Doncaster St Leger Festival: Race List & Meeting Info

Day One Races - Legends Day

EBF Conditions Stakes

Class 2, 6f

Run in association with the British Stallion Studs and the European Breeders Fund, the Conditions Stakes is a Class 2, Plus 10 offering. It’s run over six furlongs and two yards and is open to horses aged two. The winner stands to take home more than £10,000 in prize money, whilst the race tends to last about one minute and ten seconds.

Pepsi Max Nursery Handicap

Class 2, 7f

Sponsored by the drink Pepsi Max, this race is, as the name suggests, aimed at younger horses. It’s a Class 2 race for two-year-olds and is run over seven furlongs and six yards. If the Going is Good to Firm then you can expect it to last for about a minute and thirty seconds, with £11,000 plus heading to the winner.

Scarborough Stakes

Listed, 5f

This Listed race is for horses aged two and over and takes place over a distance of five furlongs and three yards. Records for the race stretch back to 1983 and in 2019 the purse was £40,000, with a little over £22,000 going to the winner. There are a number of weight rules involved, which are as follows:

• 2-year-olds: 8 stone 3 pounds
• 3-year-olds: 9 stone 10 pounds
• 4-year-olds and up: 9 stone 11 pounds
• Mares and fillies get a 5 pound allowance
• Winners of Listed races since March 31st get a 3 pound penalty
• Winners of Group 3 races since March 31st get a 5 pound penalty

Between 1983 and 2018 just three horses won the race more than once, with Celtic Mill, Galeota and Notley each racking up two victories. Whilst several jockeys including Ryan Moore, Ray Cochrane and Lester Piggot won the race multiple times, Frankie Dettori led the way with four wins during the same time period. If you’re looking for a clue about which horses to bet on then it might be worth considering that more four-year-olds have won it than any other age.

Leger Legends Stakes

Class 5, 1m

The Leger Legends might not be the most thrilling nor the most competitive of races, but there’s little doubt that it’s one of the one that the crowd enjoys the most. It sees retired jockeys return to the breech and their breeches for another run on the famous Town Moor turf.

First run in 2010 on the straight mile, the race is a firm favourite of punters lucky enough to be at Doncaster Racecourse for the first day of the Festival. Here’s a look at the previous winning jockeys from 2010 to 2018:

• 2010 - Charlie Swan
• 2011 - Julie Krone
• 2012 - Mick Kinane
• 2013 - Willie Supple
• 2014 - Dale Gibson
• 2015 - Tony McCoy
• 2016 - Joseph O’Brien
• 2017 - Brian Harding
• 2018 - Ted Durcan

Whilst all of the jockeys listed there deserved their day in the sun, it’s the name of AP McCoy that stands out. Having decided to retire in April of 2015, McCoy was able to rack up one last winner on the back of the race favourite Gannicus. Having been a champion jump jockey on a remarkable twenty occasions, it was fitting that McCoy’s final final race ended in a win.

EBF Premier Fillies' Handicap

Class 2, 1m4f

The British European Breeders Fund is responsible for this race, which is limited to female horses aged three and over. They’ll need to have a handicap rating of between 0 and 100 to take part, with a prize of more than £18,500 on offer to the winner. A Class 2 race, it’s run over one mile, three furlongs and ninety-seven yards.

William Hill Conditions Stakes

Class 2, 1m2f

Sponsored by the bookmaker William Hill, this Conditions Stakes is for horses aged three and over. The Class 2 offering takes place over one mile, two furlongs and forty-three yards, which usually takes the competitors about two minutes to complete.

Parkes Bros Handicap

Class 4, 5f

Run over five furlongs and three yards, this Class 4 race is sponsored by the local company Parkes Bros Roofing Contractors at the time of writing. It’s for horses aged three and over with a handicap rating of between 0 and 85.

Day Two Races - Ladies' Day

Fillies' Nursery Handicap

Class 2, 6½f

One of those races in which the title gives you all of the pertinent information, this offering is open to female horses aged two. It’s a Class 2 race that is run in association with the British Stallion Studs European Breeders Fund. Run over six furlongs and one hundred and eleven yards, the prize money sees more than £30,000 going to the winner.

