Irish St Leger Betting Tips (Sunday 17th September)

Aidan O'Brien has yet to train the winner of the Irish Field St Leger, but in the shape of Yeats, who is 1/3 market leader with Paddy Power, the County Tipperary-based handler looks set to put that right at The Curragh on Saturday. The son of Sadler's Wells, who was ante-post favourite for the 2004 Epsom Derby before injury caused him to miss the most of his three-year-old campaign, has looked better than ever this season since being stepped up to marathon trips. Yeats, who was fourth behind Collier Hill when joint-favourite for this race last year, finally seems to have overcome the niggling problems which have blighted his career up until this season, and couldn't have been more impressive in winning his last two races, the Ascot Gold Cup and the Goodwood Cup. The Ballydoyle inmate is a top-priced 8/1 jolly for the Melbourne Cup at Flemington in early November, a race that his compatriot Media Puzzle won in 2002. An emphatic victory in this Group 1 Irish Classic will no doubt see his odds contract further for that Australian showpiece. Yeats's main danger on Saturday would appear to be the John Oxx-trained mare and 5/1 second favourite Kastoria, who has out her disappointing effort in the Yorkshire Cup behind her by scoring over this course and distance and at Leopardstown subsequently. Her below-par effort at York may have been due to the testing conditions - it was the first time she had encountered soft going. However, the winner of that race, Percussionist, revels under such conditions. Howard Johnson's charge, a 16/1 chance, comes into this race fresh having been rested since landing that Group 2 event in May, but the ground is likely to be a shade too quick for him. Fracas, who finished fourth to Motivator in last year's Epsom Derby, is a 9/1 chance for this 14-furlong contest. The David Wachman-trained colt has had his fair share of problems but shaped with much encouragement when chasing home Cherry Mix on his first start for over a year in a Group 1 race in Cologne last month. However, their was clearly something amiss with the four-year-old on his latest outing at Baden-Baden where he was virtually tailed off and quickly dismounted after crossing the line. Clearly connections feel he is none the worse turning him out just 13 days later, but he does make for a risky proposition under the circumstances.