St Leger Festival: Consent in frame to go one better in Doncaster's Betfred Park Hill Fillies’ Stakes

The daughter of Lope De Vega found just Santorini Star too good in this Group Two event last season, before gaining revenge on her old foe at ParisLongchamp to claim the Prix de Royallieu.

William Haggas’ high-class mare is missing from the Town Moor line-up this time and the Heath House handler is hoping Consent’s timely improved showing at Goodwood last month is a signal she is ready to recreate her best.

Prescott said: “Mr Haggas’ lovely filly just had too much pace for us last year, but we then went to France for the Prix de Royallieu and they finished the other way round. The rain had come then and we managed to beat her. It got her a Group One, which is the main thing.

“She really did not run very well at Longchamp in May, but she was much better at Goodwood and I hope the rain and late season will help her here.

"She’s a filly who comes in season a lot during the spring and summer, but cycles much better when it comes to the autumn.

“I hope the easier ground and timing can help her come back to her proper form.”

Consent was fourth when last seen in the Lillie Langtry Stakes, a race where Owen Burrows’ Waardah was beaten only a quarter of a length in third.

Seen only twice this season, her handler is optimistic of a bold showing now encountering something resembling her preferred surface.

Burrows said: “She seems in good form and I think she will appreciate the easier surface and we go there hopeful.

“She’s been quiet all summer and I’m not sure how soft Doncaster will be, but it will certainly be much more to her liking than what Goodwood was.

“We’ve a few races in mind and we always thought she would have a busy autumn once the ground came right. It starts Thursday and depending on how it goes she could have another couple of runs after that.”

John and Thady Gosden’s Danielle was seeking a hat-trick when well held behind both of the above on the Sussex Downs, yet brings winning course form to the table and was fourth in this event last term.

Meanwhile, Johnny Murtagh’s Floresta was a place further adrift in fifth in 2025 and makes another raid on South Yorkshire having already won the Stanerra Stakes this season and she was not disgraced in the Curragh Cup most recently.

PJ Colville, manager for owners Newtown Anner Stud, said: “She’s in good nick. She needed her first run back badly, but then put up a good performance in Fairyhouse when winning the Group Three.

"She beat Goodie Two Shoes that day, who franked the form at Goodwood beating some of these.

“Her run the last day was a good performance I think because we were running her 11 days back and might not have given her enough time.

"She likes to be fresh, but she wasn’t beaten far and I think she will be in the mix for sure.”

Richard Hannon believes Alderman can prove his Derby run was no fluke in the Betfred St Leger on Saturday, if the heavens open on Town Moor between now and the big race.

The Study Of Man colt produced a huge effort at Epsom behind Christmas Day on rain-softened ground, storming home in fifth at 100-1 under Pat Dobbs and beaten just over seven lengths.

After being given time to recover from getting jarred up at Newmarket in the Bahrain Trophy on his only subsequent start, Hannon feels rain, and plenty of it, could see him again outrun big odds.

“The ground was simply too quick in the Bahrain Trophy. He is a big, strong, heavy mature horse and he just found the ground a little too quick and came back a little bit jarred up afterwards,” said Hannon, whose Epsom runner-up Mojo Star was second to Hurricane Lane in the 2021 Leger.

“So we have given him a nice break and got him back in good form at home and, if it is a washout, anything could happen. It looked like it might have happened in the Derby. He really could not have run any better.”