St Leger Winners History

St Leger winners in the 2000s

In 1939, the 6 th Earl of Rosebery’s Blue Peter, having won the 2,000 Guineas and Derby, was undergoing his preparation for the St Leger. H owever, history intervened at 11 o’clock on Sunday 3 September, when Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain broadcast the news to the nation that Great Britain was at war with Germany. Subsequently, the St Leger was cancelled, thus denying Blue Peter the chance of the Triple.

St Leger Legends. First run in 2010, the race has grown rapidly in stature whilst capturing the attentions of the national racing media. The likes of Mick Kinane and the most successful lady jockey of all time, Julie Krone, have both lifted the Leger Legends accolade. In 2015, 20 times National Hunt Champion Jockey and legend of the racing World, Sir A P McCoy OBE, took the crown. The event was established in 1915, and it was originally restricted to three-year-olds. The first horse to win both the English and Irish St Legers was Royal Lancer in 1922. The first Irish St. Leger winner to complete a Triple Crown (having previously won the Irish 2,000 Guineas and the Irish Derby) was Museum in 1935.

In 2008, Conduit won the Ladbrokes St Leger Stakes, earning Frankie Dettori and trainer Sir Michael Stoute a fantastic victory over Unsung Hero, Look Here and Aidan O’Brien’s Hindu Kush.

Year	Winner	Jockey	Trainer	Owner	Time
2000	Millenary	Richard Quinn	John Dunlop	Neil Jones	3:02.58
2001	Milan	Michael Kinane	Aidan O’Brien	Sue Magnier; Michael Tabor	3:05.16
2002	Bollin Eric	Kevin Darley	Tim Easterby	Sir Neil Westbrook	3:02.92
2003	Brian Boru	Jamie Spencer	Aidan O’Brien	Sue Magnier	3:04.64
2004	Rule of Law	Kerrin McEvoy	Saeed bin Suroor	Godolphin	3:06.29
2005	Scorpion	Frankie Dettori	Aidan O’Brien	Sue Magnier; Michael Tabor	3:19.01
2006*	Sixties Icon	Frankie Dettori	Jeremy Noseda	Susan Roy	2:57.29
2007	Lucarno	Jimmy Fortune	John Gosden	George Strawbridge	3:01.90
2008	Conduit	Frankie Dettori	Sir Michael Stoute	Ballymacoll Stud	3:07.92

*The 2006 race was run at York Racecourse (over 1 mile, 5 furlongs and 197 yards) because Doncaster Racecourse was undergoing redevelopment.

