The St Leger at Doncaster produced a result that dashed hopes of a royal fairytale, as Continuous, ridden by Ryan Moore, claimed victory for Aidan O'Brien. The King and Queen were among a sell-out crowd, but Desert Hero, carrying the royal colours, could only finish third. The wait for a Classic winner owned by the reigning monarch now extends to at least 47 years.
Frankie Dettori, riding Arrest for Juddmonte, finished second, just under three lengths behind the winner. The 11-4 favourite never seriously threatened once Moore injected pace into the race a quarter of a mile from home, with Continuous staying on powerfully to the line.
O'Brien, celebrating his seventh St Leger winner, paid tribute to the royal presence and to Dettori, who retires later this season. "It's so special that the king and queen were here," O'Brien said. "Frankie is another who is special... he's beaten us in so many races, I cannot tell you, and I can't wait until he retires."
Continuous could now be a late entrant for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe on 1 October. O'Brien said it would be up to the Coolmore owners, but noted the colt's stamina and ability on soft ground. No Leger winner has ever followed up at Longchamp in the same season; Ballymoss (1957 Leger, 1958 Arc) is the only horse to win both races.
Moore was confident throughout, saying: "Over these trips you want the horse to be taking you... he's out of a Galileo mare so I was always confident he'd stay." Continuous was cut to 12-1 for the Arc from 33-1, with unbeaten French Derby winner Ace Impact heading the market at 7-2.
