A few weeks ago, the obvious St Leger story was Christmas Day. The Derby winner had the Classic form, the Aidan O’Brien record behind him, and a clear place at the top of the betting after Maltese Cross was taken out of the Doncaster race in favour of a possible Arc run.
Now there is another horse heading the market. Enceladus has been one of the best-backed runners in the build-up to Saturday’s St Leger, and Joseph O’Brien’s colt is now around 9/4 with several firms.
From Cork Maiden to Classic Favourite
Enceladus started 2026 as a twice-raced maiden. He had finished third on both starts as a two-year-old, at the Curragh and Naas, and returned at Cork on 24th April for an extended ten-furlong maiden. He won, but only by a head, getting the better of newcomer Almazann after a long battle through the closing stages.
Joseph O’Brien’s comments afterward were measured insofar as he saw Enceladus as a horse who could improve and thought a three-year-old handicap over longer distances would make sense.
Enceladus then went to Royal Ascot for the King George V Handicap over a mile and a half, running off an official rating of 89, with Ryan Moore in the saddle, and going off at 7/1.
He won by half a length from Al Azd, and while a Royal Ascot handicap win is valuable enough on its own, Joseph O’Brien then sent him straight into the Group 3 Gordon Stakes at Goodwood.
He started 6/4 favourite and won again, putting him firmly in the St Leger picture.
The Gordon Stakes Put Him Into the St Leger Argument
The Gordon Stakes has long been a useful race for high-class three-year-olds over a mile and a half, and Enceladus handled his first run in Group company with no fuss.
He beat Geryon by a length and a quarter, with Venetian Lace more than four lengths further back in third. It was his third win in a row and showed that the jump from handicap company had not exposed him.
His official rating has since climbed to 112. And yes, that is still below Christmas Day on 118, and Pierre Bonnard on 116, but ratings are only part of the argument with a colt who has raced five times in his life and has improved with every run this season.
Christmas Day has already shown his level in major races. Pierre Bonnard has been tested repeatedly against strong Group company. Enceladus still has the attraction of not knowing exactly where his ceiling is.
That uncertainty is one of the main reasons why the market has moved so strongly towards him.
Why Joseph O’Brien Missed York
One of the more interesting decisions in Enceladus’s St Leger preparation was not to run in the Great Voltigeur at York.
That race eventually went to Maltese Cross, with Pierre Bonnard second and Christmas Day third. It gave those two Doncaster rivals another hard race over a mile and a half in August.
However, Joseph O’Brien chose a different route, and after Goodwood, he and the Niarchos family decided to keep Enceladus fresh and head straight to Doncaster. O’Brien later said the preparation had gone smoothly and described him as a live contender.
That means Enceladus arrives after a break of a little over six weeks, with three wins behind him and without having been asked to race again after Goodwood.
For an improving colt stepping up to almost a mile and seven furlongs for the first time, freshness may be useful.
Billy Loughnane Gets a Major Chance
Billy Loughnane has been booked to ride Enceladus, with Joseph O’Brien’s regular jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle out through injury.
Loughnane has become one of the leading young riders in Britain and now gets a serious chance in the final Classic of the season on a horse who could start favourite.
There is also an interesting contrast within Joseph O’Brien’s team. Saffie Osborne rides Highwayman, the stable’s other runner, and that horse has shortened into around 10/1 or 11/1 after two wins over longer distances.
So with two runners, O’Brien has every chance of causing an upset on Saturday.
Joseph O’Brien Knows This Race From Both Sides
Back in the day, Joseph O’Brien won the St Leger as a jockey in 2013 aboard Leading Light, trained by his father Aidan. Seven years later, he won it as a trainer with Galileo Chrome.
So he already knows what is required at Doncaster both in the saddle and from the training side.
This year he could stop his father winning the race for a fourth season in a row, having already been victorious with Continuous, Jan Brueghel and Scandinavia, taking his overall total to nine.
Aidan O’Brien’s final 2026 team contains Christmas Day, Pierre Bonnard, Action and Amelia Earhart. Joseph O’Brien has Enceladus and Highwayman.
Six of the 11 runners therefore come from the two O’Brien stables, giving the 250th running a strong family theme without making it a one-stable race.
Will Enceladus Start As The Favourite?
Yes, in fact, it may come down to where the money goes on Saturday morning.
Christmas Day has drifted from shorter prices as Enceladus has attracted support, and at the time of writing the pair are neck and neck in the market.
That does not mean he is suddenly the horse with the best form, it just means that backers are willing to pay to find out how good he might be.
The St Leger is the biggest test Enceladus has faced by some distance, and he has to step up from a Group 3 into a Classic, race over a longer trip than ever before and take on a Derby winner rated 6lb higher.
If Enceladus improves one more time, Christmas Day may have to produce something close to his Derby best to beat him.
BETFRED
