What's on this week: Doncaster's St Leger meeting, Irish Champions Festival and Arc favourite Look De Vega returns

Monday

Life After Racing, a five-part series to mark National Racehorse Week, begins in Monday's Racing Post with Lewis Porteous's special report on aftercare in British racing. Multiple Group-winning trainers Michael Dods and David Loughnane are among those yards open to the public for the annual event.

Off To The Races, a new daily package with insight into each of the day's meetings, will also feature in Monday's Racing Post. Forfeits will be made for Saturday's Betfred St Leger Stakes before action on the track gets under way at Perth.

Four-time Grade 1 winner Fakir D'Oudairies makes his first start since February in the 2m5½f hurdle (4.30) at Galway, the first time the JP McManus-owned nine-year-old runs over hurdles since the Punchestown festival in 2019.

Fakir D'Oudairies: runs over hurdles for the first time in five yearsCredit: Tim Goode (Getty Images)

Dan Skelton runs Beat Box at Newton Abbot and the eight-year-old bids to surpass the £11,000 the trainer paid for him in May in prize-money earned should he complete a hat-trick in the 2m½f handicap chase (2.40).

Brighton and Wolverhampton's Flat fixtures complete the domestic action and there is a Grade 1 dirt contest in the United States, with four unbeaten juveniles featuring in the Del Mar Futurity (2.00).

Tuesday

Lewis Porteous finds out more about how 2018 Gold Cup hero Native River is being kept busy in his retirement as part of the Life After Racing series in Tuesday's Racing Post.

Declarations will be made for the opening day of Doncaster's Leger meeting on Thursday before forfeits and entries are revealed for the Irish Champions Festival at the weekend, which includes six Group 1 races.

Charlie Johnston opens Kingsley Park to the public until Saturday while Stuart Edmunds and Jane Williams' yards will also be available to visit as part of National Racehorse Week.

The Ardilaun Hotel Irish EBF Oyster Stakes (6.15) is the main event on the track and Romzina could bid to provide the Aga Khan and Dermot Weld with their third win since 2016 in the Galway Listed contest.

Sir Michael Stoute's once-raced winner Formal will stake a claim for taking up her Group 2 Rockfel Stakes entry later this month, with Ryan Moore booked on the Cheveley Park-owned son of Dubawi in Leicester's 7f novice (3.10). The Ridler has been winless in 12 starts since the 2022 Norfolk Stakes and the Royal Ascot winner bids to end that drought in the finale (5.17).

Sir Michael Stoute: trainer's Group 2 entry Formal runs at Leicester Credit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

Three-time hurdles winner Colours On Canvas is set for his first run on the Flat at Lingfield and Jim and Suzi Best have booked Sean Dylan Bowen, who leads the apprentice jockeys' championship, for the opening 1m4f maiden (2.00).

Wednesday

The Life After Racing series continues in Wednesday's Racing Post as Peter Thomas pays a visit to the Retraining of Racehorses National Championships and finds a number of old favourites.

Nicky Henderson, Karl Burke,  Ben Pauling, Kim Bailey and Harry Charlton are among the trainers with their yards open for National Racehorse week.

Declarations will be made for the second day of Doncaster's Leger meeting on Friday before action on track begins at Lingfield, where Shamrock Bay could bid to make it three from three for Daniel and Claire Kubler if making a successful all-weather debut in the mile novice (3.40).

No Retreat, the €1,200,000 breeze-up purchase who James Doyle escaped a ban on after getting caught on the line at Windsor last month, could make his first appearance since that odds-on defeat, with Carlisle's opening 1m3f maiden (4.28) his only entry of the week.

Isabella Bee has form figures of 21 at Worcester since going chasing and she could attempt to follow up last month's victory at the track off an 8lb higher mark in the 2m4f handicap chase (4.35).

Cork's evening Flat fixture completes the domestic action but there could be Irish interest in the Listed Dueling Grounds Oaks Invitational (10.52) at Kentucky Downs, as Qatar Racing's Siege Of Troy is entered for Johnny Murtagh.

Johnny Murtagh: trainer represented at Kentucky DownsCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Thursday

Dual Group 1 winner Goldream is the focus of Life After Racing in Thursday's Racing Post. Final declarations will be made for the St Leger as well as the opening day of the Irish Champions Festival at Leopardstown on Saturday.

