Aidan O’Brien will pay his first visit to the new Doncaster today but he has already secured one of its landmark races. Septimus ran away with the GNER Doncaster Cup in the sunshine of yesterday and encouraged his jockey, Johnny Murtagh, to declare he has the essential attributes for the Melbourne Cup.

Septimus banished any remaining doubts over his ability at extreme distance and on quick ground with a facile five-length victory from Geordieland, taking three seconds off the track record. Murtagh, who partners the favourite, Honolulu, in today’s St Leger, was notably impressed.

“I think he is getting more mature now and we’re seeing the best of him,” he said. “He’s not your average stayer - he’s no plodder. The trip was no problem at all but he also has the early speed he’d need to get a position in the Melbourne Cup. I certainly wouldn’t be ruling him out.”

Geordieland went to Melbourne last November but the mission ended sadly with a burst blood vessel. He will not return and could even be dropped back to 12 furlongs for the Canadian International after once more flattering to deceive here. Jamie Osborne, his trainer, said: “He’ll no doubt be called a few names again but what he does on the bridle is pretty much all he does.” Septimus carries the colours of Derrick Smith, who was more dubious about the Melbourne Cup and mentioned the Prix Cadran on Arc day as an alternative. Bookmaker VCBet cut Septimus to 10-1 for the Cup but the decision will probably depend on whether O’Brien wishes to target Australia again with Yeats, who first contests the Irish St Leger at the Curragh today.

Yeats will start odds-on to win that prize and Blue Square quote the O’Brien stable at even-money for a Leger double. Victory for Honolulu, or one of his three other runners, would make O’Brien unassailable in the British trainers’ championship – the Irish equivalent is already under lock and key – and yesterday’s victory was his fifteenth in group races here this season.

When he arrives at Town Moor today, O’Brien will walk a track that has received unanimous praise from jockeys and gaze at a grandstand that has transformed the once dowdy atmosphere of this course. Doncaster still has work to do, notably in softening some of the starker public areas, but this meeting has restored the venue to its rightful stature.

What with the rival attractions of a cash-rich card at the Curragh, and the suspension of Ryan Moore, leading jockeys were thin on the ground yesterday. Two who were present, though, enjoyed contrasting fortunes in the other group two on the card, the Polypipe Flying Childers.

As the runners went to post, Olivier Peslier was helpless to restrain the outsider, Proud Linus, who careered past the stalls, crashed through the rails and landed on his back.

Peslier, having bailed out just in time, was nevertheless fortunate to escape with only minor cuts and bruises. He emerged smiling to say: “I have been very lucky. Last weekend I won the Man’O’War in New York and now it has come true.”

Peslier has two stitches in an arm wound and will rest today before resuming at the Arc trials meeting at Longchamp tomorrow.

The race itself was won with conviction by Frankie Dettori on the short-priced favourite, Fleeting Spirit. The trainer, Jeremy Noseda, was absent but his wife, Sally, reported that an audacious bid for the all-aged Prix de l’Abbaye – last won by a two-year-old 29 years ago – is now being considered.

Dettori had quickly settled the contest on a filly whose only defeat came in the Lowther Stakes at York. “I didn’t ride her that day and I’m not sure what happened but she has a tremendous cruising speed and that was quite impressive. If I had to advise, it would be a choice between the Abbaye and the Cheveley Park – the easy six furlongs at Newmarket won’t be beyond her.”

O’Brien’s runner, Warsaw, beat only two home and the stable is likely to play another supporting role in the big juvenile race of the weekend, the National Stakes at the Curragh. Tomorrow’s contest has attracted three of the market leaders for next year’s 2,000 Guineas and Kieren Fallon, O’Brien’s stable jockey, overlooks four runners from the yard to ride Myboycharlie for Tommy Stack.