So You Are books Melbourne Cup ticket after St Leger triumph

The connections of improving stayer So You Are can celebrate a successful outcome, as the horse has overcome a pre-race incident to position itself favourably for a Melbourne Cup start.

In Saturday's St Leger Stakes (2600m) at Randwick, the Bjorn Baker-trained $3.30 favourite, ridden by Tommy Berry, demonstrated resilience to fend off Tempesti ($31) by three-quarters of a length, thus earning a coveted spot in Australia's premier race.

However, the event nearly didn't proceed for the horse.

Prior to the parade, So You Are was found to be missing a lead bag, requiring its removal, a check of its equipment, and subsequent re-equipping.

Glen Lobb, Baker's assistant, was handling the final preparations when the horse gave him a shove that knocked him over.

Thankfully, Lobb was unharmed. Despite appearing agitated by the fuss, So You Are put the disturbance aside to record its third consecutive victory.

"Bit of a mistake. It worked out thankfully well," Baker remarked.

"I did say to Tommy (Berry), 'I'll give you a bit of cash if you tell 'Stuey' (owner Stuart Ramsey) it was your fault'.

"He (So You Are) is an iron man, and he was good late. I knew he'd keep finding and massive thrill to win on a day like today. How special."

So You Are carries 52kg in the upcoming Melbourne Cup (3200m), and Baker indicated their definite intention for the horse to compete.

"He's a really, really good stayer. I can't wait to see him over two miles," he commented.

"I'm sure he'll be able to get into the Melbourne Cup off that, so hopefully he comes through well.

"I've only had him for the four runs, so I'm the lucky benefactor of a really well-trained, straightforward racehorse."

Klondike ($7.50) put in a strong late run to secure third place, with jockey Zac Lloyd expressing confidence in the import.

"He went very well. I think he is ready to win," Lloyd stated.

Punters keen on So You Are can explore the latest racing odds on various online bookmakers.