St Leger Day is the third and probably the busiest day of the Betfred St Leger Festival that also features the meeting’s headline race. This year, it takes place on Saturday, 12 September on the tracks of the Doncaster Racecourse. The peak of the day is its feature race and the headline of the event, the St Leger Stakes.
The St Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race that accepts colts and fillies aged three years. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 6 furlongs and 115 yards (2,921 metres). It is the oldest among the British Classics races and the last one chronologically on the annual flat racing calendar. This year it celebrates its 250th anniversary since its establishment in 1776.
In this article we will take a look at the list of runners in this season’s race, review the race card, and analyse major runners and market’s favourites to compete in the race.
St Leger Stakes 2026 Runners
Being one of the five British Classics immediately places St Leger Stakes at the top of the most renowned races in the country. In addition, it is a part of the English Triple Crown alongside the 2,000 Guineas and the Derby Stakes, as well as the Fillies Triple Crown that also includes the 1,000 Guineas and The Oaks Stakes. It annually sees some of the best runners in the modern flat horse racing scene trained by the most successful trainers come to its tracks to compete for the champion title. The current prize purse is £700,000. As St Leger Stakes only accepts horses aged three years, every runner gets a once in a racing career opportunity to become the winner.
At the time of publication of this article, the list of runners declared to compete in this season’s St Leger Stakes consisted of 16 contenders. Below you will find information on the runners, their trainers and confirmed jockeys.
| Runner | Age/Weight | Jockey | Trainer |
| Action | 3 9-3 | Unconfirmed | A P O’Brien |
| Alderman | 3 9-3 | Rossa Ryan | R Hannon |
| Christmas Day | 3 9-3 | Unconfirmed | A P O’Brien |
| Enceladus | 3 9-3 | Billy Loughnane | J P O’Brien |
| Galiyan | 3 9-3 | Unconfirmed | A M Balding |
| Golden Story | 3 9-3 | Clifford Lee | K R Burke |
| Hatteen | 3 9-3 | David Probert | A M Balding |
| Highwayman | 3 9-3 | Saffie Osborne | J P O’Brien |
| Piazza San Marco | 3 9-3 | Unconfirmed | A P O’Brien |
| Pierre Bonnard | 3 9-3 | Unconfirmed | A P O’Brien |
| Rebel Rocker | 3 9-3 | Jason Watson | Faye Bramley |
| Amelia Earhart | 3 9-0 | Unconfirmed | A P O’Brien |
St Leger Stakes 2026 Betting Odds
In the table below you will find the odds for the runners declared to take part in the St Leger Stakes 2026. Please keep in mind that odds are constantly changing before the start of the race. Make sure to check the odds before placing a bet.
| Runner | Odds |
| Action | |
| Alderman | |
| Christmas Day | |
| Enceladus | |
| Galiyan | |
| Golden Story | |
| Hatteen | |
| Highwayman | |
| Piazza San Marco | |
| Pierre Bonnard | |
| Rebel Rocker | |
| Amelia Earhart |
Christmas Day
- Age: 3 years old
- Sex and colour: bay colt
- Trainer: Aidan O’Brien
- Major achievements: 4 out of 9 wins, including Betfred Derby (June 2026) and P.W. McGrath Memorial Ballysax Stakes (April 2026)
- Recent form: 3 – 2 – 1 – 3 – 1
All eyes turned to Christmas Day when he won this season’s Epsom Derby, the most prestigious of the five British Classics, that took place at the Epsom Park Racecourse in June. This his second win of the season that placed him among the favourites for the next upcoming Classics. The previous took place during the P.W. McGrath Memorial Ballysax Stakes at the Leopardstown Racecourse in April. He was placed in three other races of the season: third in the Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Dante Stakes (York Racecourse, May 2026, winner Item) and Sky Bet Great Voltigeur Stakes (York Racecourse, August 2026, winner Maltese Cross) and second in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby (Curragh Racecourse, June 2026, winner Benvenuto Cellini).
