Gary Bardwell has finally won the Mondialiste Leger Legends Classified Stakes race at the St Leger Festival at Doncaster. The former champion apprentice edged out Robert Winston to claim the win on Natural Colour.
Bardwell, who rode just over 400 winners during his 19-year career and was known in racing as the `Angry Ant’ due to his all-action style in the saddle, hit the front a furlong out on 11/1 shot Natural Colour and looked in control.
However, Robert Winstone, ridding 3-1 joint-favourite Shining Aitch, made good ground and missed out by the narrowest of margins, with Natural Colour claiming the win by a short head.
Mumtaaz, ridden by Barry Geraghty and Greek Kodiac, with Richard Johnson aboard, had made the early running in the race, but both faded to finish sixth and seventh.
Bardwell’s big-race wins include the 1987 Ayr Gold Cup aboard Not So Silly, the 1988 Bunbury Cup on Pinctada at Newmarket, the 1990 Royal Hunt Cup with Pontenuovo, two Chester Cups, and the 1999 Listed Lingfield Winter Derby aboard Supreme Sound.
Bardwell has never hidden his desire to win this race and rode the very first Leger Legends in 2010, told Sky Sports Racing after the race: “I’m over the moon. Thanks to Saeed, what a pleasure to ride in these famous blue colours of Godolphin. I’m lost for words.
“She’s always a bit keen at home, but I knew she’d stay because it was a mile and a quarter last time. As we hit the line I thought I was beaten.”
“I’ve got all my family here today – my wife, my brothers, my kids and my grandkids – so it’s a special day.” “When I got to a half-furlong to go I was out on my legs and I thought I was beat, but she’s brave and she stuck her head out all the way to the line.”
“This is probably the first year that I’ve really got fit for it, I’ve been in training for six weeks in the gym, running every night.”
“Today I didn’t have one drink, I had nothing to eat but a bit of toast this morning. I knew she’d give me everything and I had to be ready for her.”
“This is up with the best of all my big winners.”
Richard Johnson, the second most prolific winner in the history of National Hunt Racing behind Sir Anthony McCoy with 3,500 winners, said: “It was good fun – they just went a bit quicker than I did over the last two furlongs.”
“It’s lovely to be here today, in this amazing weather. Fi (wife Fiona) just joked, because she obviously couldn’t come to my last race (retirement at Newton Abbot) because of Covid, that it’s quite nice she’s seen me have my proper last race now.”
“It’s fantastic that Doncaster put this race on and raised a huge amount of money for the IJF and different charities.”
“It’s lovely to be part of it – all the lads riding have enjoyed it, and we can go back now and have a drink and cool down.”
Mondialiste Leger Legends Classified Stakes results;
- 1 (12) Natural Colour 11/1
- 2 (8) Shining Aitch 3/1 Fav
- 3 (1) Coverham 16/1
- 4 (9) Thrave 10/1
- 5 (3) Fennaan 16/1
- 6 (7) Mumtaaz 3/1 Fav
- 7 (5) Greek Kodiac 14/1
- 8 (10) Vasco Da Gama 10/1
- 9 (2) Delph Crescent 12/1
- 10 (4) First Dance 11/2
- 11 (11) Cloudland 125/1
The Mondialiste Leger Legends Classified Stakes raises money for charities, including the Injured Jockeys Fund; previous winners include AP McCoy, who won the race in 2015.
