His dam, Tantalizer was a good racemare who was placed in the Irish Oaks and the Ribblesdale Stakes and was a half-sister of the outstanding stayer Trelawny.
As a descendant of the mare Popinjay, Provoke was a member of the same branch of Thoroughbred family 1-n which produced Swale and Shadeed.
Meadow Court, the winner of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes started 4/11 favourite in a race which was run on extremely soft ground.
Provoke was well-suited and by the muddy conditions and after taking the lead three furlongs from the finish he pulled clear of the opposition to win by ten lengths.
[6] In their book A Century of Champions, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Provoke an "average" St Leger winner.