Vinnie Roe tries rare double

Vinnie Roe will attempt to complete a rare St. Leger double when he faces 12 rivals in the Group 1 Prix Royal-Oak at Longchamp on Sunday.

A Definite Article 3-year-old trained by Dermot Weld, Vinnie Roe took the 1 3/4-mile Irish St. Leger against older horses on good-to-firm ground at The Curragh on Sept. 15. Now he is going after the 1 15/16-mile French version of the St. Leger on very soft ground.

Vinnie Roe has won three straight going 1 3/4 miles, but the ground at Longchamp might stop him this time. If that is the case, the 9-year-old gelding Yavana's Pace may well wind up the winner. Trained by Mark Johnston, Yavana's Pace landed his fifth group-race success in the Prix du Conseil de Paris at Longchamp last Sunday and goes on any ground. Also dangerous are Germinis, Generic, and San Sebastian.

Frankie Dettori will arrive in Paris off a red-eye flight from the Breeders' Cup races to ride Wareed. A lightly raced Sadler's Wells 3-year-old, Wareed is coming off a course-and-distance score on similar ground in the Group 2 Prix Hubert de Chaudenay, in which he beat subsequent Jockey Club Cup winner Capal Garmon by four lengths.