Park Hill Stakes

Group 2, 1m6½f

Established in 1978, the race was known as the Kiveton Park Stakes when it was sponsored by Kiveton Park Steel. Originally a Listed race that took place over seven furlongs, the race become a Group 3 offering in 1986 and then was extended to be run over a mile in 1993. It took on its current moniker in 1996.

The Park Stakes went back to being a seven furlong race in 2003 and became a Group 2 running the following year. Open to horses aged three and over, the race has some weight information you’ll be interested in:

• 3-year-olds: 9 stone
• 4-year-olds and over: 9 stone 4 pounds
• Fillies and mares have a 3 pound allowance
• Winners of Group 1 races since March 31st carry a 5 pound penalty
• Winners of Group 2 races since March 31st carry a 3 pound penalty

Three horses have won the race more than once, namely Bishop of Cashel, Iffraaj and Arabian Gleam. Willie Carson and Sir Michael Stoute hold the records as jockey and trainer respectively thanks to their four wins apiece, though only The Quiet Bidder in 1982 won for both of them.

Weatherbys 2-Y-O Stakes

Class 2, 6½f

If you like races that boast titles that tell you everything you need to know then you’re not going to do much better than the Weatherbys Racing Bank £300,000 2-Y-O Stakes. Sponsored by Weatherbys, the racing bank, it’s limited to two-year-olds and is run over six furlongs and one hundred and eleven yards. The winner will take home more than £147,000 in this Class 2 offering.

May Hill Stakes

Group 2, 1m

Inaugurated in 1976, this Group 2 race is exclusively for two-year-olds fillies; appropriate for Ladies Day. Run over one mile on the straight track, there’s a weight of nine stone in place with a three pound penalty for horses that have won any Group 1 or Group 2 races before. There was a £70,000 purse in place for 2019 and just shy of £40,000 of that went to the winner.

Named after a filly that won the Park Hill Stakes in 1975, the race was initially a Group 3 offering but became a Group 2 one in 2003. Horses that do well in this are often competitive in the Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket, with Laurens winning both in 2017. Willie Carson and Frankie Dettori both won it four times as jockeys, whilst Henry Cecil is the standout trainer thanks to his twelve wins.

Lady Riders Handicap

Class 3, 6f

A pro-am race for female riders, this event is run over six furlongs and two yards. It’s for horses aged three and over that have a handicap rating of between 0and 90. The Class 3 race usually takes about one minute and ten seconds to complete and the winner can expect to receive prize money in the region of £13,000.

Magners Rose Handicap

Class 2, 1m2f

A Class 2 event for horses aged three and over with a rating of between 0 and 105, the Magners Rose Handicap lasts for one mile, two furlongs and forty-three yards. There’s around £15,000 on offer in prize money for the winner, with horses normally taking a little over two minutes to complete the race.

DFS Handicap

Class 2, 7f

DFS sales may never end, but this race is limited to seven furlongs and six yards. It’s for horses aged three with a rating of between 0 and 100. A Class 2 race, it has £12,000 or so for the winner and normally lasts for about one minute and twenty seconds or so.

Day Three Races - Gentleman's Day

Sceptre Stakes

Group 3, 7f

Sceptre was a filly that was foaled in 1899 and who won four Classics, including the St Leger Stakes. It was raced over 1 mile for a time, being cut to 7 furlongs in 1993 and getting promoted from Listed status to Group 3 in 2011. The weight information for the race is as follows:

• 3-year-olds: 8 stone 12 pounds
• 4-year-olds and over: 9 stone 2 pounds
• Group 1 winners after 31st March carry a 7 pound penalty
• Group 2 winners after 31st March carry a 5 pound penalty
• Group 3 winners after 31st March carry a 3 pound penalty

Since 1986 when records began, no horse has won the race more than once. Michael Hills didn’t follow that trend as a jockey, however, notching up four wins, which is one shy of the most successful trainer in the event Barry Hills.

Mallard Handicap

As with a few other races that take place during the St. Leger Festival, the Mallard Handicap is currently sponsored by William Hill. It’s for horses aged three and over with a rating of between 0 and 110. Run over one mile, six furlongs and one hundred and fifteen yards, the winner stands to take home about £26,000 in prize money.

