Doncaster racecourse will stage its premier meeting in three weeks’ time, as the 2025 St Leger Festival gets underway.
Four days of high-quality racing action will see the best of the best clash in one of the final elite flat meetings of the season.
It is the final meeting of the year to play host to one of the five British Classics, with the Festival’s namesake and showpiece event the St Leger.
It is the final leg of the British Triple Crown, highlighting the four-day meeting in which 31 races are scheduled to run.
Here is everything that you need to know, as the eyes of racing descend on Doncaster.
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When is the 2025 St Leger Festival?
The festival kicks off on Thursday, September 11 with the two Group races for fillies and mares highlighting ‘Ladies Day’.
Day two is all about the Doncaster Cup, whilst The (Group Two) Carlsberg Danish Pilsner Flying Childers Stakes is among the supporting races.
The penultimate day of the meeting plays host to the St Leger – the final British Classic race of the season.
It is the clear standout of Festival, running on a card that also features the (Group Two) Champagne Stakes, the (Group Two) Park Stakes and the Portland Handicap.
Worth around £730,000 in prize money, it is due to run at 3:40pm on Saturday, September 13 – preceding the running of a seven-race card on the final day.
Trainers to watch
Aidan O’Brien has had another fine season across the UK, Ireland and beyond.
The Ballydoyle/Coolmore stud operation has birthed clean sweep wins at festivals all season – notably at Epsom Downs, Chester and The Curragh.
His yard have also taken feature race victories at Sandown, Lingfield, Leopardstown and Naas, to name just a few.
At the time of writing this, his horses are in flying form with O’Brien seeing 18 of his last 25 runners place – seven of whom were winners.
Another trainer in red-hot form is William Haggas, after an Ebor meeting in which his yard took victory in two competitive handicaps.
He is currently boasting a 29% win rate over the last two weeks and sits fifth in the trainer standings.
Joint father/son trainers John and Thady Gosden have had a season to remember, training three winners at Royal Ascot, notably with Field Of Gold and Ombudsman.
The former added to his Irish 2000 Guineas victory, whilst the latter announced himself on the big stage before going on to rival O’Brien’s Delacroix twice more.
The Gosdens trail O’Brien by around £600,000 in prize money, whilst Andrew Balding sits third in the British Trainer Championship Standings.
Balding has gone about his business quietly this season, with the City Of York Stakes his standout victory – which he won just last week.
York’s John Smiths Cup and the (Group Two) Summer Mile – at Newmarket’s July meeting – are other credible races that Balding has won this season.
Doncaster is a course seemingly favoured by his yard also, as he has trained five winners from 16 runners there this season.
He gives a lead to leading-Godolphin trainer Charlie Appleby, who saw his horses win the opening two Classics of the season.
Though he had only one winner at Royal Ascot, Appleby and Godolphin enjoyed a July meeting in which seven horses, ridden by those in the renowned all-blue silks, were first past Newmarket’s winning post.
Simon and Ed Crisford are also worthy of a mention here, given their record at Doncaster this campaign.
They have trained four winners from nine runners at the course, and trade at a level stakes profit of +10.72.
Jockeys to watch
Ryan Moore is an obvious starting point, as his plethora of prestigious race wins across the world speaks for itself.
He is widely regarded as the best jockey in the sport currently and he remains the man ever-present in the Ballydoyle saddle.
The O’Brien/Moore combination reached a new high earlier this campaign, as the pair made it 150 Group One winners together – after Whirl won the Pretty Polly Stakes.
Moore is sure to be in the winners enclosure at some point but with the Irish Champions Festival scheduled for the same weekend, he may find himself across the Irish Sea.
Similar comments apply to the likes of Oisin Murphy and Colin Keane, both of whom are leading-Irish jockeys.
Murphy still leads the way in the British Jockey Championship standings, as he hopes to win it for the fifth time in his career.
He is a man in form too, with 19 of his last 35 runners placing – five of which were winners.
Keane, meanwhile, remains first-choice rider for Juddmonte and could find himself either side of the Irish Sea come Festival-weekend.
Billy Loughnane has continued to impress and solidify his status as a top jockey, as he trails Murphy in the standings.
The 19-year-old is a three-time Champion apprentice (twice all-weather) who saddled his first Group One winner earlier this season.
Eight of his previous 31 rides have resulted in wins, whilst 12 placed – meaning he is another jockey riding at the top of his game right now.
Loughnane is 10 wins clear of seven riders separated by seven wins, in the Jockey Championship table.
Those names include renowned names such as first-choice Godolphin rider William Buick, Hector Crouch and Tom Marquand.
The former will hope to add to his two classic victories from earlier this season, whilst the latter two boast a winning rate of 15% and 18% over the last two weeks.
Jason Hart and Cieren Fallon are two other names included in that trailing pack and both riders have ridden five winners at Doncaster this campaign.
How to watch the 2025 St Leger Festival?
ITV will broadcast the action live and for free, on terrestrial TV, via their ITV Racing Programme.
Sky Sports Racing (channel 415) will show the action for Sky Sports subscribers too.
By Callum Close
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