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Big-race favourite remains ‘work in progress’

John Gosden admits Logician  faces a step into unknown territory as he bids to provide him with a fifth victory in the William Hill St Leger.

It is 23 years since the master of Clarehaven first landed the world's oldest Classic with Shantou. He has since added to his tally with three wins in five years courtesy of Lucarno (2007), Arctic Cosmos (2010) Masked Marvel (2011).

The Khalid Abdullah-owned Logician made his racecourse debut only in May, but created a big impression in winning his first three starts – with a pair of emphatic wins at Newbury sandwiching a similarly dominant display at Newmarket.

The son of Frankel graduated to Group Two class with a facile success in the the Great Voltigeur at York last month and will line up at Doncaster on Saturday as a red-hot favourite in the hands of five-time Leger-winning jockey Frankie Dettori.

"He has been in great form since York. He is very much a work in progress and didn't start racing until late in life," said Gosden.

"I thought back in May he might be a Leger horse. He won a maiden down at Newbury, then a novice over a mile and a quarter at the July course and then a 0-90 handicap back at Newbury, when it was the first time Frankie rode him. He has come a long way in a short time.

"He stepped up again in the Great Voltigeur, and we were very happy with him.

"He's fine on top of the ground, there's no doubt he's a better horse on good, easy side of good, but that might go for a few others."

Gosden believes the decision not to run Logician as a two-year-old and instead give him time to mature has been key in his development.

He said: "He came to us pretty late, and I think giving him that time has benefited him.

"He is a nice horse to be around. He is a very relaxed character and has a lovely, long loping stride.

"I think the nice, long straight at Doncaster should suit him well."

The two obvious questions hanging over Logician heading into the Town Moor showpiece are whether his stamina will last out over the one-mile-six-furlong distance, and whether his lack of big-race experience could prove his undoing.

Assessing both aspects, Gosden added: "We've been lucky to win the Leger four times, and those horses were more seasoned than him. It is a proper test of a thoroughbred over that trip – the one-mile-six is something, and the last 185 yards could be quite telling.

"You always know you going into uncharted territories with a young horse like him. It is not like he has won a trial over a mile and three-quarters.

"He gives me the signs, as he is very relaxed, that he will stay well."

As always, Gosden is respectful of the opposition – giving special mention to the Mark Johnston-trained Sir Ron Priestley, who claimed his fifth win from six starts this season in last month's March Stakes at Goodwood.

He said: "I think it is a solid renewal. You have a horse in there that won the March Stakes and stayed on well. That was a race I watched carefully, because we were second in it (with Promissory).

"It will probably be an end-to-end gallop, and that is not a bad thing as it thins the field out.

"You can get trouble in running, and I remember a couple of horses that have been unlucky not to win there. I will leave all that to Frankie and the horse – they don't need any instructions.

"When you see the horses that are still rolling between the two-furlong marker and the one, that will tell us what kind of quality Leger it is."