2025 St Leger Festival Betting Odds & Tips

The St Leger Festival 2025 Betting Tips

The St Leger Festival is one of the biggest flat meetings in the UK calendar. Doncaster Racecourse hosts a four-day event where thousands of racegoers head to this Yorkshire track to enjoy the chance to back a few winners. While the St Leger takes pride of place on the Saturday and is a hugely historic race, there are several other encounters where customers enjoy the chance to bet and win money.

Day One – Betfred Ladies Day

Day One of the St Leger Festival kicks off on Thursday 11 September and there are some quality races on the racecard. They include the Sceptre Stakes which is a Group 3 encounter which is run over seven furlongs. This is a race for fillies and mares, with Bounce The Blues, Matilda Picotte and Great Generation among the recent winners.

There’s also the Park Hill Stakes on Ladies Day, with this being a hugely historic race which now has Group 2 status. John Gosden is a trainer who has been especially successful in this encounter, landing the spoils most recently in 2021 and 2022 respectively with Free Wind and Mimikyu.

Day Two – Betfred Doncaster Cup Day

As the name suggests, the Doncaster Cup takes pride of place on the Friday of the meeting. This is a Group 2 race over two miles and two furlongs and incredibly dates back to 1776. There have been some high-profile winners of this encounter recently, with Stradivarius in the winners’ enclosure in 2019 and 2021. Trueshan was also a winner in 2023.

On the same racecard, there is the Flying Childers Stakes which is a five furlong dash down the Doncaster straight. It’s another Group 2 encounter for bettors to enjoy, with Trillium in the winners’ enclosure in 2022. Since then, we have seen Big Evs claim the spoils in 2023 and Aesterius was able to pass the post first in 2024.

The other Group 2 encounter which is high profile on Doncaster Cup Day is the May Hill Stakes. Since 1976, racegoers have been enjoying this race and we saw the legendary Inspiral claim the spoils in 2021. Polly Pott was then successful in 2022, with the more recent winners being Darnation and Desert Flower.

Day Three – Betfred St Leger Day

The St Leger Stakes takes pride of place on the Saturday of the meeting, with the runners and riders battling it out over one mile, six and a half furlongs. There’s a couple of horses who are trading at a noticeably short price to claim a victory. Scandinavia has been an impressive three-year-old this term with three victories to his name.

The Aidan O’Brien-trained charge was most recently able to score at Goodwood when winning the Goodwood Cup Stakes. A victory over Illinois was really impressive and that came after a July success at Newmarket. The 11/8 favourite was able to score in the Bahrain Trophy Stakes, with that being an eight and half length success.

The other horse trading at relatively short odds is Lambourn. This is another runner from the O’Brien stable and there have been three consecutive wins coming into the St Leger. There was a success at the Curragh at the end of June where Serious Contender was beaten by nearly a length.

This came after an Epsom Derby success where the horse was able to win by nearly four lengths, toppling Lazy Griff on that occasion. This came after a success at Chester in the Chester Vase Stakes, so there’s plenty of scope for this horse to continue his winning trend in this race.

There are a couple of other Group 2 encounters on the Saturday of the meeting. The Betfred Champagne Stakes is a seven furlong race, with Zavateri having landed three successive wins to suggest that the two-year-old can make a big impact here. There are lots of horses with smart form and Morris Dancer is also a runner that catches the eye.

The Betfred Park Stakes is also a great betting race on Day Three, with Shadow Of Light running for Godolphin and the three-year-old has produced some bright performances this season. Witness Stand was successful last time out and there’s the old stager Kinross who could line up in this showdown for the chance to hit the winners’ enclosure once again.

2024 St Leger Festival Betting Tips

The St Leger Festival is always a star attraction on the Flat racing calendar, with Day One featuring the Sceptre Stakes and Park Hill Stakes, with the former being a Group Three encounter, while the latter has Group Two status. It’s a great way to start the meeting and Ladies Day is always well-attended, with customers able to bet on the Doncaster racecard.

Day Two of the St Leger Meeting features the Doncaster Cup, with this race being inaugurated in 1766 and it’s a long-distance encounter over two miles and one furlong. Stradivarius, Trueshan and Coltrane are among some of the recent winners of this race, with the Flying Childers Stakes and May Hill Stakes also among the leading races.

There’s no denying that the St Leger Stakes is the highlight race of the four-day St Leger Festival, with this race dripping with history and it’s actually the oldest of the five English classics. Having first been run in 1776, this is a one mile six furlong showdown which has been won by runners such as Hurricane Lane, Eldar Eldarov and Continuous.

Trainer Aidan O’Brien dominates the St Leger 2024 landscape, with Jan Brueghel, Los Angeles and Illinois lining up for the Irish handler and it’s set to be a competitive encounter at Doncaster. Compare the latest betting odds and find out how to get the best Doncaster betting odds along with the best each-way prices.

