St Leger Stakes

The William Hill St Leger Stakes is the final Classic of the British Flat season and is open to fillies and colts. Not only is it the longest of Britain’s five Classics, it is also the oldest with the inaugural running taking place in 1776. The St Leger is run in September.

• Length of the race – One mile and six and a half furlongs.
• Where to watch – RTV and ITV.
• When to watch – Saturday, September 14 at 3.35pm.
• Prize-money – The race is worth £700,000, with £396,970 going to the winner.
• Course – The race is run at Doncaster racecourse.
• Race type – Group 1.
• Weights –Colts carry 9st 1lb with fillies carrying 8st 12lb.
• Ages – The race is open to three-year-olds of both sexes.
• Sponsor – William Hill have sponsored the race since 2017.

Key stats

• Had finished first or second over at least 1m4f, 10/10
• Top-four finish last time out, 9/10 (three won)
• Adjusted RPR of at least 125, 9/10
• By a sire with a stamina index of at least 9.6f, 9/10
• Previous two runs were over 1m4f or 1m5f, 7/10
• Group-race winner, 7/10

Other factors

• Four winners had run in the Derby (8269), three in the Great Voltigeur (233) and two in the Gordon Stakes (32).
• Voltigeur winners finished 36364U5.
• Eight fillies have run in the past decade, finishing 46021529. In 2015, Simple Verse became the first to win since User Friendly in 1992.

Key trials

There are two races in particular that should be noted as informative trials – the Group 2 Great Voltigeur at York and the Group 3 Gordon Stakes at Goodwood, which have thrown up several St Leger winners. The Bahrain Trophy on Newmarket’s July course is also an interesting marker as it is a Group 3 run over a mile and five furlongs, just short of the St Leger distance. It is not uncommon to see horses stepping up from the Derby, either, as they mature and strengthen throughout the season, making the longer trip more viable.

What happened last year?

It was billed as a battle between Gosden and O’Brien, Dettori and Moore, Lah Ti Dar and Kew Gardens. Lah Ti Dar and Kew Gardens battled for favouritism in the lead-up to the race but it was Kew Gardens who came out on top on the day, catching Lah Ti Dar on the wrong foot turning for home and building up enough of a lead to put breathing space between him and the filly, who was closing in the final stages but could only get to within two and a quarter lengths. The pair were four and a half lengths clear of Southern France back in third.

Where can I get William Hill St Leger tickets?

William Hill St Leger tickets can be purchased from the Doncaster website here

William Hill St Leger tip

Logician tops the market for the final Classic of the season and it’s easy to see why. The son of Frankel has been touted as the next big thing and the manner of his victories, one of them at Group 2 level, shows why he’s receiving such high praise. Frankel is yet to sire a Classic winner but this looks as good a chance as ever and it will take some performance to beat him. Those aiming to upset the odds include the Aidan O’Brien trio Constantinople, Il Paradiso and Sir Dragonet but, having lost out to Logician last time out, Constantinople has a lot to find and Sir Dragonet hasn’t done much to impress since his Chester win in May. Il Paradiso looked as though he may be able to step up to this level when chasing down Stradivarius at York, so he could be Ballydoyle’s best chance of success. (Joe Tuffin)

Logician Il 

Paradiso 

Sir Ron Priestly