The last of Britain’s five Classic races for three-year-olds to be run each year at Doncaster, and the oldest of the bunch. The St Leger Stakes is a stamina-sapping 1¾ miles long and has Group 1 status.
On the calendar since 1776, the St Leger is iconic and forms the final part of Britain’s Triple Crown. Even harder to win than in the States and thus rarely attempted, the Triple Crown (depending on sex) is formed by either the 2000 or 1000 Guineas, The Derby or Oaks, and then this race. It was last won in 1970 by Nijinsky.
Although the race was slightly in danger of going out of fashion somewhat with major trainers and breeders, the St Leger has had a resurgence with recent winners Kew Gardens and Logician, both considered top-class horses, while John Gosden has been the one to make hay, winning the race four times since 2007.