Class 2, 1m6½f

Doncaster Cup Stakes

Group 2, 2m2f

A race named after the town that the racecourse is based in was always likely to be seen as an important one, with the Doncaster Cup very much ticking that box. The Doncaster Cup takes place over two miles, one furlong and one hundred and ninety-seven yards and took place for the first time in 1766 when it was known as the Doncaster Gold Cup. That means that it’s actually ten years older than the St Leger Stakes, even though it’s not as prestigious. It is also part of the British Champions Series.

The race has undergone numerous changes over the years, not least with its length. Starting life as a four mile offering, it was cut to two miles five furlongs in 1825 then to two miles two furlongs in 1891. It saw its length drop by one more furlong in 1908, only to return to its former length nineteen years later. When race gradings came in in 1971 it was a Group 3 race, earning its Group 2 status in 2003.

The Doncaster Cup is part of the Stayers’ Triple Crown, with the Gold Cup and the Goodwood Cup coming before it in the racing season. Beeswing is the race’s leading horse, winning it four times between 1837 and 1842. Joe Mercer is the most successful jockey thanks to his eight wins, whilst both Cecil Boyd-Rochfort and Henry Cecil won it seven times as trainers. The race has some weight information that you’ll want to be aware of:

• 3-year-olds: 8 stone 7 pounds
• 4-year-olds and over: 9 stone 5 pounds
• Fillies and mares get a 3 pound allowance
• Horses that have won a Group 1 race since March 31st get a 5 pound penalty
• Horses that have won a Group 2 race since March 31st get a 3 pound penalty

Flying Childers Stakes

Group 2, 5f

First run in 1967, the race is, unsurprisingly considering its title, named after a horse that was bred at nearby Carr House in the eighteenth century. It was originally known as the Norfolk Stakes but required a new name when a different race took on that moniker in 1973. At that point it was a Group 1 race but was downgraded to Group 2 six years later.

A race open to two-year-olds only, it is run over five furlongs and three yards on the straight and there’s a weight of nine stone one pound with a three pound allowance for fillies. The purse was £70,000 in 2019 and the winner took home just short of £40,000. Obviously no horse has ever won it more than once, but Lester Piggott and Frankie Dettori gave each picked up five wins as jockeys; the same number as the race’s most successful trainer, Sir Michael Stoute.

Flying Scotsman Stakes

Listed, 7f

Between 1983 and 1999 this race bore the moniker of the Queen's Own Yorkshire Dragoons Conditions Stakes, becoming the Frank Whittle Partnership Conditions Stakes until 2013. It was at that point that it took on its current name, given in honour of the LNER Class A3 4472 Flying Scotsman locomotive, which was built in Doncaster in 1923.

Taking place over seven furlongs and six yards, the race is run on the straight track and is for two-year-olds only. The weight information is as follows:

• 9 stone, with a 5 pound allowance for fillies and mares
• Winners of Group races receive a 7 pound penalty
• Winners of Listed races receive a 4 pound penalty

Irish EBF Maiden Stakes

Class 3, 7f

Run in association with the Irish European Breeders Fund and a memorial race for Gary Reid, the Maiden Stakes is for horses that haven’t won a race before. It’s run over seven furlongs and six yards and is limited to horses aged two. A Plus 10 race, it is also Sire and Dam restricted.

@WillHillRacing Handicap

Class 2, 6½f

Sponsored by the British bookmaker William Hill, this handicap race is for horses aged three and over with a rating of between 0 and 105. Run over six furlongs and one hundred and eleven yards, the Class 2 event promises prize money for the winner in the region of about £13,000.

Classified Stakes

Class 3, 1m2f

The Classified Stakes is sponsored by Coopers Marquees at the time of writing and is open to horses aged three and over. They’ll need to have a rating of between 0 and 85 to participate, with about £10,000 on offer to the winner. Run over one mile, two furlongs and forty-three yards, it’s a Class 3 event.

Day Four Races - St Leger Day

Portland Handicap

Class 2, 5½f

Open to horses aged three and over and taking place over five furlongs and one hundred and forty-three yards, the Portland Handicap is run on the straight and boasts a purse of £60,000 in 2019. It was established in 1855 and was known as the Portland Plate for a time. Obviously the fact that it’s a handicap means that there’s no race information to tell you, with the handicapper deciding how much each horse should carry in order to make it as level a playing field as possible.

