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Infraad to swerve St Leger despite impressive Melrose win
By Racing TV
Last Updated: Sat 22 Aug 2026
William Haggas was lukewarm on a tilt at the Betfred St Leger with Infraad after he continued his progression with victory in the Sky Bet Melrose Handicap at York.
The Ghaiyyath colt had made steady improvement during his five-race career so far, most recently scoring a mile and a half at Glorious Goodwood.
He stepped up to a mile and three-quarters for a prestigious £180,000 contest Haggas has won three times before and was a 100-30 joint-favourite under Tom Marquand, alongside Joseph O’Brien’s Limestone.
The two market leaders were both in contention racing inside the final furlong, but it was Infraad who saw out the extended distance best, coming home two lengths clear of the staying-on Galilean Quality, with Limestone fading into fifth.
“He’s improving but he’s quite raw. He was a bit juvenile before the race and a bit edgy, so he’s still got a bit to learn,” Haggas said of the winner.
“Tom did say he’s pretty relentless when he gets going and he won comfortably.”
Paddy Power cut the winner to 8-1 from 16-1 for the St Leger at Doncaster next month, but Haggas feels the season’s final Classic may be too much too soon for a horse he views as more of a long-term project.
“We won this race a few years ago with a Highclere horse called Guaranteel. He won by three and a half lengths off top-weight and we ran him in the Leger, but it came too quick for him,” the trainer continued.
“I suspect, without speaking to connections, that the Leger will come too soon in this horse’s career too, and it’s more likely he’ll go for the Noel Murless at Ascot.
“I don’t like putting a gun to their heads too early, especially a big raw horse who I hope will be a nice horse for a few years, so let’s not squeeze the lemon dry too early.
“I think he’s going to develop, he’s only just getting the hang of it and that’s his first time at this distance, so hopefully he’ll develop into a Cup horse.”
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