CLARITY is always a desirable element of a big sporting weekend and we might get a decent share of it this time.

Too much hype, or a genuine ‘champion’ is the background story around the top three-year-old, the absent City Of Troy, but his rating should come under scrutiny this weekend with many of those who have been beaten by him in action in the Group 1s over three countries.

Economics provides the intrigue at Leopardstown. Whether or not he is a genuine ratings rival to the Ballydoyle star will be tested by Ballydoyle’s ‘second string’ – one comprising of three Group 1 winners at that.

Ghostwriter also represents the classic form and off the back of his four and a half lengths third to City Of Troy in the Juddmonte, he will need to be beaten further here to aid the City Of Troy ‘agenda’. The Leopardstown bend into the straight could be more important than Tattenham Corner this year!

The Leger at Doncaster is the poor relation of all the big races taking place this weekend. It looks like a ‘third string’ of Ballydoyle colts dominating. Over in Paris, Arc favourite Look De Vega, impressive in the French Derby, has the Epsom runner-up Ambiente Friendly to test him in the Prix Niel, along with Grand Prix de Paris winner Sosie.

William Haggas’ cautious approach with his best horse, Baaeed, would lend belief that he believes Economics is ready for this test, especially as coming to your first Group 1, and a good one at that, in September, is unusual for a three-year-old.

IT was a touch amusing that the news about Sir Michael Stoute calling time on his training career came just before today’s Doncaster St Leger, the one classic that for so long proved elusive to the great trainer.

Even his outstanding Shergar (1981) was beaten in it and Stoute had a run of beaten favourites and placings in the race. Lester and Commanche Run foiled Baynoun in 1984, Hellenic lost out to Snurge in 1990, and Saddlers’ Hall was second in 1991.

Sacrament started second favourite in 1994, as did Air Marshall in 2000 and Balakheri in 2002. Stoute was out of luck again in 2004 when Quiff was joint-favourite but went down to a masterful ride by Kerrin McEvoy on Rule Of Law.

And it became smarter for many years to take on the Stoute-trained favourites before in 2008 Conduit and Frankie Dettori finally broke the hoodoo.

There is a bit of a Last of the Summer Wine feel to the news for this fan who began following racing when the names Harwood, Hern, Dunlop, Cecil and Stoute were across any top-class card. Stouthe outlasted them all and indeed, with better luck, might have been represented on today’s Leopardstown card, a race he won twice, had Passenger not been injured at York.

Favourite

One of my personal favourites over those great campaigns with his ‘typical Michael Stoute-trained older horse’ was the Irish Champions Stakes winner in 1997, Pilsudski.

While looking back at old Leger reports, an extract from the Timeform essays the year of Commanche Run’s success 40 years ago appeared and it makes amusing reading on the current place of the St Leger.

The efforts of the Doncaster executive to restore the prestige of the St Leger, relative in particular to the Derby, received a further blow in 1984 with the inauguration of the Phoenix Champion Stakes (first prize £207,060). What chance now of the St Leger regaining its erstwhile place as the automatic target for the Derby winner?

Automatic target? In a week where the Group 1 sprints at Haydock and the Curragh don’t bear great resemblance to a genuine Group 1 sprint field, the St Leger is also well diminished from the heady days, even when Camelot was bidding for a Triple Crown.

Stoute’s Leger winner Conduit began his three-year-old season finishing third in a Sandown handicap, and went on and won the Breeders’ Cup Turf on his final run at three.

At four he dropped back to 10 furlongs and lined up against Sea The Stars before winning the King George, running in the Arc and winning a second Breeders’ Cup Turf. He ended the campaign finishing fourth in a high class Japan Cup. Such adventure is rarely seen, 15 years on.

It is a sign of the times and, looking back at both that race and the field lining up today, of the changing face of middle-distance flat racing, one where trainers without very patient owners and late developing horses, find it difficult to compete in the best races.