Masked Marvel races to St Leger win at Doncaster

William Buick (yellow cap) and Masked Marvel surge to victory

Masked Marvel produced a great display to win Flat racing's final Classic of the season, the St Leger at Doncaster.

Jockey William Buick and trainer John Gosden celebrated their second successive St Leger victory as Masked Marvel (15-2) won by three lengths.

Pre-race favourite Sea Moon struggled with the furious early pace and despite a late charge could only finish third.

Brown Panther, owned by former England footballer Michael Owen and ridden by Keiren Fallon, was second.

Gosden, who won last year's race with Arctic Cosmos, later enjoyed another success when his runner Duncan deadheated with Jukebox Jury in the Irish St Leger at The Curragh.

Gosden said: "From the day I saw him as a yearling in Deauville, I thought he was a Leger type and he's grown and developed. He was a powerful little guy then and he's got a great pedigree for this job.

"He's done nothing wrong all his life and he won well at Goodwood and then the July meeting and his owner allowed me to back off him and come here nice and fresh so we had a lovely horse for the autumn.

"To win the oldest Classic with this horse is what we've planned for about two years.

"He's got a high cruising speed and I told William to settle where you're happy and not to attack too soon as there is a strong headwind. He's a proper horse and I'd have been shocked if he wasn't in the three."

Buick, who bided his time before surging past Seville, said: "It was a really good performance and I had a problem pulling him up.

"I thought I was going to have to give him a big kick but then he came good at the three-and-a-half marker.

"I tried to keep the revs up and when I went, he killed the rest off - he's an improving horse. He stays well but the mile-and-a-half races can't be ruled out.

"It was a solid gallop, as you would expect, and when I asked him to quicken he really did."