When one horse is priced at around 1/3 for an 11-runner Group 1, searching for an alternative requires a slightly different approach.
And there is no point pretending Scandinavia is an ordinary favourite heading into Sunday’s Irish St Leger at the Curragh.
Aidan O’Brien’s four-year-old has won seven races in succession, and his current sequence includes the 2025 Goodwood Cup, the St Leger at Doncaster, the 2026 Ascot Gold Cup and another Goodwood Cup in July.
But that does not mean every horse behind him should be ignored as evidenced by Saffie Osborne winning yesterday’s St Leger at Doncaster and Hotazhell winning the Irish Champion Stakes at 50/1!
With each-way and place markets likely to interest plenty of bettors, there are two runners in particular who have enough relevant Curragh form to make them worth discussing: Queenstown and Trustyourinstinct.
Neither needs Scandinavia to run badly simply to have a good race, and both have already shown that Sunday’s course and distance suit them.
Queenstown – The Trial Winner at a Much Bigger Price
Queenstown is an unusual runner to find around the 22/1 mark because his only start of 2026 resulted in a decisive win over the same course and distance.
The six-year-old had been missing since October 2025 after suffering an injury, having finished second in the Prix Royal-Oak on his previous appearance.
Aidan O’Brien and his team therefore had to get him back after 300 days away from competitive racing. He returned in the Irish St Leger Trial at the Curragh on 22nd August and was sent off at 9/1.
He travelled close to the pace and moved clear in the closing stages, beating Kizlyar by four and a half lengths.
It is difficult to ask for a much better piece of preparation for an Irish St Leger given that it’s the same racecourse, the same one-mile-six-furlong distance, a comfortable victory, and with three weeks between races.
Queenstown was returning from a long absence when he earned that trial win. It is reasonable to think he could improve for having had the race, particularly after Aidan O’Brien explained how much work had gone into getting the horse back after his injury.
One possible way to test Scandinavia is to make stamina count from earlier in the race. Whether Queenstown himself is asked to play that role remains to be seen, but his running style gives connections options.
He looks far more interesting than simply viewing him as Scandinavia’s less-fancied stablemate.
Trustyourinstinct: The Curragh Specialist
If Queenstown appeals because of one recent performance, Trustyourinstinct appeals because of what he has repeatedly done at the Curragh.
Joseph O’Brien’s six-year-old has raced nine times at the track and has finished in the first three on every occasion, with four of those races resulting in victories.
That is a remarkably reliable record at any racecourse, particularly one hosting a Group 1 over a distance that can expose weaknesses very quickly.
Trustyourinstinct also has much more than simply course form. On July 19th he stepped up to one mile and six furlongs for the Group 2 Curragh Cup.
He was held up towards the rear before making progress inside the final two furlongs and getting to the front late, beating Happy Pharoah by three-quarters of a length, with Al Riffa, who won the Irish St Leger in 2025, finishing third.
There is an obvious warning attached to Trustyourinstinct in that he has never run in a Group 1, and a Curragh Cup win is not the same as beating the current leading stayer in Europe.
But his 2026 form has been remarkably steady after a disappointing seasonal return. He won at Gowran Park in June, finished second in the Group 3 International Stakes at the Curragh later that month, and then won the Curragh Cup in July.
The question is whether he is simply a good Group 2 horse or whether there is enough improvement available to get involved at Group 1 level.
Queenstown or Trustyourinstinct?
The choice between the two depends on what type of bet you are considering.
Queenstown has greater scope to improve from his latest run because it was his first appearance for 300 days. He also won the recognised Irish St Leger Trial by four and a half lengths.
Trustyourinstinct has the stronger body of recent Curragh form and has already won a Group 2 over the exact course and distance.
If the aim is finding the horse most likely to finish in the places, Trustyourinstinct’s consistency makes him particularly appealing.
If the aim is finding a runner who could take another step forward and get closer to Scandinavia than the ratings currently suggest, Queenstown makes plenty of sense.
Scandinavia Does Not Need to Underperform for the Others to Run Well
The danger with any discussion about alternatives to a short-priced favourite is turning it into a prediction that the favourite will lose.
That is not the argument here, and Scandinavia deserves his place at the head of the market. He has been unbeaten since the early part of last season, has won over Sunday’s distance and has proved himself from one mile and six furlongs all the way up to the Gold Cup distance at Royal Ascot.
If he runs to his best rating, Queenstown and Trustyourinstinct both need significant improvement to beat him.
But horse racing is not only about finding the winner, and for an each-way bet Queenstown is around 22/1 despite having won the Irish St Leger Trial by four and a half lengths over the same track and distance.
Trustyourinstinct is around 9/1 after four wins and five placed finishes from nine Curragh starts, including victory in the Group 2 Curragh Cup over one mile and six furlongs.
Scandinavia remains the horse they all have to catch, but if anyone is going to make the favourite earn his eighth straight victory on Sunday, Queenstown and Trustyourinstinct look two of the better candidates to try.
BETFRED
