O’Brien feels Foundry can forge win in St Leger in spite of his inexperience

It is a big ask. A winner on his debut at Leopardstown in November last year, Foundry then overcame a 290-day absence to finish an eyecatching second to the now injury-sidelined Telescope in York’s Neptune Investment Management Great Voltigeur Stakes – a key St leger trial.

The Ballydoyle trainer, who has won the Doncaster mile and six furlong test on three previous occasions, was upbeat as 14 runners were provisionally declared for Saturday’s showpiece. Final confirmations are due on Thursday.

“We were delighted with Foundry’s run last time in the Great Voltigeur at York,” said O’Brien at yesterday’s St Leger lunch.

“That was his first run of the season and he was still running for experience, so we were delighted with how forward he was.

“He has had three weeks since York and is in good form. You would hope that the extra trip at Doncaster will be within his compass. He is a big, long-striding, good-moving horse and came home very well at York.”

Foundry is one of five Irish-trained runners as the Emerald Isle seeks its first victory since O’Brien’s Scorpion prevailed in 2005 under Frankie Dettori.

Though O’Brien’s Eye Of The Storm is unlikely to run, stablemate Leading Light remains one of the 4-1 co-favourites with the sponsors in one of the most open renewals of the world’s oldest Classic in recent times.

The son of Montjeu has won four of his five starts, most recently taking the two-mile Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot in June.

However, O’Brien disclosed that the horse has been overcoming a slight training setback.

“We thought of going to the Voltigeur with him but he was not 100 per cent and gave him a couple of weeks off,” he added.

“We have been very happy with him over the last three weeks though and we always thought that Doncaster would suit him. He has not disappointed us yet, travels well and always finds plenty off the bridle.”

The other co-favourites are John Gosden’s Excess Knowledge, who will be ridden by James Doyle in his new role as Prince Khalid Abdullah’s retained rider, and Irish raider Galileo Rock, who was placed in both the English and Irish Derbies.

His trainer David Wachman said: “He has run well in two Derbys and is very much entitled to take his chance on Saturday. His three-parts brother, Saddler’s Rock, stays well and hopefully he does too.”

There will be no local runners in this year’s race – Ann Duffield has withdrawn Willie The Whipper while Dante hero Libertarian has since switched from Karl and Elaine Burke’s yard at Leyburn to Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin operation in Newmarket.

Though Libertarian appeared to have the stamp of a St Leger horse when he finished second in the Epsom Derby, he has not raced since being well-beaten in the Irish equivalent and three Grade One races in six weeks earlier this year appear to have left their mark.

“Libertarian was bought with the Ladbrokes St Leger very much in mind. We thought he would be an ideal candidate for the Classic,” said Godolphin racing manager Simon 
Crisford. “But, having said that, I cannot help wondering if that will backfire.

“His run in the Irish Derby was too bad to be true, but the ground was very quick that day and he didn’t like it. It has taken him a long time to get over that race, while he had a very hard campaign in the spring.

“Libertarian never shows anything in his work – I think we are going there guessing. The jury is out and he still has a lot to prove.”

Tickets for the four-day festival, which begins tomorrow, are still available for most enclosures.

While Saturday’s St Leger crowd is likely to fall just short of the 30,000 who watched O’Brien’s Camelot try but fail to win the Triple Crown last year, more than 55,000 racegoers are expected on Town Moor this week.