ICONIC LADBROKES ST LEGER IN PROSPECT

Sixties Icon, the evens favourite with the sponsors for the £475,000
Ladbrokes St Leger, continued his preparation for the world's oldest
classic with a workout over six furlongs of the Al Bahathri gallop at
Newmarket on Wednesday, August 30, 2006.

Partnered by work rider Mick Denaro, the three-year-old colt worked with a galloping companion and pleased trainer Jeremy Noseda. The son of Galileo is expected to complete his Ladbrokes St Leger preparation with a final serious piece of work on Saturday morning.

Jeremy Noseda said: "All roads lead to York for the Ladbrokes St Leger with Sixties Icon.

"I felt before he won the Gordon Stakes that he might just need the race, but that did not prove to be the case.
"Goodwood came 40 days after Royal Ascot and it is also about 40 days before the Ladbrokes St Leger. That is why we decided not to go for the Ladbrokes Great Voltigeur Stakes at York last week as could have had a hard race two and a half weeks before the Ladbrokes St Leger and he has already shown us he is not inconvenienced by a gap between his races.

"We did consider running him in the Geoffrey Freer Stakes at Newbury, but that race has been downgraded to a Group Three and he has already won a Group Three."

Sixties Icon has improved throughout the season and Noseda believes that his run in the Vodafone Derby at Epsom, where he finished eighth, was a significant factor in the colt's progress.

The master of Shalfleet Stables continued: "He didn't run at two and we were disappointed with his first run at Newmarket this year. He ran below our expectations and seemed as though he was suffering from stage fright.
"He left that run well behind him when winning his maiden at Windsor.

"After Windsor, I wanted to go for King George V Handicap at Royal Ascot, as I felt he was still a bit green and colty, but Paul Roy [owner] wanted to go for the Derby.

"The Derby taught him a lot. He became much more professional and the race really educated him."

Jeremy Noseda has enjoyed numerous big race wins, with the likes of
Proclamation, Wannabe Grand, Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Wilko and Araafa, a dual Group One winner this season. The omission of an English Classic from Noseda's CV is clearly something he wishes to rectify.

He continued: "The English Classics are the greatest in the world. They are worth five French Classics to me.

"I am an Englishman and England is the home of racing.

"The English Classics are the races with the greatest tradition in the
world and the Ladbrokes St Leger has as big a tradition as any of them. To win a Classic as a trainer is really what it is all about.

"I remember going up on the train with my father to see Bustino (1974) win the St Leger. Although he was a short price, we backed a horse called Cove who won at a decent price in the race before and we re-invested on Bustino.

"The Ladbrokes St Leger was always in the last week of the holidays before going back to boarding school and I went many times with my father."

Looking ahead as to who will partner Sixties Icon in the Ladbrokes St
Leger, Noseda revealed: "I would be happy if Frankie Dettori could take the ride, but his availability is dependent on Godolphin and also on Ouija Board in the Irish Champion Stakes.

"There should certainly be no shortage of jockeys wanting to ride Sixties Icon."

The £475,000 Ladbrokes St Leger takes place on Saturday, September 9, and will be run at York this year while its regular home, Doncaster, undergoes redevelopment. The two-day Ladbrokes St Leger Festival takes place on Friday and Saturday, September 8 and 9.



LATEST LADBROKES PRICES (August 30)
Evens Sixties Icon
4/1 Youmzain
8/1 Red Rocks
10/1 Jadalee
10/1 Mountain
14/1 Tusculum
16/1 Ask
16/1 Fire And Rain
16/1 Puerto Rico
25/1 Galient
25/1 Mont Etoile
33/1 Ermine Sea
33/1 The Last Drop
40/1 Championship Point
40/1 Judge
100/1 Corum
100/1 Magicalmysterytour
100/1 Savannah