The St Leger is racing’s oldest Classic and the colours on the first three horses home here on Saturday were suitably steeped in tradition, but the sell-out crowd in the grandstand, the king and queen among them, was denied the fairytale result that so many had hoped to see. Desert Hero, in the royal colours, could finish only third behind Continuous, the 3-1 second-favourite, and the long wait for a Classic winner owned by the reigning monarch will go into a 47th year at least.
It was a case of close but not close enough for Frankie Dettori, too, as the soon-to-be retired former champion, in the pink, green and white of the Juddmonte operation, was just under three lengths behind Continuous in second place aboard Arrest, the 11-4 favourite.
