Amelia Earhart to join Christmas Day and Pierre Bonnard at Doncaster

Amelia Earhart, who was sent off favourite for the Oaks, is set to join her stablemates Christmas Day and Pierre Bonnard in the Betfred St Leger at Doncaster on Saturday week.

Aidan O’Brien had big hopes for the daughter of Camelot following her winning reappearance at Chester, but she came up short at Epsom and in the Irish Oaks at the Curragh and has also been beaten in a Group Two at Goodwood and a Group Three at Cork since.

But O’Brien is set to give her one final shot at Classic glory against the colts on Town Moor.

“The plan is for the horses that ran in the Voltigeur to go and what’s a little bit different is Amelia Earhart might go as well,” he said on Monday.

“We were preparing for the fillies’ race at Doncaster (Park Hill Stakes) and the boss (John Magnier) said ‘why not let her take her chance with the colts?’. There’s only one Classic and she can go to France after that for the Group One fillies’ race (Prix de Royallieu) if it didn’t work.”

Amelia Earhart is a 66-1 shot for the St Leger with bet365, who make Derby hero Christmas Day their 7-4 favourite and Pierre Bonnard next best at 5-2.

Pierre Bonnard was second and Christmas Day third behind the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe-bound Maltese Cross in the Great Voltigeur Stakes at York just under a fortnight ago, but O’Brien expects the extra distance of the Leger to suit Christmas Day better.

He added: “The main ones would be Christmas Day, Pierre Bonnard and the filly.

“I always thought Christmas Day would outgun Pierre Bonnard over a mile and six (furlongs) and over a mile and a half I thought Pierre Bonnard might be the horse. That’s the way it looked in York, but he didn’t have the 5lb penalty Christmas Day had.

“Both horses got a break and they were just ready to start back in York. They went a very strong gallop and it probably set up for the winner, but he is obviously a good horse as well.

“We were using the York race as a prep for the next day.”