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| Staff Writer |
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Frankie Dettori's hopes of a final British Classic victory were dashed as Continuous surged ahead to secure Aidan O'Brien his seventh triumph in the Betfred St Leger at Doncaster on Saturday. Despite a valiant effort on the favourite Arrest, Dettori had to settle for second place.
Following his victory in the Voltigeur at York, the son of Heart's Cry, ridden by Ryan Moore, claimed his first top-level win. Continuous had previously suffered a heavy defeat in the Prix du Jockey Club in June against Group One competition. However, this time he demonstrated great strength, tracking behind stablemate Denmark before storming ahead two furlongs from the finish line.
Speaking to ITV Racing, O'Brien expressed optimism that Continuous could potentially compete in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in just two weeks' time. To participate, the horse would require supplementation. Despite his best efforts, Arrest failed to catch up to the winner but managed to secure second place. Desert Hero, ridden by Tom Marquand, finished in third position, unable to secure a first Classic victory for the King.
"He's a very genuine horse," Moore said. "He won a Group 3 race as a two-year-old on awful ground and he's been coming back and improving with every run. He's by Heart's Cry, who was a top stallion and the only horse to beat Deep Impact in Japan.
"He's getting better, he's got a great will to win, travels and has a turn of foot. He's got a lot of guts."
This victory marks the first success for O'Brien and Moore since their win with Kew Gardens in 2018. Unfortunately, Moore was unable to participate in the Doncaster Classic again due to the clash with Irish Champions Weekend.
He said, "It's a great crowd and it's a shame the way the schedule has been – if they could keep them apart it would be huge as I haven't been able to be here as often as I would like. It's the last Classic of the year and it's great to win it."
Betfair and Paddy Power have recently reduced Continuous's odds from 50 to 10-1 for the Qipco Champion Stakes. This race would mark his potential first time running against older competitors.