St Leger winners in the 1900s

Year	Winner	Jockey	Trainer	Owner
1900	Diamond Jubilee	Herbert Jones	Richard Marsh	Prince of Wales (Edward VII)
1901	Doricles	Kempton Cannon	Alfred Hayhoe	Leopold de Rothschild
1902	Sceptre	Fred Hardy	Bob Sievier	Bob Sievier
1903	Rock Sand	Danny Maher	George Blackwell	Sir James Miller
1904	Pretty Polly	Willie Lane	Peter Gilpin	Eustace Loder
1905	Challacombe	Otto Madden	Alec Taylor, Jr.	Washington Singer
1906	Troutbeck	George Stern	Willie Waugh	2nd Duke of Westminster
1907	Wool Winder	Bill Halsey	Harry Enoch	Ned Baird
1908	Your Majesty	Wal Griggs	Charles Morton	Jack B. Joel
1909	Bayardo	Danny Maher	Alec Taylor, Jr.	Alfred W. Cox
1910	Swynford	Frank Wootton	George Lambton	17th Earl of Derby
1911	Prince Palatine	Frank O’Neill	Henry Beardsley	Thomas Pilkington
1912	Tracery	George Bellhouse	John Watson	August Belmont, Jr.
1913	Night Hawk	Elijah Wheatley	Jack Robinson	William Walker
1914	Black Jester	Wal Griggs	Charles Morton	Jack B. Joel
1915	Pommern	Steve Donoghue	Charley Peck	Solly Joel
1916	Hurry On	Charlie Childs	Fred Darling	James Buchanan
1917	Gay Crusader	Steve Donoghue	Alec Taylor, Jr.	Alfred W. Cox
1918	Gainsborough	Joe Childs	Alec Taylor, Jr.	Lady James Douglas
1919	Keysoe	Brownie Carslake	George Lambton	17th Earl of Derby
1920	Caligula	Arthur Smith	Jack Leader	Mathradas Goculdas
1921	Polemarch	Joe Childs	Tom Green	7th Marquess of Londonderry
1922	Royal Lancer	Bobby Jones	Alf Sadler	5th Earl of Lonsdale
1923	Tranquil	Tommy Weston	Charles Morton	17th Earl of Derby
1924	Salmon-Trout	Brownie Carslake	Dick Dawson	HH Aga Khan III
1925	Solario	Joe Childs	Reg Day	Sir John Rutherford
1926	Coronach	Joe Childs	Fred Darling	1st Baron Woolavington
1927	Book Law	Henri Jelliss	Alec Taylor, Jr.	2nd Viscount Astor
1928	Fairway	Tommy Weston	Frank Butters	17th Earl of Derby
1929	Trigo	Michael Beary	Dick Dawson	William Barnett
1930	Singapore	Gordon Richards	Tommy Hogg	1st Baron Glanely
1931	Sandwich	Harry Wragg	Jack Jarvis	6th Earl of Rosebery
1932	Firdaussi	Freddie Fox	Frank Butters	HH Aga Khan III
1933	Hyperion	Tommy Weston	George Lambton	17th Earl of Derby
1934	Windsor Lad	Charlie Smirke	Marcus Marsh	Martin H. Benson
1935	Bahram	Charlie Smirke	Frank Butters	HH Aga Khan III
1936	Boswell	Pat Beasley	Cecil Boyd-Rochfort	William Woodward, Sr.
1937	Chulmleigh	Gordon Richards	Tommy Hogg	1st Baron Glanely
1938	Scottish Union	Brownie Carslake	Noel Cannon	Jimmy Rank
1939	no race (World War II)
1940	Turkhan	Gordon Richards	Frank Butters	HH Aga Khan III
1941	Sun Castle	George Bridgland	Cecil Boyd-Rochfort	1st Viscount Portal
1942	Sun Chariot	Gordon Richards	Fred Darling	King George VI
1943	Herringbone	Harry Wragg	Walter Earl	17th Earl of Derby
1944	Tehran	Gordon Richards	Frank Butters	HH Aga Khan III
1945	Chamossaire	Tommy Lowrey	Dick Perryman	Stanhope Joel
1946	Airborne	Tommy Lowrey	Dick Perryman	John Ferguson
1947	Sayajirao	Edgar Britt	Sam Armstrong	HH Maharaja of Baroda
1948	Black Tarquin	Edgar Britt	Cecil Boyd-Rochfort	William Woodward, Sr.