Alan King, Gary and Josh Moore, Henrietta Knight and Anthony Honeyball are among the trainers with their yards open for National Racehorse week.

Doncaster's four-day Leger meeting gets under way with the Betfred May Hill Stakes (3.00) and Betfred Park Hill Fillies' Stakes (3.35), the headline Group 2 events on Town Moor. The 6½f sales race (2.25), worth £300,000, is one of five Doncaster races that will be shown on ITV4.

Jack Quinlan is already booked to attempt to defend his Jump Jockeys' Derby (3.45) crown on Cardano, the Ben Brookhouse-trained eight-year-old on whom he won last year's unique event at Epsom.

Friday

The Life After Racing series concludes with Alan Sweetman's focus on Ireland in Friday's Racing Post.

Sweet William could bid to make amends for last year's Betfred Howard Wright Doncaster Cup Stakes (3.35) defeat to Trueshan in the feature day-two event. The Carlsberg Danish Pilsner Flying Childers Stakes (3.00) is the other Group 2 at Doncaster, in which Big Mojo could aim to replicate stablemate Big Evs, who landed the 5f juvenile race for Mick Appleby and RP Racing last year.

Trueshan (left) could aim to confirm the form of last year's Doncaster Cup with Sweet WilliamCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Salisbury's Group 3 Dick Poole Fillies' Stakes (3.55) forms part of ITV4's coverage along with five live races from Doncaster. Sandown and Chester also stage Flat fixtures and Ballinrobe race over jumps.

Saturday

The St Leger (3.40), the final British Classic of the season, forms part of a huge weekend for Aidan O'Brien with Queen's Vase winner Illinois favourite to provide the Ballydoyle trainer with an eighth win in the Doncaster Group 1 contest.

Just 15 minutes before that Classic bid, O'Brien could be in line for more Group 1 success as Auguste Rodin seeks to defend his Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes (3.25) crown under Ryan Moore at Leopardstown. Last year's Derby winner is set to take on Economics in the £1.25 million showpiece event of the Irish Champions Festival.

Auguste Rodin (striped cap): last year's Irish Champion Stakes winner is back for moreCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

O'Brien's Ylang Ylang runs in the Coolmore America "Justify" Matron Stakes (2.50), in which Porta Fortuna could seal her fourth Group 1 victory for O'Brien's son Donnacha. Fallen Angel is set for her first start since landing the Irish 1,000 Guineas and being bought by Wathnan Racing in what is set to be a cracker.

A Listed contest at Chester (2.05) is one of seven live ITV races and Lingfield, Bath and Musselburgh also host Flat fixtures.

Jumping fans can fill the void left by the lack of action on the track with visits to the yards of Fergal O'Brien, Olly Murphy, Neil Mulholland, Tim Vaughan, Martin Keighley or Richard Phillips — the orchestrator of National Racehorse Week.

Sunday

Opera Singer could potentially set up a Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe tilt depending on how she performs in the Group 1 Prix Vermeille at Longchamp. The Aidan O'Brien-trained three-year-old successfully stepped up to a mile and a quarter when beating subsequent winner See The Fire in the Nassau Stakes last time and could set up a return trip to Longchamp if backing up that Glorious Goodwood Group 1 success over the same course and distance as the Arc.

There is no doubt about Look De Vega's intended October target, however, and the Arc favourite will bid to extend his unbeaten record to four in the Prix Niel, on what will be his first start since landing the Prix du Jockey Club in June.

Look De Vega: Arc favourite returns to action at LongchampCredit: GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT

Away from Longchamp, Kyprios will bid to repeat his 2022 success in the Comer Group International Irish St. Leger (4.30) on the second day of the Irish Champions Festival. Ballydoyle will also have leading contenders in the other Group 1 races at Leopardstown with Bedtime Story in the Moyglare Stud Stakes (3.30) and Henri Matisse in the Goffs Vincent O'Brien National Stakes (4.00).

Course-and-distance winner Believing could gain a deserved first Group 1 victory in the Flying Five Stakes (3.00) if reversing the form of her Nunthorpe second to Bradsell.

The Group 3 Sceptre Fillies' Stakes (3.15) headlines the final day of Doncaster's Leger meeting and Bath stages its series finals for stayers (3.07) and sprinters (3.40) respectively. Musselburgh also race on the Flat.

Premier meetings

Thursday Doncaster
Friday Doncaster
Saturday Doncaster, Chester
Sunday Doncaster

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