The Group 1 Betfred St Leger is the oldest of Britain’s five Classic races, held annually towards the end of the British flat racing season.
Founded in 1776 by Lieutenant Colonel Anthony St Leger, the prestigious staying contest is the final Classic in the British racing calendar and the last leg of the English Triple Crown. Preceded by the 2,000 Guineas and the Derby, the St Leger completes the famous racing proverb stating: “The fittest horse wins the 2,000 Guineas, the luckiest wins the Derby, but the best horse wins the St Leger.”
Fifteen horses have completed the historic treble, but the last successor was Nijinsky in 1970, demonstrating just how tough the task is to complete in the modern thoroughbred era.
When & Where is it Run?
This year the Classic is held on the Saturday 12th September, headlining an exhilarating four-day meeting The St Leger takes place on Doncaster’s historic Town Moor track. The course is a testing, pear-shaped, left-handed track with a long run-in, placing a strong emphasis on stamina.
A maximum of 20 three-year-old colts & fillies are able to line-up to imprint their hooves into Horse Racing folklore. The contest historically is a stallion making race, albeit recently it has lost some of its’ worth in that respect with breeders, with the discipline shifting towards breeding for speed.
The National Hunt sphere has gained in that respect, with a multitude of winners within this century becoming prominent, successful jumping stallions.
Most successful Jockeys & Trainers
The race was dominated in its earlier years by John Scott, whose record of 16 St Leger winners remains unbeaten. His brother, Bill Scott, also remains the most successful jockey of the race with 9 winners with the pair combining six times.
Lester Piggott is one behind with eight, with his first in 1960 and the last some 24 years later, but the most famous coming in 1970 with Triple Crown winner Nijinsky.
Other household names include Steve “The Kid” Cauthen, who won the race three times for Sir Henry Cecil. Pat Eddery was a four time winner of the race for a number of trainers including Andre Fabre.
More recently, Frankie Dettori has won the race six times, with Ryan Moore on three. Aidan O’Brien has won the race nine times, six since 2013 and remains the dominant force of the modern Classic trainer.
Previous winners
The first winner of the race in 1776 was an unnamed filly. She was later given the racing name “Allabacuilia”, thought to derive from an adventurer named Ali Bey Kuli.
Some household names have won the contest in the years gone by, none other than the aforementioned Nijinsky.
Shantou, Milan, Scorpion, Sixties Icon won the contest between 1996 and 2006, with each of them becoming successful National Hunt Stallions. Since 2010, other notable names include Masked Marvel, Leading Light and Kingston Hill, who are all continuing to establish themselves as jumping sires.
One of the most famous winners in the modern era was Encke in 2012, who prevented Camelot from winning the Triple Crown for the first time since Nijinsky in 1970. Encke was subsequently at the heart of a doping scandal, which ultimately saw Charlie Appleby replace Mahmood Al Zarooni as Godolphin trainer.
Scandinavia won the race last season and has since developed into a tremendous stayer, and Coolmore will be hoping they can unearth another.