1949	Ridge Wood	Michael Beary	Noel Murless	Geoffrey Smith
1950	Scratch	Rae Johnstone	Charles Semblat	Marcel Boussac
1951	Talma	Rae Johnstone	Charles Semblat	Marcel Boussac
1952	Tulyar	Charlie Smirke	Marcus Marsh	HH Aga Khan III
1953	Premonition	Eph Smith	Cecil Boyd-Rochfort	Wilfred Wyatt
1954	Never Say Die	Charlie Smirke	Joe Lawson	Robert Sterling Clark
1955	Meld	Harry Carr	Cecil Boyd-Rochfort	Lady Zia Werner
1956	Cambremer	Freddie Palmer	Georges Bridgland	Ralph B. Strassburger
1957	Ballymoss	Tommy Burns	Vincent O’Brien	John McShain
1958	Alcide	Harry Carr	Cecil Boyd-Rochfort	Sir Humphrey de Trafford
1959	Cantelo	Eddie Hide	Charles Elsey	William Hill
1960	St. Paddy	Lester Piggott	Noel Murless	Sir Victor Sassoon
1961	Aurelius	Lester Piggott	Noel Murless	Vera Lilley
1962	Hethersett	Harry Carr	Dick Hern	Lionel Holiday
1963	Ragusa	Garnie Bougoure	Paddy Prendergast	Jim Mullion
1964	Indiana	Jimmy Lindley	Jack Watts	Charles W. Engelhard, Jr.
1965	Provoke	Joe Mercer	Dick Hern	Jakie Astor
1966	Sodium	Frankie Durr	George Todd	Radha Sigtia
1967	Ribocco	Lester Piggott	Fulke Johnson Houghton	Charles W. Engelhard, Jr.
1968	Ribero	Lester Piggott	Fulke Johnson Houghton	Charles W. Engelhard, Jr.
1969	Intermezzo	Ron Hutchinson	Harry Wragg	Gerry Oldham
1970	Nijinsky	Lester Piggott	Vincent O’Brien	Charles W. Engelhard, Jr.
1971	Athens Wood	Lester Piggott	Harry Thomson Jones	Eileen Rogerson
1972	Boucher	Lester Piggott	Vincent O’Brien	Ogden Phipps
1973	Peleid	Frankie Durr	Bill Elsey	William E. Behrens
1974	Bustino	Joe Mercer	Dick Hern	Lady Beaverbrook
1975	Bruni	Tony Murray	Ryan Price	Charles St. George
1976	Crow	Yves Saint-Martin	Angel Penna, Sr.	Daniel Wildenstein
1977	Dunfermline	Willie Carson	Dick Hern	Queen Elizabeth II
1978	Julio Mariner	Eddie Hide	Clive Brittain	Marcus Lemos
1979	Son of Love	Alain Lequeux	Robert Collet	Alexis Rolland
1980	Light Cavalry	Joe Mercer	Henry Cecil	Jim Joel
1981	Cut Above	Joe Mercer	Dick Hern	Sir Jackie Astor
1982	Touching Wood	Paul Cook	Harry Thomson Jones	Maktoum Al Maktoum
1983	Sun Princess	Willie Carson	Dick Hern	Sir Michael Sobell
1984	Commanche Run	Lester Piggott	Luca Cumani	Ivan Allan
1985	Oh So Sharp	Steve Cauthen	Henry Cecil	Sheikh Mohammed
1986	Moon Madness	Pat Eddery	John Dunlop	Duchess of Norfolk
1987	Reference Point	Steve Cauthen	Henry Cecil	Louis Freedman
1988	Minster Son	Willie Carson	Neil Graham	Lady Beaverbrook
1989*	Michelozzo	Steve Cauthen	Henry Cecil	Charles St. George
1990	Snurge	Richard Quinn	Paul Cole	Martyn Arbib
1991	Toulon	Pat Eddery	André Fabre	Khalid Abdullah
1992	User Friendly	George Duffield	Clive Brittain	Bill Gredley
1993	Bob’s Return	Philip Robinson	Mark Tompkins	Mrs Jackie Smith
1994	Moonax	Pat Eddery	Barry Hills	Sheikh Mohammed
1995	Classic Cliche	Frankie Dettori	Saeed bin Suroor	Godolphin
1996	Shantou	Frankie Dettori	John Gosden	Sheikh Mohammed
1997	Silver Patriarch	Pat Eddery	John Dunlop	Peter Winfield
1998	Nedawi	John Reid	Saeed bin Suroor	Godolphin
1999	Mutafaweq	Richard Hills	Saeed bin Suroor	Godolphin

