Villoo C. Poonawalla Indian St. Leger Race Preview (Indian Classics)
This season’s St Leger is scheduled to take place at the Mahalaxmi Race Course in Mumbai on the 23rd of January (Sunday). The Royal Western India Turf Club will host this Indian Classic.
The St. Leger is one of the five classic races in the British racing tradition. Since horse racing was introduced to India by the British, the names of these races were retained and “Indianized.”
The original St Leger in England was the oldest Classic race, organized by Major-General Anthony St. Leger in 1776. The race owes its name to that gentleman soldier. Coming back to home territories, the Indian St. Leger is also a major event in the racing calendar.
Initially called The Governor General’s Cup from 1944 – 1949, the Indian St Leger received its current name in 1950. The third race of the Indian Triple Crown, the Saint Leger is also the longest race at a whopping 2800m.
Traditionally, the Indian St. Leger is a Grade 1 term race open only to horses above the age of four years. In the early decades, geldings were not allowed to compete. This restriction was lifted sometime in the 1960s. Normally, the race is held in March at Pune.
But this is 2022 and we do not live in normal times. The 2020 edition at Pune had to be cancelled due to the pandemic. In 2021, the race was held in Mumbai with the 2020’s crop of horses competing as 5-year-olds.
We covered the Indian Oaks betting preview last week and got our prediction right. That new formula continues in 2022, with the race featuring 5-year-olds instead of the traditional 4 years or under found in Classic races.
This season’s St Leger is scheduled to take place at the Mahalaxmi Race Course in Mumbai on the 23rd of January (Sunday). The Royal Western India Turf Club will host this Indian Classic.
The winner of the 2020-21 edition of the Saint Leger was Juliette. Let’s take a closer look at the horses trying to emulate Juliette and win this year’s edition of the St. Leger. Here are the odds for The Villoo C. Poonawalla Indian St. Leger 2021-22
ODDS TO WIN The Indian St. Leger (HORSE RACE ODDS)
You can find the horses with the best odds to win Villoo C. Poonawalla Indian St. Leger below:
| S No | Horse | Odds On 22Bet |
| 1 | LAGARDE | 3.00 |
| 3 | THEON | 5.00 |
| 4 | APSARA STAR | 10.00 |
| 2 | MARLBORO MAN | 20.00 |
This year’s edition of The Villoo C. Poonawalla Indian St. Leger looks like it will be a two-horse race. By ratings and past performances, Lagarde seems like a safe bet on 22Bet.
He has the pedigree and experience as a Classic winner. But Theon is shaping up to be a strong contender. With just five starts to his credit, he still has a lot of room for improvement. And in his last race, a Grade 1 3000m affair, he finished strongly, displaying excellent stamina.
In terms of pedigree, Theon has a slight edge over Lagarde – his sire Multidimensional has sired two winners.
Theon’s trainer P Shroff has also won twice in St. Leger races in the last decade. With that kind of credentials, we feel that Theon is a great choice even if his odds are lower than Lagarde.
The odds of 5.00 give Lagarde a 20.00% implied win probability. That means if you put INR 100 on Theon to win, you will generate profits of INR 400. Profits on a Lagarde win would be understandably lower, given his better odds.
Regardless, if you want to do horse race betting on this Indian classic, those two are the only ones worth a punt. The other two horses in the race don’t look capable of creating an upset.
Recommended Betting Tip: THEON (5.00)
Top Indian St. Leger Race Betting Sites
The Villoo C. Poonawalla Indian St. Leger – RACECARD, RACECOURSE, HORSES & JOCKEY DETAILS
The Indian St. Leger is the longest of all the Classics at 2800m. The long-distance races don’t attract many competitors these days. There seems to be more of a focus on speed over stamina in the equine breeding circles.
On average, the strength of the field in a Classic race like this is around 6. This year, we have just four contenders, of which only one came as an original entry. The remaining three were added in the later stages of the run-up to the race.
