Owen Burrows is plotting a Group race double at next month’s Betfred St Leger meeting, with both Touleen and Waardah pencilled in for separate targets across the four-day Doncaster fixture that begins on September 10th.
Waardah Leads The Charge In The Park Hill
Waardah is first up, bidding for Group Two honours in the Betfred Park Hill Stakes, a race Burrows already knows how to win after landing it with Nakheel back in 2024. The daughter of Postponed arrives on the back of a battling third in the Qatar Lillie Langtry Stakes at Goodwood, beaten only a nose and a head.
Ground will be central to her chances. Burrows has flagged the Royallieu at Longchamp as her other main target this autumn, with Champions Day at Ascot kept in reserve should conditions turn properly testing.
“Waardah will go up to Doncaster now for the Park Hill. She is in the Royallieu at Longchamp as well and they would be her main targets, but if it is very soft there is Champions Day at Ascot to consider as well. I thought she ran a blinder at Goodwood as she was only beaten a nose and a head for third. She handles fast ground fine, but she is better with cut in the ground, which hopefully she will get at Doncaster,” Owen Burrows said.
Touleen Drops In Trip For The Sceptre Stakes
On the final day of the meeting, Touleen is being lined up for a return to seven furlongs in the Group Three Japan Racing Association Sceptre Fillies’ Stakes. It follows a frustrating spell for the Lope De Vega filly, who was beaten into fourth as favourite in the Longines Valiant Stakes having earlier finished a close second in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Burrows is adamant the placings understate her ability, pointing to traffic trouble and an awkward draw as the real story behind that Valiant Stakes run.
“She is bouncing as well as she came out of Ascot fine. It just didn’t happen for her there, again. When she got drawn seven out of eight I thought it was not ideal… If she had no excuses last time I would have been left scratching my head, but after a furlong I thought it wasn’t going to happen. She would have had to have a lot in hand to win from being stuck out three wide,” Burrows said.
Burrows also revealed the thinking behind dropping her back in trip, drawing a direct comparison with her dam’s own career path. He noted William Buick’s belief that she is not short of speed, adding that they did exactly the same with her dam Talaayeb, who won the City Of York Stakes after finishing fourth in the 1000 Guineas. Owner Sheika Hissa has already confirmed Touleen will stay in training next year, but Burrows said he would love to make her a stakes winner this season.
Calendar Girl’s Sandown Test Before A Possible Sun Chariot Tilt
Before Doncaster comes into view, Burrows sends Calendar Girl to Sandown Park for the Group Three BetMGM Atalanta Stakes later this month. The Advertise filly returned from a lengthy absence to win the Listed Dick Hern Stakes at Haydock, and Burrows says she has trained on well since.
Should that placement pay off, Burrows said he would probably let her roll the dice in the Sun Chariot, having struggled to get her right earlier in the season before a spell off the track transformed her.
What It Means For Punters Backing Burrows’ Fillies
None of these targets are locked in, ground and clashing engagements at Longchamp and Ascot could yet reshape Waardah’s autumn, while Touleen’s Sceptre bid hinges on the presence of cut in the Doncaster turf that Burrows says both fillies want. Punters tracking the Park Hill and Sceptre markets should watch the Doncaster weather forecast closely in the run-up to September 10th, since soft ground looks the key variable behind both booking decisions.
For readers building out their Town Moor shortlist, our recent horse-racing tips and racecard coverage offers further context on current market movements ahead of the St Leger meeting.