*The 1989 race was run at Ayr Racecourse because of subsidence at Doncaster Racecourse.

In 1970, the legendary Nijinsky ridden by the equally legendary Lester Piggott won the English Triple Crown, joining only a total of 15 horses ever to have emerged as St Leger Stakes winners after having also won the 2000 Guineas and the Epsom Derby. Before Nijinsky, the last Triple Crown winner was Bahram, in 1935.

St Leger winners from 1776 to 1899

1776 – Allabaculia1777 – Bourbon

1778 – Hollandaise

1779 – Tommy

1780 – Ruler

1781 – Serina

1782 – Imperatrix

1783 – Phoenomenon

1784 – Omphale

1785 – Cowslip

1786 – Paragon

1787 – Spadille

1788 – Young Flora

1789 – Pewett

1790 – Ambidexter

1791 – Young Traveller

1792 – Tartar

1793 – Ninety-Three

1794 – Beningbrough

1795 – Hambletonian

1796 – Ambrosio

1797 – Lounger

1798 – Symmetry

1799 – Cockfighter

1800 – Champion

1801 – Quiz

1802 – Orville

1803 – Remembrancer

1804 – Sancho

1805 – Stavely

1806 – Fyldener

1807 – Paulina

1808 – Petronius

1809 – Ashton

1810 – Octavian

1811 – Soothsayer

1812 – Otterington

1813 – Altisidora

1814 – William

1815 – Filho da Puta

1816 – The Duchess

1817 – Ebor

1818 – Reveller1819 – Antonio

1820 – St. Patrick

1821 – Jack Spigot

1822 – Theodore

1823 – Barefoot

1824 – Jerry

1825 – Memnon

1826 – Tarrare

1827 – Matilda

1828 – The Colonel

1829 – Rowton

1830 – Birmingham

1831 – Chorister

1832 – Margrave

1833 – Rockingham

1834 – Touchstone

1835 – Queen of Trumps

1836 – Elis

1837 – Mango

1838 – Don John

1839 – Charles XII

1840 – Launcelot

1841 – Satirist

1842 – Blue Bonnet

1843 – Nutwith

1844 – Faugh-a-Ballagh

1845 – The Baron

1846 – Sir Tatton Sykes

1847 – Van Tromp

1848 – Surplice

1849 – The Flying Dutchman

1850 – Voltigeur

1851 – Newminster

1852 – Stockwell

1853 – West Australian

1854 – Knight of St George

1855 – Saucebox

1856 – Warlock

1857 – Imperieuse

1858 Sunbeam

1859 – Gamester1860 – St. Albans

1861 – Caller Ou

1862 – The Marquis

1863 – Lord Clifden

1864 – Blair Athol

1865 – Gladiateur

1866 – Lord Lyon

1867 – Achievement

1868 – Formosa

1869 – Pero Gomez

1870 – Hawthornden

1871 – Hannah

1872 – Wenlock

1873 – Marie Stuart

1874 – Apology

1875 – Craig Millar

1876 – Petrarch

1877 – Silvio

1878 – Jannette

1879 – Rayon d’Or

1880 – Robert the Devil

1881 – Iroquois

1882 – Dutch Oven

1883 – Ossian

1884 – The Lambkin

1885 – Melton

1886 – Ormonde

1887 – Kilwarlin

1888 – Seabreeze

1889 – Donovan

1890 – Memoir

1891 – Common

1892 – La Flèche

1893 – Isinglass

1894 – Throstle

1895 – Sir Visto

1896 – Persimmon

1897 – Galtee More

1898 – Wildfowler

1899 – Flying Fox

In 1853, West Australian became the first ever Triple Crown winner, winning the 2000 Guineas, the Epsom Derby and the St Leger Stakes.

The St Leger Stakes is the oldest and the last of the five Classic races to be run in Britain each season.

It has a rich history dating back to 1776 and once held greater significance as the final leg of the Triple Crown after the 2000 Guineas and Epsom Derby.

Nijinsky (1970) was the last horse to win all three races.

Her Majesty The Queen famously won the St Leger with the filly Dunfermline in 1977 while other notable winners include Never Say Die (1954), Oh So Sharp (1985) and Reference Point (1987).

Contents

7 Betting on the St Leger 2021

The Race

The St Leger takes place at Doncaster racecourse in September over one and three-quarter miles.

The going can ride soft this late in the season so the emphasis is on stamina.

It is a much stiffer test than the mile and a half Epsom Derby and is more suited to future Gold Cup horses.

Famous St Leger Winners & History

St Leger Winners

The St Leger Stakes was created as the first British Classic in 1776 and the first Derby winner to succeed here was Champion in 1800.

The distance was cut from two miles to a mile and three-quarters in 1813 with West Australian completing the English Triple Crown in 1853.

Rather like the Derby, it has leant its name to other Classic races around the world including the Irish St Leger and the St Leger Italiano.

Other Triple Crown winners include Ormonde (1886), Flying Fox (1899) and Gainsborough (1918).

