St. Leger Stakes 2012 Results: Camelot Denied The Triple Crown By Encke

Camelot (GB), attempting to become the first winner of the English Triple Crown in over 40 years, couldn’t catch Encke in the final quarter mile and had to settle for second in the Group 1 St. Leger Stakes at Doncaster.

The Guineas and Derby winner ran near the rear of the field in the early stages through a steady but middling pace and appeared to be gaining on the leaders as the field entered the final five furlong straight. As Encke began to stride away from the field, Camelot struggled to find space along the rail and had to be switched out towards the middle of the course before he could commence a final run towards the wire. When finally in the clear, Camelot noticeably quickened but was three lengths behind Encke and couldn’t make up the difference at the finish.

Michelangelo (GB) finished in third to round out the trifecta.

Encke is an American-bred colt, a son three-year-old son of Kingmambo out of a Sindar (IRE) mare (Shawanda (IRE)).

Below are the payouts from North American pools for the St. Leger:

WIN: 3-Encke ($64.00, $9.40)
PLACE: 1-Camelot ($2.20)
SHOW: 6-Michelangelo ($6.00)
$1.00 EXACTA: $65.00
$1.00 TRIFECTA: $750.90

The last time a horse swept the 2,000 Guineas, Epsom Derby and St. Leger Stakes was the great Nijinsky (or Nijinsky II in the U.S.) in 1970.

The English Triple Crown differs substantially from the American version due to the spacing of the races (from May to September) and the distances. The 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket is run on a straight mile. The Epsom Derby is a mile and a half over the testing course at Epsom Downs, a course that requires the field to race significantly uphill over the first quarter to half mile, then a sharp downhill run over the final four furlongs, only to experience another uphill run in the last half-furlong before the wire. The final leg, the St. Leger, is a mile and three-quarter run over the less testing Doncaster course.

For more on the St. Leger, check out SB Nation’s horse racing blog And Down The Stretch They Come, as well as A Beginner’s Guide To Following Horse Racing and a glossary of horse racing terms.