2023 St Leger Festival Tips

The four-day St Leger meeting is one of the highlights of the flat UK racing calendar, with Gregory, Continuous and Desert Hero among the favourites to win the Betfred St Leger Stakes. Run over a distance of one mile, six-and-a-half furlongs, it’s a strong test of stamina and a final chance for quality three-year-old performers to land a stunning victory.

The St Leger is just one of many top quality races over the four-day meeting, with the Betfred Champagne Stakes also featuring on the Doncaster racecard, with this Group Two encounter attracting some notable entries. The two-year-old race is likely to see Haatem among the market leaders, with Asadna and Golden Mind among the leading contenders.

Horse racing fans are also in for a treat by virtue of the fact that they can bet on the Betfred Park Stakes. Run over seven furlongs, all eyes will be on whether Kinross is able to land a consecutive hat-trick of victories, with the horse having won the World Pool Lennox Stakes and Sky Bet City of York Stakes to cement his credentials.

We should also mention Day Two at the St Leger meeting which is Doncaster Cup Day. A little known fact is that the Doncaster Cup is the oldest horse race run under the latest rules, with the long-distance contenders lining up to compete in the final leg of the Stayers’ Triple Crown. There is also the first time that this meeting ends on a Sunday with the St Leger Community Funday.

2022 St Leger Festival Tips

The four-day St Leger Festival attracts thousands of spectators between 7-10 September, with the five-furlong Scarborough Stakes taking centre stage on the opening day of proceedings. Also on the racecard is the Leger Legends Day where you will get some big-named jockeys returning to the saddle in a charity race.

Ladies Day is always a captivating affair on Thursday 8 September, with the Weatherbys Scientific £300,000 2-Y-O Stakes giving customers the chance to wager on some of the most talented two-year-olds in the land. Little Big Bear has an enviable record and the Aidan O’Brien-trained runner has achieved four consecutive wins.

O’Brien also has Meditate, with Waiting All Night running for the lesser-known Richard Spencer and it should be an interesting tussle over six-and-a-half furlongs. On the following day, we have the famous Doncaster Cup race taking pride of place and this race has its history to the 18th century.

Over two miles, the Doncaster Cup is always an entertaining affair where you get a strict test of stamina. The Flying Childers Stakes and May Hill Stakes are also on a quality racecard and you can bet through the card on the latest racing odds.

On Saturday 10 September, there is the St Leger Stakes and this is a Group 1 encounter that forms part of the British Champions Series. New London is a 5/2 poke and that makes the Charlie Appleby-trained runner the favourite, with Westover also an interesting runner and Ralph Beckett has seen some bright performances from his charge this year.

Access the 2021 St Leger Racecards and Enjoy Horse Racing Bets

The Doncaster St Leger is one of the biggest horse races in the flat racing season and you can currently access the St Leger racecards to find out the latest runners and riders. Looking at the race cards will help you understand the horses running and their accompanying odds, with the prices reflecting the probability of each runner winning.

Santiago is trading as the current favourite on the 2021 racecard for the Doncaster St Leger, with the Aidan O’Brien-trained horse having enjoyed an impressive start to his racing career. As a two-year-old, there were second-placed finishes at Listowel and Galway although the runner has really peaked as a three-year-old.

Ryan Moore was on board when the runner obliged in the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot, with Santiago going off at 100/30 for that encounter, while favourite backers were delighted when the same horse won the Irish Derby at 2/1 later in June.

There will be some stiff competition and a glance at the latest Doncaster racecard highlights that Serpentine is the current second favourite, with this being another O’Brien horse that will arrive in Yorkshire with a strong track record.

The horse was the recent English Derby winner at a massive price of 25/1 and the big question is whether he can now follow it up with another triumph at the 2020 St Leger meeting, with the horse having won a Maiden Stakes before landing the big one at Epsom.

Wednesday 8 September

Punters will be able to access the Day 1 racecard for the St Leger Festival and the notable race on the Wednesday is the Scarbrough Stakes which is run over five furlongs. This is known as Leger Legends Day and there is plenty of charity fundraising to go with a top class race card, with the charity race being run over a straight mile.

Thursday 9 September

Although Ladies Day 2020 might be missing some of the glitz and sparkle of previous years, there is still the opportunity to go through the Doncaster racecard and bet on races such as the Sceptre Stakes and Park Hill Stakes. The Park Hill Stakes is a Group 2 encounter which is run over a mile and six furlongs, with Ralph Beckett proving successful as a trainer in 2016 and 2017.