Halmahera has won the race more times than any other horse, getting back-to-back victories in 2002, 2003 and 2004. Interestingly, none of those wins were for either the race’s most successful jockey Brownie Carslake, who won five times in his career, nor for Richard Marsh, the most successful trainer. He also had five wins, but none of those were thanks to Carslake.

Park Stakes

Group 2, 7f

The race at Doncaster that May Hill won to make her a prime candidate to have a race named in her honour was the Park Hill Stakes. First run in 1839, this race is run left-handed on turf and is open to fillies and mares aged three and over. It lasts for one mile, six furlongs and one hundred and fifteen yards and has some weight information that you might want to know about:

• 3-year-olds: 8 stone 9 pounds
• 4-year-olds and over: 9 stone 5 pounds
• Group 2 winners since March 31st: 3 pounds penalty
• Group 1 winners since March 31st: 5 pounds penalty

The race is named in honour of an estate that was owned by Anthony St Leger, the man who created the St Leger Stakes. Originally limited to three-year-old fillies, the race was a Group 1 offering when the system was introduced in 1971. It was relegated down to a Group 3 race when fillies and mares aged four and over were allowed to take part in it in 1991, regaining Group 2 status thirteen years later.

Champagne Stakes

Group 2, 7f

This Group 2 race is open to two-year-old colts and geldings and took place for the first time in 1823. It was originally for horses of any sex, being limited to males in 1988. It was run over a mile before being shortened to six furlongs in 1870 then extended to seven furlongs in 1962. Nowadays it sits at seven furlongs and six yards and horses that do well in it then tend to be competitive in the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket the following month.

The weight is nine stone, with Group 1 and Group 2 winners having a three pound penalty added. Bill Scott is the race’s most successful jockey thanks to his nine wins, which is one fewer than both John Scott and Matthew Dawson who won the race ten times as trainers. As you might imagine from the names, there’s some overlap between the horses that won the races for Bill and John Scott.

St Leger Stakes

Group 1, 1m6½f

Established in 1776, the St Leger Stakes is the last of the five Classics run during the flat season. As well as completing the English Triple Crown alongside the 2,000 Guineas and the Derby, it’s also the final leg of the Fillies’ Crown with the 1,000 Guineas and the Oaks. Devised by an army officer named Anthony St Leger, it was called A Sweepstake of 25 Guineas until it was decided that it should bear his moniker at its next running.

There’s so much that we could tell you about the St Leger Stakes, but rather than bore you with its history we’ll tell you about the race itself. It is run over a distance of one mile and six furlongs, down from the original two miles it was run at. It takes place left-handed on the turf and is for three-year-olds, though geldings are excluded.

the weight is nine stone one pound, with a three pound allowance for fillies. Bill Scott won the race more than any other jockey thanks to his nine wins, with seven on them coming on the back of horses trained by John Scott. John won sixteen times as a trainer in total.

As well as being one of the British Classics, the race has also inspired numerous similar races around the word, including the following:

• Irish St Leger - Ireland
• Prix Royal-Oak - France
• Deutsches St Leger - Germany
• Kikuka-shō - Japan
• New Zealand St Leger - New Zealand
• VRC St Leger - Australia

As with the Doncaster Cup, the St Leger is one of the races that is part of the British Champions Series, which concludes on Champions Day at Ascot.

Napoleons Nursery Handicap

As the word ‘nursery’ in the race’s title suggests, this race is open to young horses aged two. It’s run on the straight over one mile and is currently sponsored by the Napoleons Casino chain. A Class 2 race, it usually takes over a minute and a half to complete and the winner can expect to take home about £12,500.

Class 2, 1m

P J Towey Handicap

Class 2, 1m

Sponsored by P J Towey Construction Limited at the time of writing, this handicap race is for horses aged three and up. It takes place over one mile on the straight and participating horses are required to have a handicap rating of between 0 and 110. With more than £15,500 on offer to the winner in prize money, the Class 2 event tends to last about a minute and forty seconds.

Yates Handicap

Class 2, 1m4f

This handicap race is sponsored by Yates Drywall Limited, which is not to be confused with Yates Wine Lodge. A Class 2 race for horses aged three and over with a handicap rating of between 0 and 110, it is run over one mile, three furlongs and one hundred and ninety-seven yards. Usually taking about two and a half minutes for horses to complete, the winner will take home around £12,500.