In his debut season of 2025, Aidan O’Brien’s charge won two out of the four races he participated in, namely the Irish EBF at the Gowran Park Racecourse in September and Mongey Communications Eyrefield Stakes at the Leopardstown Racecourse in October. This will be the first time he will run at the Doncaster Racecourse.
Pierre Bonnard
- Age: 3 years old
- Sex and colour: bay colt
- Trainer: Aidan O’Brien
- Major achievements: 3 out of 9 wins, including Criterium de Saint-Cloud Stakes (October 2025) and Night Of Thunder Zetland Stakes (October 2025)
- Recent form: 2 – 3 – 7 – 2 – 7
Pierre Bonnard may not have won any races since the start of the 2026 season, but his spectacular performance in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at the Curragh Racecourse in June, where he took the third place behind the winner Benvenuto Cellini, definitely made him one of the most interesting contenders for the current edition of St Leger Stakes. He later sealed this position after coming to the finish line second behind the winner Maltese Cross in the Sky Bet Great Voltigeur Stakes at the York Racecourse in August. So far, he has participated in five races since the beginning of the current season.
Aidan O’Brien’s charge won three out of four races he took part in in his debut season of 2025. These included the Criterium de Saint-Cloud Stakes at the Saint-Cloud Racecourse in France and the Night Of Thunder Zetland Stakes at the Newmarket Racecourse, both in October, and the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden at the Dundalk Racecourse in August. His participation in the St Leger Stakes will be his first appearance at the Doncaster Racecourse.
Enceladus
- Age: 3 years old
- Sex and colour: bay colt
- Trainer: Joseph O’Brien
- Major achievements: 3 out of 5 wins, including Maison Perrier Gordon Stakes (July 2026) and King George V Stakes (June 2026)
- Recent form: 1 – 1 – 1 – 3 – 3
Nothing like three out of three wins in a row since the beginning of the current season to attract the attention of both horse racing experts and bookmakers, especially when one of them takes place during the Royal Ascot week. Enceladus won every start he had since the beginning of 2026, which includes the Social Packs From Just 30 Euros Maiden at the Cork Racecourse in April, the King George V Stakes at the Ascot Racecourse in June, and Maison Perrier Gordon Stakes at the Goodwood Racecourse during the Goodwood Festival in July.
In his debut season of 2025, Joseph O’Brien’s charge only took part in two races and was placed third in both of them, namely Tote 20K Euros Guaranteed Placepot Today Irish European Breeders Fund Maiden (Curragh Racecourse, September 2025, winner South Island) and Irish EBF Maiden (Naas Racecourse, October 2025, winner Cape Cod). His scheduled participation in the St Leger Stakes will be the first time he runs at the Doncaster Racecourse.
Highwayman
- Age: 3 years old
- Sex and colour: bay colt
- Trainer: Joseph O’Brien
- Major achievements: 2 out of 6 wins, including Bet With Tote On Racing & Sports Irish EBF Vinnie Roe Stakes (August 2026) and Irish Stallion Farms EBF Median Auction Maiden (July 2026)
- Recent form: 1 – 1 – 8 – 11 – 15
Initially, Highwayman was lower on the list of favourites for the race. However, after recent withdrawals, this newcomer, who only started his racing career this year, caught the interest of both horse racing experts and bookmakers. He finished his first four races in the bottom half of the ranking. But this changed when he won his latest two races, namely the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Median Auction Maiden at the Killarney Racecourse in Ireland in July and the Bet With Tote On Racing & Sports Irish EBF Vinnie Roe Stakes at the Leopardstown Racecourse in August.
So far, Joseph O’Brien’s charge has run all of his races on the tracks of Irish racecourses. Doncaster Racecourse will become his first track outside of Ireland. After two spectacular wins earlier this year, everyone is expecting him to step up and show interesting results at the St Leger Stakes 2026.
