Aidan O’Brien will send three runners into battle for the Betfred St Leger at Doncaster this Saturday, with seven horses confirmed for the final Classic of the season.

Leading the Ballydoyle charge is Illinois, a Royal Ascot winner who was runner-up to stablemate Los Angeles in the Great Voltigeur at York. No surprise, Los Angeles didn’t make the Doncaster line-up, as expected.

Alongside Illinois, O’Brien has two more colts that could be headliners in most other stables. Jan Brueghel has yet to be beaten, winning all three starts, his latest victory in the Group Three Gordon Stakes at Goodwood. Grosvenor Square, on the other hand, has been a slow burner this season but turned heads with a stunning 20-length win in the Irish St Leger Trial.

Facing them is Sunway, trained by David Menuisier and ridden by Christophe Soumillon. Sunway came agonisingly close in the Irish Derby, edged out by Los Angeles, and ran respectably in the King George at Ascot. Regular rider Oisín Murphy will miss this one as he heads to Canada, but Menuisier had enough time to secure Soumillon for the ride.

“Oisín gave me the heads-up last week, so we had time to make a plan,” Menuisier said. “Thankfully, Christophe was free, and it’s worked out perfectly. He’s ridden for me twice this year and won both times.”

Deira Mile, trained by Owen Burrows, finished fourth in the Derby and looks like he’ll thrive over the longer distance. Then there’s the wild card – Ralph Beckett’s You Got To Me, the only filly in the field. Fresh off her Irish Oaks win and a valiant effort in the Yorkshire Oaks, she’s not to be overlooked. Wild Waves, trained by Andrew Balding, completes the line-up.

In other racing news, Nicky Henderson has confirmed Constitution Hill underwent wind surgery as he gears up for the upcoming National Hunt season. Undefeated in eight starts, the seven-year-old hurdler was sidelined last season with health issues, including a respiratory problem that kept him from defending his Champion Hurdle title at Cheltenham.

Despite his setbacks, Henderson sounded positive after Constitution Hill’s summer break and minor surgery, with a return targeted for the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle on November 30th.

“We had a great day yesterday with a large group as part of National Racehorse Week,” Henderson shared

. Everything’s looking good, and we’re excited for what’s ahead.”