Spencer has St Leger ambitions for Tyson Fury

Graham Clark
July 15, 2020 7:45 pm

Heavyweight champion’s namesake debuted in style at Doncaster.

Trainer Richard Spencer has identified the St Leger at Doncaster as the primary objective for his exciting colt Tyson Fury.

The Newmarket handler confirmed in February of last year that the two-time heavyweight world champion had given his blessing for the Iffraaj colt to be named in his honour, with part-owner Phil Cunningham friendly with a member of Fury’s team.

While it has taken a while for the equine Tyson Fury to hit the racecourse, he produced a knockout display on his Doncaster debut earlier in the month, leaving connections dreaming of a tilt at Classic glory later in the year.

Tyson Fury is set to visit his equine namesake (Bradley Collyer/PA)

Speaking after saddling a winner at Yarmouth on Wednesday, Spencer said: “He has been cantering daily since his run. There are no immediate plans yet – we just need to see how the ground is, as we are not going to run him on anything quick.

“We could go for the Geoffrey Freer at Newbury or the Great Voltigeur at York, but equally we could go for a novice. He won’t run anywhere unless the ground is perfect for him.

“He needs another run before we go to the St Leger.”

Spencer – who once again confirmed the self-styled ‘Gypsy King’ is likely to visit his stables in the near future – insists his colt’s introductory performance on Town Moor was no surprise, despite his starting price of 20-1.

He added: “He is one that we like a lot and he has come out of the Doncaster race really well.

“He held a Derby entry for two years and we couldn’t get him there because of the Covid-19 pandemic. We took our time, the owners have been very patient and it has been worth waiting for.

“Hopefully he is still an exciting horse – not just for the rest of this year. He only wants to have another couple of runs this year as he his a big horse and stands at 17 hands – he will be nicer horse next year.”