Hatteen
- Age: 3 years old
- Sex and colour: chestnut colt
- Trainer: Andrew Balding
- Major achievements: 1 out of 6 wins, including Betfred St Leger Trial Novice Stakes (July 2026)
- Recent form: 2 – 1 – 2 – 2 – 5
Earlier this year Hatteen took part in the Betfred St Leger Trial Novice Stakes and came to the finish line first among eight runners. This made him a promising contender for the champion crown. This result also marked his first win of both the 2026 season and his racing career. So far, he has run in three other races this year and finished second in each of them, including the Coral Rewards Shaker Handicap during the Goodwood Festival 2026 in July and the Coolmore City Of Troy EBF Maiden Stakes at the Newbury Racecourse in May.
Andrew Balding’s charge ran in two races during his debut season of 2025. He finished third in his maiden race of Sporting Times Sri Lanka British EBF Maiden Stakes at the Sandown Park Racecourse in September and later fifth in the British EBF Future Stayers Oath Novice Stakes at the Nottingham Racecourse in October. After the St Leger Trial Novice Stakes, the upcoming race will be the second time he appears at the Doncaster Racecourse.
St Leger Day 2026 Racecard
The St Leger Day 2026 will be conducted in the second week of September as a part of a four day St Leger Festival. This horse racing fixture will include 7 races. The St Leger Stakes runs as the headline race of the entire event.
St Leger Day (12 September)
- When: Saturday, 12 September 2026
- Gate opening: 10:30 am
- First race: 1:10 pm
- Headline race: 3:35 pm
- Last race: 4:48 pm
The daily race card for the St Leger Day of the St Leger Festival 2026 is as follows:
Going: good to soft
| Time | Race | Distance | Conditions |
| 1:10 pm | THE BRITISH STALLION STUDS EBF MAIDEN STAKES (CLASS 2) (Winner receives free entry to The 2027 Betfred St Leger) (GBB/GBBPLUS RACE) (CL 2) | 1m | 2YO £50,000.00 |
| 1:45 pm | THE BETFRED CHAMPAGNE STAKES (CLASS 1) (Group 2) (CL 1) | 7f 6y | 2YO £150,000.00 |
| 2:20 pm | THE BETFRED PORTLAND (Class 2 Heritage Handicap) (CL 2) | 5f 143y | 3YO+ £100,000.00 |
| 2:55 pm | THE BETFRED PARK STAKES (CLASS 1) (Group 2) (CL 1) | 7f 6y | 3YO+ £165,000.00 |
| 3:35 pm | THE BETFRED ST LEGER STAKES (CLASS 1) (Group 1) (CL 1) | 1m 6f 115y | 3YO £700,000.00 |
| 4:15 pm | THE PJ TOWEY CONSTRUCTION HANDICAP STAKES (CLASS 2) (CL 2) | 1m | 3YO+ £70,000.00 |
| 4:48 pm | THE MASTIFF MANOR HANDICAP STAKES (CLASS 2) (GBBPLUS RACE) (CL 2) | 1m 2f 43y | 3YO+ £70,000.00 Rating 0-105 |
St Leger Stakes 2026 FAQs
When is the St Leger Stakes 2026?
The St Leger Stakes 2026 will take place on Saturday, 12 September, the third day of the St Leger Festival 2026. It is hosted by the Doncaster Racecourse.
How many runners are there?
The number of runners keeps changing until the start of the race. At the moment of publication of this article, there were 12 declared runners in the race.
Who is the favourite?
The list of favourites keeps changing between ante-post, official declarations, and up until the race start, depending on which runners withdraw from the race. At the moment of publication of this article, the current top five favourites are Christmas Day, Pierre Bonnard, Enceladus, Highwayman, and Hatteen.
What are the latest St Leger Stakes odds?
You can find the latest St Leger Stakes odds on all major bookmaking platforms that offer horse racing betting markets. You will find detailed betting odds offered by 7bet on our website.
Betting is only available to participants above 18 years. Please bet responsibly. BeGambleAware.org