Exciting young sire Home Affairs opened his account with his first winner in New Zealand on Saturday with a dominant debut victory for race favourite Harvey Wallbanger at Ellerslie.
Doubtland 2YO All On Red Smashes Them Again at Ascot
Widden Stud's Doubtland has a potential 2YO topliner in Perth in the shape of exciting WA colt All On Red, who remains undefeated from two starts after another comprehensive Ascot Saturday win.
Pedigree Watch - Powerhouse Godolphin 3YOs Dominate
The current crop of three year-olds running for Godolphin lay claim to being the best they have ever produced in Australia and three of those colts won Group races in Australia on Saturday so let’s take a look at those pedigrees.
Stefi Magnetica Smashes Through $7m Mark
Already a dual Group1 winner, Bjorn Baker’s 5yo All Too Hard mare Stefi Magnetica added the $2m Group 2 ATC The Invitational (1400m) to her impressive record, with her earnings smashing through the $7m mark for her ownership group headed by the Cunningham family.