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.
St Leger Festival FAQ
The 2023 St Leger Festival takes place between Thursday 14th September and Sunday 17th September, with the actual St Leger race taking place on Saturday 16th September. The four-day meeting is packed with quality races and it’s a popular end to the flat racing season.
The St Leger Festival continues to be staged by Doncaster Racecourse, with this popular Yorkshire track attracting thousands of spectators each day. This is a meeting that has historically been held at Doncaster and the St Leger is the oldest of all the classics.
The main St Leger meeting is sponsored by bookmaker Betfred, although there are several other title sponsors throughout the four days. However, it’s Betfred who have put their name to the principal races on this occasion.
The St Leger Festival tends to be sold out and particularly when it comes to St Leger Day itself. Racegoers flock to Doncaster Racecourse to watch the oldest classic race in England, with racing fans enjoying the chance to watch Group One and Group Two races.
The St Leger Festival’s jewel in the crown is the Betfred St Leger, with this being a Group 1 classic race, while there’s also the Betfred Champagne Stakes and Betfred Park Stakes on the same racecard. You will also find the Doncaster Cup on Day Two of the meeting.
The Betfred St Leger is the final classic of the flat season and it’s also the oldest classic out of the Derby, Oaks, 1000 Guineas and 2000 Guineas. Run over one mile and six furlongs, it was originally established in 1776 and it’s the longest distance classic.
If you’re not able to be in attendance at Doncaster Racecourse during the four-day meeting, then you are able to watch the main races including the St Leger on terrestrial television. There is also the chance to take advantage of a bookmaker’s live streaming service.
When you visit Racing-Odds.com, not only will you get to see the leading bookmakers being showcased but you can also compare the latest horse racing odds. You should expect the betting sites to offer price boosts and extra places for this meeting.
There are several top horse racing betting sites and the best ones are featured at Racing-Odds.com. Claim racing free bets and compare the latest prices before deciding where to place your bets.