Andy Newton

Can Christmas Day become the first Epsom Derby winner to land the St Leger since 1987?

by
Andy Newton
7 September 2026

History looms large over the final British Classic of the flat season this Saturday. As the 2026 St Leger Stakes at Doncaster features Epsom Derby hero Christmas Day, who attempts a rare classic double.

If successful, he will become the first horse since Reference Point in 1987 to win both the Epsom Derby and the St Leger.

Prior to Reference Point, the immortal Nijinsky achieved the feat in 1970 when sweeping the legendary Triple Crown.

To bridge a nearly 40-year historical gap, Christmas Day must handle the step up to 1 3/4 miles over Doncaster’s demanding galloping course.

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Reference Point The Last Epsom Derby Winner To Land The St Leger in 1987

Trained by Sir Henry Cecil and ridden with signature front-running aggression by Steve Cauthen, Reference Point produced one of the most dominant classic campaigns in modern flat racing history in 1987.

After missing the 2000 Guineas due to an abscess, the imposing bay colt headed to Epsom Downs for the Derby as a well-backed 6/4 favorite.

Cauthen seized the initiative immediately, sending Reference Point straight to the lead and dictating a relentless tempo over the 1m 6f distance.

Turning into the home straight, he kicked clear of his rivals to score a commanding 1½-length victory over Mostawan, handing owner Louis Freedman his long-awaited Derby triumph and cementing the colt as the undisputed top three-year-old of his generation.

Can Christmas Day end this 39-year spell with no Derby winner also taking the St Leger?

WATCH: Reference Point Winning The 1987 Classic at Doncaster

Christmas Day Yet To Win Since Taking The Derby

The 2026 Epsom Derby winner Christmas Day will head to Doncaster having not won a race since winning in June (watch below).

This Camelot colt has since been runner-up in the Irish Derby and third at York in the Great Voltigeur Stakes.

His sire Camelot, also won the Epsom Derby and having also landed the 2000 Guineas in 2012, was set up to become the first Triple Crown winner since Nininsky in the 1970’s.

However, he came up just short in the Doncaster Classic – running 3/4 lengths second to Encke.

2026 St Leger Runners and Betting Odds

Christmas Day heads the market for trainer Aidan O’Brien.

His main competition comes from stablemate Pierre Bonnard, who recently finished runner-up in the Great Voltigeur Stakes at York, and Joseph O’Brien’s Gordon Stakes winner Enceladus.

Ante-Post Odds 2026

Christmas Day (Aidan O’Brien) 7/4
Pierre Bonnard (Aidan O’Brien) 11/4
Enceladus (Joseph O’Brien) 11/4
Del Maro (Charlie Appleby) 8/1
Hatteen (William Haggas) 16/1
Highwayman (Joseph O’Brien) 20/1
Alderman (Ralph Beckett) 33/1
Galiyan (Andrew Balding) 33/1
Piazza San Marco (Aidan O’Brien) 33/1
Zia Zabel (Emmet Mullins) 33/1

Note: Odds are subject to change

St Leger 2026 Race Details

Date: Saturday, 12th September 2026
Post Time: 3:35pm / 3:40 PM BST
Track: Doncaster Racecourse (Town Moor)
Distance: 1 mile, 6 furlongs, and 115 yards (2,921″ metres” )
Prize Money: £700,000 total purse (£396,970 to the winner)
TV Coverage: Live on ITV1 and Racing TV

ALSO SEE: Andy Newton’s daily horse racing cheat sheet – including key stats, NAP and value each-way best bets.

Aidan O’Brien’s St Leger Winners

Top Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien has won the St Leger NINE times, making him the most successful modern trainer in the race’s history.

Including winning this race for the last three seasons.

If O’Brien can land another St Leger in 2026, and a fourth on the spin – he’ll join John Lonsdale and John Scott, who are the only other trainers to win the race four years on the bounce.

2001: Milan
2003: Brian Boru
2007: Scorpion
2009: Mastery
2013: Leading Light
2018: Kew Gardens
2023: Continuous
2024: Jan Brueghel
2025: Scandinavia

History of the St Leger

Inaugurated in 1776, the St Leger Stakes is the oldest of Britain’s five classic horse races.

Conceived by Army officer and politician Lieutenant-General Anthony St Leger, the race initially took place over a distance of two miles at Cantley Common.

It was officially given its name a year later at a dinner party held at the Red Lion Inn in Doncaster, cementing its status as a pillar of English sporting culture long before the creation of the Oaks, Derby, or Guineas.

As the final leg of the prestigious English Triple Crown-preceded by the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and the Derby at Epsom-the St Leger represents the ultimate test of a three-year-old Thoroughbred’s stamina, maturity, and constitutional durability.

An adage in British racing summarizes the classic campaign: “The fastest horse wins the Guineas; the luckiest the Derby; and the best horse wins the St Leger.”

Over two centuries later, the race retains its prestige on the racing calendar.

While the modern breeding industry often favours early speed, winning the St Leger remains a gold standard for stamina, securing a colt’s place in racing history on Town Moor.