Lazy Griff stakes Irish St Leger claim with Sandown comeback win

Lazy Griff re-emerged as a serious staying-race player at Sandown on Friday, scoring by two and three-quarter lengths in the Listed Coral Marathon and putting his name back on the path toward the Irish St Leger. It was his first win since September 2024, and it came after 11 months on the sidelines and a comeback third in the Group 3 Henry II Stakes on May 28.

Under Billy Loughnane, the 4-year-old bay colt by Protectionist out of Linarda made all over 2m 50y on good ground and collected £34,026. Racing Post had him marked up at 113 on official ratings and 125 on Racing Post Rating, and the Sandown performance suggested those figures may still understate him when the race is run to suit.

The win mattered because it answered the main question hanging over last season’s Derby runner-up: whether he could return from a long absence and still operate at the top of the staying ladder. Lazy Griff had already shown his class at Epsom in the 2025 Betfred Derby, when Lambourn beat him by three and three-quarter lengths, and he later placed in the Irish Derby. Sandown did not just confirm he can still finish his races well. It showed he can also control one from the front when the tempo and track conditions are in his favour.

Charlie Johnston had already indicated before the race that Lazy Griff had come out of his Henry II return well and was ready to go again, but the bigger issue now is placement. Johnston has made clear he does not want to rush the colt straight back into Group 1 company if the set-up is wrong. The Sandown effort strengthened the case for a race with a proper gallop and some cut in the ground, rather than another tactical affair that forces Lazy Griff to do the hard work himself.

That leaves the Irish St Leger, on September 13, as the obvious long-range target, with the Goodwood Cup on July 28 also under consideration. Middleham Park Racing and George Griffiths own the colt, and his latest performance lifted his career earnings to about £535,670. Sandown looked less like a finish line than a relaunch, and the staying campaign that follows will show whether Lazy Griff has truly returned to the Group 1 trail.