Nijinsky became the fifteenth horse to win the Triple Crown in 1970 but the breeding industry has put the emphasis on speed over stamina in modern times.

The last horse to attempt the Triple Crown was Aidan O’Brien’s Camelot in 2012 but he was agonisingly beaten by Encke.

St Leger History

The St Leger Stakes is also the final leg of the Fillies’ Triple Crown after the 1000 Guineas and Epsom Oaks. Nine fillies have won all three races, the last of which was Sir Henry Cecil’s Oh So Sharp in 1985. Other notable winners of the fillies’ Triple Crown include Sceptre (1902), Pretty Polly (1904) and Sun Chariot (1942).

Derby winner Never Say Die won by a record margin of 12 lengths in 1954. The colt had been the first American-bred winner of the Epsom Classic when ridden to a 33-1 success by eighteen-year-old Lester Piggott. A lengthy ban incurred at Royal Ascot meant that Piggott was replaced by Charlie Smirke at Doncaster.

Piggott rode a total of eight St Leger winners and thirty British Classics. His last St Leger win came aboard Commanche Run for Luca Cumani in 1984. It was his 28th Classic which set a new record and only came about after he had replaced stable jockey Darrell McHargue.

Key St Leger Trials

The Great Voltigeur Stakes at York’s Ebor Festival is the most significant St Leger trial. Eight of the last eighteen winners took part in that race. Rule Of Law (2004), Lucarno (2007) and Logician (2019) won both races.

The Gordon Stakes at Goodwood has also produced St Leger winners including Millenary (2000), Sixties Icon (2006) and Conduit (2008).

St Leger Betting Trends

Favourites have a mixed recent record in the St Leger with four winners in the past twelve renewals. Logician (2019) returned odds-on at 5-6 while Leading Light (2013), Kingston Hill (2014) and Capri (2017) were all market leaders.

There have also been some shock results here, notably when 25-1 shot Encke thwarted Camelot’s Triple Crown bid in 2012. Harbour Law (2016) was a 22-1 outsider when winning for Laura Mongan and George Baker.

Ability to stay the distance is often an unknown factor here so shock results are always a possibility.

St Leger Stats

Stamina is the key factor for the St Leger Stakes and thirteen of the last eighteen winners had winning form over eleven furlongs or further.
Over half had never raced at this trip, although there are relatively few suitable trials.
Almost all had finished in the first three on their latest outing with around half of them winning.
All bar four of those eighteen had won a Group race.
An official rating of 109 or higher is typically required to win this race.

St Leger Winners History

Top Trainers and Jockeys of the St Leger Stakes

Bill Scott saddled a remarkable 16 St Leger winners between 1827 and 1862.

In the modern era, Aidan O’Brien and John Gosden have been the trainers to follow with six and five winners respectively.

Gosden won it for the first time with Shantou (1996) and has since struck with Lucarno (2007), Arctic Cosmos (2010), Masked Marvel (2011) and Logician (2019).

Logician was the latest of six winning St Leger rides for Frankie Dettori. They include Conduit (2008) who finally provided Sir Michael Stoute with a victory in the Doncaster Classic.

Stoute’s beaten runners here include Shergar in 1981 who failed to stay the trip when fourth to 28-1 shot Cut Above.

Betting on the St Leger 2021

Ante-post betting on the St Leger Stakes is available all year round but only really hots up after the Epsom Derby in June.

Trainers are often reluctant to commit to the season’s final Classic with more tempting opportunities over shorter distances. The picture becomes clearer after the Great Voltigeur Stakes at York. The St Leger is one race where some knowledge of pedigree is helpful as very few of the runners will have form over the distance.

Bookmakers usually have some tempting offers for new customers on the St Leger. They can sometimes offer the favourite at a special price for a limited stake. Existing customers can usually get enhanced place terms and best odds if there are 8 or more runners.

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Summary of The St Leger Stakes

The St Leger may have lost some of its gloss in terms of its appeal to breeders but it remains one of the highlights of the flat racing season.

While the Derby winner is unlikely to feature, there are always some exciting staying prospects who go on to feature in the Cup races.

Stradivarius finished a close third in his Classic year before going on to dominate the staying division with three successive Ascot Gold Cups.