ITV Racing Tips – Saturday 12th September 2026 Best Bets for St Leger Festival, Chester & Leopardstown

All eyes will be on Doncaster on Saturday, 12th September, as the final Classic of the British flat season is staged. Christmas Day will bid to become the first horse since 1987 to win the Derby and St Leger, but a high-quality field will oppose.

We have gone through all televised races on ITV on Day Three of the St Leger Festival, picking out ITV horse racing tips, and an accumulator for ITV racing.

The ITV coverage on Saturday gets underway with the Listed Stand Cup Stakes from Chester, with a distance of an extended mile and four being covered.

Plage De Havre could be a solid contender for the in-form Andrew Balding yard. The five-year-old stayed on strongly at York last month to hold off French Duke by a nose.

Has solid form away from York too, having beaten Paddy The Squire by four lengths at Haydock last July. A reliable stayer, and he will be suited by conditions this weekend.

Doncaster’s card on ITV this Saturday gets underway with the Group Two Champagne Stakes. Desert Castle will be a leading contender for the Charlie Appleby stable, but Rosberg could prove to be a value play.

Karl Burke typically excels with his juveniles, and the son of Palace Pier has quickly made his presence felt in listed company this season after beating Big Money Man by just under two lengths in the Criterium du Fonds Europeen de l’Elevage at Deauville.

Was suited by heavy ground on his first start over a mile, but travelled strongly throughout. The drop back in trip and a return to a quicker surface shouldn’t be an issue, having stayed on well at Beverley in early July to beat Happy Love by just under a length.

The second of the races covered from Chester this Saturday is the Watergate Cup. Dancing In Paris should hold strong claims for the Ian Williams yard, having finally got his neck in front for the first time since August 2024 last month.

The selection travelled very strongly at Ascot, and eventually finished a length clear of Shrimp Shady in the Shergar Cup Stayers. That form looks reliable on paper, and the sharp nature of Chester should suit his running style despite being drawn wide.

Cieren Fallon is a good booking, with the jockey striking at 18%.

Next up is the Portland, run over a snappy distance of an extended five furlongs. Apollo One is of serious interest once again in this race, having finished as the runner-up in each of the last two years off considerably higher marks.

The eight-year-old showed that he is still capable of making an impression in big-field handicap sprints last month, finishing fourth and within three lengths of Air Force One in the Jockey Club World Pool Handicap at York.

Should be capable of exploiting this reduced mark after previously being rated 100+. Silvestre De Sousa is booked aboard for the first time.

The Group Two Park Stakes is due off at 14:55. More Thunder has been a frustrating horse to follow this season, and he looks like a vulnerable favourite.

Therefore, Wise Approach could be an interesting alternative for the team of Charlie Appleby and Billy Loughnane. The three-year-old will have first-time headgear this weekend, and the step up to seven furlongs should suit after failing to lack the speed to compete over six furlongs for much of this season.

Holds respected juvenile form after landing the Group One Mille Park last September. Breeding suggests that this step up in trip should suit. Yard couldn’t be in any better form.

The final Classic of the British flat season is due off at 15:35, as a talented crop contest the 2026 St Leger. Christmas Day may be a vulnerable favourite in his quest to land the unlikely Derby-St Leger double.

Therefore, the unexposed Enceladus is preferred for the red-hot Joseph O’Brien stable. The three-year-old is unbeaten in three starts this season since being stepped up in trip, and he oozed class when last seen landing the Group Three Gordon Stakes easier than the one-length winning margin to Geryan suggested.

He has come alive since being stepped up to staying trips, also landing the King George V Stakes over a mile and four at Royal Ascot.

Billy Loughnane is an eye-catching booking, as the Champion Jockey in waiting targets a second Classic in 2026. Little to find on official ratings, and he is the unexposed contender in this field.

Coverage of Irish Champions Weekend is also on ITV this Saturday, with the Group One Matron Stakes due off at 15:55. It is a rare race in which Aidan O’Brien has a weak record, as the Irish maestro hasn’t won this Group One since 2017.

Therefore, Blue Bolt is preferred to maintain her red-hot form over a mile this season. The four-year-old had trouble in-running last time out, but she still held off Precise to win by just under a length in the Prix Rothschild.

The Andrew Balding runner also beat the same re-opposing rival in the Group One Falmouth Stakes on quicker ground in July.

She has been faultless throughout this season, and looks capable on all ground, having also shown promise when a close runner-up on soft ground at Sandown in the Group Three Atalanta Stakes last year. Extremely hard to oppose.

The ITV coverage on Day 3 of the St Leger Festival concludes with a handicap over a mile. Bullet Point has finished as the runner-up on his last two starts in cheekpieces, and he could finally get a win this weekend.

The William Haggas yard is in reliable recent form, striking at 24%, and Tom Marquand is booked aboard. His consistency should be respected, and he still looks capable of making his mark on these terms despite having been nudged up at the weights after finishing second behind The Long King at York last month.