The team behind live Betfred St Leger contender Deira Mile, who was also fourth in the Derby, are banking on the patient approach paying dividends when the exciting colt returns to action at Windsor in the Weatherbys Digital Solutions August Stakes on Saturday.

Carrying Listed status, the £55,000 August Stakes takes place alongside the Group 3 Weatherbys Global Stallions Winter Hill Stakes, which headlines Windsor’s six-race card, but plenty of focus is set to be on the Owen Burrows-trained Deira Mile, who has not raced since that fine fourth to City Of Troy in the Derby at Epsom in June.

Prior to that, he also finished fourth in last year’s Group 1 Futurity Trophy and was impressive when winning a Windsor novice in April.

A general 10-1 for the St Leger, which takes place at Doncaster on September 14, Deira Mile runs in the colours of Ahmad Al Shaikh’s Green Team Racing.

“I want Windsor to get a drop of rain, but it looks like they will,” Burrows said. “He’s in good form and is ready to go. I wouldn’t want to risk him a few weeks before the Leger on fast ground, but I’ve been pleased with him in the last six weeks and, in an ideal world, I’d like to get a run into him before Doncaster.

“The Weatherbys Digital Solutions August Stakes is the perfect slot to do that. At the beginning of the week, it looked like there was plenty of rain and then it looked like we would not get much, but now - if the forecast is correct - it seems there’s a nice band of rain coming through on Friday night into the early hours of Saturday morning. We’d be unlucky not to get something and I only want it to be good ground, it doesn’t need to be soft.”

Deira Mile, a son of Camelot, began his career with Charlie Johnston before joining Burrows, who added: “We thought about running him in the Irish Derby, but had to see how he came out of Epsom. As can be the case with the Derby, it took a little bit out of him.

“There would have been enough juice in the ground to run in Ireland, but we didn’t want to force anything and fair play to the owner, who has been very patient.

“We felt all along the Leger was his race, so we’ve let him comeback to himself and, touch wood, the signs at home are that he is right where we want him to be.” 

The three-year-old’s Derby form was boosted in York’s International Stakes on Wednesday when City Of Troy produced a commanding display to triumph, while Los Angeles, one place in front of Deira Mile when third at Epsom, obliged in the Great Voltigeur Stakes on the card.
“That Derby form is strong,” the Lambourn-based Burrows said. “It’s been franked and we were only a length and a half behind Los Angeles in the Derby. I feel, if the ground had come right for us at York and we had run in the Voltigeur, we’d have been in the mix there. What happened at York on Wednesday gives me confidence for our horse.”

Burrows, who started training in 2016 after a stint assisting Sir Michael Stoute, saw subsequent King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes hero Hukum finish fifth in the 2020 St Leger.

In the 110-rated Deira Mile, he sees a meaningful challenger for the world’s oldest Classic.

“He maybe doesn’t have the class of Hukum at the moment, but he’s probably bigger and scopier,” the former jump jockey continued. 

“The patient approach won’t do him any harm as he’s a big, solid horse. I was surprised how big Los Angeles is when I saw him at York on Wednesday and, like Deira Mile, he is by Camelot. Therefore, we’re hoping our patience will pay off this season, but also with a view to next year as well.

“If all goes well at Windsor on Saturday, hopefully we can go onto the Leger and, for the size of team we are, to be competing in these races is great. It’s where we all want to be and we’ve always felt he’s a St Leger horse in the making. On our Derby run, where we came from a bit further back than ideal, he’d have to enter the shake-up at Doncaster.”

Jim Crowley has ridden the Classic prospect in his last two starts, but is on duty at York on Saturday, so Cieren Fallon will be aboard at Windsor and Burrows said: “Cieren hasn’t had chance to sit on him, but Saturday was tricky with meetings at York and Goodwood, on top of whether we’d even be running as well.

“I spoke to William Haggas on Thursday morning who was kind enough to let me know Mujtaba would not be running in this race and that Cieren would be available. The horse takes some knowing, but I’m not saying he’s quirky and Cieren has ridden winners for me and should suit the horse, so I’ve every confidence in him.”

The long-absent Cash is among five rivals for Deira Mile in the Weatherbys Digital Solutions August Stakes, while a field of nine go to post for the £70,000 Weatherbys Global Stallions Winter Hill Stakes. They include the classy William Haggas inmate My Prospero, who will also be partnered by Fallon, and promising three-year-olds Bracken’s Laugh and Persica.

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