The St Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse event in Great Britain available to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is held each year in September at Doncaster over a distance of 1 mile, 6 furlongs, and 115 yards (2,921 metres). The St Leger is the oldest of Britain’s five Classics, the inaugural running being in 1776.
The Race, named after Anthony St Leger, is the last leg of the Triple Crown and the Fillies’ Triple Crown, together with the 1,000 Guineas and the Oaks. It was initially held over two miles but is now raced over one mile, six furlongs, and one hundred and fifteen yards.
Since its inception in 1776, forty-two fillies have won the St Ledger, albeit only seven have done so since WWII. A filly, Allabaculia, won the inaugural St Leger, and numerous outstanding female performances have since graced the Doncaster winner’s enclosure, notably Sceptre in 1902 and Pretty Polly two years later.
The St Ledger – 11 September 2022
- The Course
It is a large pear-shaped course almost two miles long with a long four-and-a-half furlong straight. The course is very flat and one of the fairest in the country and suits the long-striding galloping horses.
- The Pace
French Claim seems to be the horse who will set the pace, and if Danny Tudhope makes the gallop an honest one, the big long striding horses who run on from off the pace will be the ones doing their best work down the long stretch.
- The Contender
The William Buick-ridden and Charlie Appleby-trained three-year-old bay colt, New London, definitely seems the horse to beat despite the prohibitive odds of even money on most bookmakers’ boards. This long-striding colt of top sire Dubawi has been brought along slowly by his top conditioner.
Winning his Maiden by a small margin, he stepped into a Novice Open Company by a widening 2.2 lengths. He was then put into a G3 event, having only four runners and Ryan Moore riding a brilliant tactical race on the highly regarded Changingoftheguard in a front running masterclass at Chester.
His subsequent two runs brought two wins, and he comes into the St Ledger in winning form. New London is a long-striding galloper and must be vigorously ridden to enable all the gear changes. Doncaster is the perfect track for him o do this, where the long straight will enable him to gradually build up and then deliver the finish he displayed in all his runs bar the one at Chester.
- The Danger
The unbeaten Filly Haskoy has only had two runs, but both have been impressive. She hacked up on the bridle on debut, pulverising a Maiden field by seven lengths. She was then thrown into the Galtres Stakes, a Listed event over one mile and 6 furlongs.
Making her run from well off the pace and on the “wrong side” of the course, she made up several lengths in the last 400m to nab the leaders on the better going in the centre of the course in the shadow of the post.
The turn of foot, combined with the courage she showed on that day, saw her owners supplement her into the St Ledger and then retain the services of Frankie Dettori to pilot her in the Highlight of the St Ledger Festival, to be run on Sunday and not Saturday in memory of Queen Elizabeths Passing.
- Summary
The Race does not stop there, but New London and Haskoy should be the main protagonists as they enter the last two hundred metres, as both these horses will love the long straight at Doncaster. Both also have two of the world’s best Jockeys on board, and they will be giving their respective mounts every chance to win one of the Englands Classics on Sunday Afternoon.