Friday 10 September

The St Leger Festival really starts hotting up on Day Three of the meeting, with the Doncaster Cup taking centre stage and this is a hugely historic renewal which was first inaugurated in 1766. The distance of the race is over two miles and the great Stradivarius claimed the 2019 renewal, with the John Gosden horse potentially back to retain his crown this time around.

Other races include the Flying Childers Stakes and the May Hill Stakes which are also Group 2 races, with punters able to locate them on the Doncaster St Leger Day 3 racecards and go through the latest runners and riders.

Saturday 11 September

We finally arrive at St Leger day, with all roads leading to this brilliant race where it’s the final opportunity for leading owners, trainers and jockeys to land a classic success. We have a quality Day 4 race card that includes the Champagne Stakes, the Portland Handicap and the Park Stakes, all prestigious renewals which will attract some star names.

However, the Doncaster St Leger betting is the most popular and this is a tussle over one mile and six furlongs. Due to it being similar distanced to the Derby, several horses have managed to land the Derby – St Leger double over the years and recent winners have included Logician, Kew Gardens and Capri.

Last year meeting preview

The Aidan O’Brien-trained horse has an entry into the Juddmonte International Stakes at York before heading to the St Leger, with the three-year-old having recently won the Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris.

Japan was also an impressive winner at the Royal Ascot meeting, with the 6/4 favourite claiming victory in the King Edward VII Stakes and this could mean he’s the horse to beat at Doncaster.

Other horses in the betting for the 2019 St Leger are Logician, Anthony Van Dyck and Sovereign, with the market likely to take shape as we get closer to the start of the race.

It’s sometimes easy to forget that Anthony Van Dyck won the Epsom Derby considering that the stablemate of Japan recently flopped on an outing at Ascot after previously missing out in the Irish Derby.

It was actually Sovereign who touched off his rival when this race took place on 29 June, while his performance in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes clearly something go amiss.

As for Sovereign, that Irish Derby win was off the charts considering that the Aidan O’Brien horse had previously finished tenth out of thirteen in the Epsom Derby, with the horse having twice been beaten by Broome at Leopardstown.

The St Leger Festival Begins on Thursday

While the William Hill St Leger race is run on Saturday, we have plenty of racing to take place before this Classic and the action begins on Thursday when thousands of racegoers descend on the south Yorkshire track to cheer on the horses they are backing.

The Weatherbys Racing Bank £300,000 2-Y-O Stakes is run over six-and-a-half furlongs, with Monarch Of Egypt likely to be among the favourites to win a race which can be unpredictable simply because you have unproven young horses.

Aidan O’Brien has seen his charge finish in the first two for the first three runs of the season, although the past two outings have seen Monarch Of Egypt wind up in second place and perhaps he’ll find one too good for him in this race.

Glasvegas is second in the ratings for the race and the Keith Dalgleish-trained runner has also shone on the racecourse this season, with a winning performance at Hamilton followed by a third-placed finish behind Southern Hills at Royal Ascot.

Considering the horse was 25/1 for the Windsor Castle Stakes, this was an impressive run.

Park Stakes and Champagne Stakes Take Place on Saturday

There is also a full card of quality racing on the Friday of the St Leger Festival, although there is an absolute treat when it comes to the Saturday card, with the Park Stakes and Champagne Stakes both Group 2 encounters which look to be intriguing affairs.

The Park Stakes is a seven furlong encounter, with owner Hamdam Al Maktoum having two lively contenders in the form of Jash and Khaadem. The former is trained by Simon Crisford and he announced himself with a victory in the Betway King Charles II Stakes before a more modest performance in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot.

As for Khaadem, he was also in that Commonwealth Cup race and found the going a bit too hot, although we should note that this was a Group 1 encounter and there have been plenty of other bright notes.

Most recently, the three-year-old won the Unibet Stewards’ Cup over six furlongs, obliging as favourite at odds of 4/1 and the Jim Crowley-trained horse could be the one to back for this encounter.

Limato and Sir Dancealot are also level with the above two horses on the latest ratings, with the former an experienced seven-year-old who has the chance to run a big race despite finishing stone last in the Darley July Cup Stakes at Newmarket.

Previously to this, Limato won the Criterion Stakes at the same track and could act on the Doncaster turf, while Sir Dancealot scored victory in the Qatar Lennox Stakes over seven furlongs, with a credible fourth position in the Unibet Hungerford Stakes.

The Champagne Stakes can have a maximum field of 22 horses and Pinatubo could line up in this race and put his 100% record on the line. The Charlie Appleby-trained horse has scored four successive victories in 2019 and the two-year-old really shone at the Glorious Goodwood Festival.

Pinatubo won the Group 2 Qatar Vintage Stakes as the 6/4 favourite, with James Doyle likely to ride the horse once again and there was a previous victory at Royal Ascot in the Chesham Stakes which illustrates that the horse can act at different courses.