Talking about the ratings, there is a clear decline there as well. Against the historical average of 100+, the current edition race card has an average rating of around 80.
The Grade 1 race is the 7th event of the day, with a scheduled start time of 03:45 PM. Let’s take a closer look at each of the four horses:
1. lagarde – kingda ka (aus) – la terrasse
On paper, this bay colt looks the strongest out of the four. He has a career rating of 118, matching the rating of former St. Leger champions. He is also a Classic winner – the Indian 2000 Guineas in January 2021.
Lagarde has also won several other major events like the Bangalore 2000 Guineas and the Bangalore Derby (Gr 1). His career record is equally impressive – 6 wins out of 9 starts with a couple of places.
The solitary blip was in the Indian Derby (Gr 1) which he disappointed, finishing several lengths behind the eventual winner Immortality. While he is the highest-rated horse in the contest, Trainer SS Attaollahi’s horse is not our automatic pick for the winner.
The main reason is this – he has never raced at 2800m. Yes, he has won black-type races at 2400m, but this is still new territory for him. And in general, he looks better suited for shorter distances like 2000m.
2. Marlboro man – Royal Gladiator-Moneypenny(IRE)
The chestnut gelding looks horribly out of his class when compared to the other horses in this race. Although he was the only original entry, he is also by far the weakest with a career rating of 31.
Trained by Subhag Singh, Marlboro Man has only competed at Class 4 and 5 levels. Even then, his record is starkly unimpressive – 1 win and 2 places out of 9 starts.
And on top of everything else, his longest distance is 1600m, well short of the 2800m in the St. Leger. If this gelding wins the St. Leger, it will be the mother of all upsets in horse racing!
3. theon (ex name trimaran) – Multidimensional(IRE)-Fontainebleau
A bay gelding trained by serial winner P Shroff, Theon looks like the horse capable of giving Lagarde a run for his money. He is close behind the latter in terms of career ratings – currently, 96, cut down to 54 pre-race.
That is mainly due to his previous outings – only 5 in total, with 4 of them being Class 4 affairs. He does have 2 wins and a second-place out of those races.
But the main reason why ratings may not tell the whole story here is Theon’s last race – a Grade 1 Stayers Cup at Mumbai where he finished a close second.
That was a 3000m race, giving Theon a minor advantage over Lagarde. As the son of Multidimensional, he also has excellent stamina in his blood. This horse is surely one of the top contenders for St Leger.
4. apsara star – win legend (jpn) – Actuate
The lone female in this race is a bay mare from the stables of trainer JE Mckeown. She is also one of the more experienced runners, with 11 starts yielding 3 wins and 7 places.
She has experience at Class 1 and Grade 1 races, most notable the Stayers Cup in Mumbai where she finished two places behind Theon in fourth. Her recent record is 2-1-5-3-4.
While she does exhibit a certain level of consistency, Apsara Star is still quite unproven at the higher levels. She has not won any race above 2000m or any black-type events. She is at a disadvantage on both counts here.
HOW TO BET ON The Villoo C. Poonawalla Indian st. leger
In normal circumstances, racing enthusiasts flock to the Mahalaxmi racecourse in Mumbai to witness the excitement of an Indian Classic in person. The club has on-course betting counters as well as many off-course counters across Mumbai and Pune.
But given the current pandemic situation, tote betting counters are not the safest option to place bets on your favorite horses. Instead, you should try your hand at online betting – it is easy, quick, and above all, completely safe for your health. Bettors usually place satta on an Indian race via online horse race betting sites to avoid paying the heavy taxes on their winnings as well.
You can bet on all major and minor horse races from many corners of the world using online betting sites. And all this can be done without leaving the safety and comfort of your home. To learn more about betting online, check out our guide on live horse race betting.
Some of the best betting sites in India are accepting wagers on THE VILLOO C. POONAWALLA INDIAN ST. LEGER with highly competitive betting odds.