St Leger Festival Doncaster Preview: Opening Day Guide

Weatherbys Stakes Headlines Opening Day

This St Leger Festival Doncaster preview marks the 250th anniversary of the world's oldest Classic, as Ladies Day opens Doncaster's round course over eight races on 10 September 2026. The card runs from the Weatherbys £300,000 (US$399,000) 2-Y-O Stakes through a clutch of competitive handicaps, with two Group Two contests anchoring the middle of the afternoon and the Pertemps Network Handicap providing a stiff staying test. Richard Spencer's horses appear across several of the biggest races, offering a single narrative to follow from the opening juvenile contest through to the nurseries later on.

Hannon's Colt Eyes Weatherbys Prize

The Weatherbys £300,000 (US$399,000) 2-Y-O Stakes (GBB Race) (Class 2) (2yo) carries the day's largest purse and draws a field of 28 over 6f111y, with the winner's cheque worth £147,540.00 (US$196,228). Dover Street, trained by Richard Hannon, looks the pick of a field crowded with Ballydoyle representation, including Florida Bay, Carry The Flag, Marco Polo and Ile De France for Aidan O'Brien. The strength in depth of the challenge assembled against him underlines just how competitive this opening juvenile contest has become, with plenty of trainers keen to land the meeting's most valuable 2YO prize.

Night In Vegas Leads Weatherbys Form

Night In Vegas, trained by Eve Johnson Houghton, arrives on recent form figures of 1-1-5-3-1, and Kevin Ryan's Dorigo also arrives with solid figures after finishing runner-up last time. William Haggas saddles God Given Talent for Tom Marquand, while Richard Spencer fields a squad of six, headed by the filly Sexy Chick, who doubles back later in the card. That six-strong raiding party from a single yard gives Spencer multiple chances to strike in a race already stacked with Ballydoyle firepower.

Consent Steps Up in Park Hill Stakes

Sir Mark Prescott's Consent has won twice in her last six starts, form that marks her out as a leading contender as she steps up in trip over this demanding extended distance in the Park Hill Fillies' Stakes, a Group Two contest for three-year-olds and up. Following on from the opening juvenile puzzle, this race asks a different question of its fillies, testing stamina over further ground rather than speed over six furlongs.

John and Thady Gosden's Danielle, ridden by William Buick, brings solid recent form into the race, while Simon and Ed Crisford's Fairy Glen, partnered by James Doyle, and Joseph Patrick O'Brien's Beset both carry the credentials of Group-class fillies stepping up in trip. The remainder of the field, including Brielle, Dojin, Floresta, Nyra, Peace Belle, Ryka, Waardah and Amelia Earhart, rounds out a race that gives an intriguing generational match-up between the older, more experienced fillies and the emerging younger talent, with the extended distance likely to sort out stamina limitations before the home turn.

May Hill Stakes Tests Juvenile Fillies

The May Hill Stakes, a Group Two for juvenile fillies over the straight mile, is worth £70,887.50 (US$94,280) to the winner from a £125,000 (US$166,250) pot. Charlie Appleby's Musical Times, a chestnut daughter of Lope De Vega ridden by William Buick, heads the field on the strength of the yard's May Hill record, having sent out Desert Flower to win this race in 2024 before she went on to land the Fillies' Mile and the 1000 Guineas. The race sits among the meeting's most significant tests for juvenile fillies, coming as it does straight after the Park Hill puzzle and asking a sharper, faster question over a mile rather than an extended trip.

The contest completes a demanding middle section of the afternoon that pairs two Group Two tests back to back, one for the older fillies and one for the juveniles, and the balance of the May Hill looks set to turn on whether pace or stamina proves the more telling asset over the straight mile course.

Pathein Tops Pertemps Handicap Weights

The Pertemps Network Handicap (GBBPlus Race) (Class 2) (3yo 0-105), run over 1m2f43y, carries a first prize of £36,078.00 (US$47,984) from a £70,000 (US$93,100) pot. Ed Dunlop's Pathein sets the weights off a rating of 102, while Brian Meehan's Bourbon Blues, ridden by David Egan, arrives with recent placed efforts that suggest he will take plenty of catching off his current mark.

John and Thady Gosden's Runman, partnered by Oisin Murphy, and Roger Varian's Knights Charge both bring solid recent form into the contest, while Richard Spencer's Wild Thoughts, ridden by Saffie Osborne, arrives on the back of a serviceable run of form figures that puts her among the leading contenders for this competitive handicap.

Carrie Red Nursery Closes the Card

The British Stallion Studs 'Carrie Red' EBF Fillies' Nursery Handicap, over 6f111y for 2YO fillies, offers £28,347.00 (US$37,702) to the winner. Richard Spencer saddles a striking six runners, headed by Sexy Chick, who runs earlier on the card in the Weatherbys 2-Y-O Stakes, and including Zigazig Ah, Speed Of Sound, Starburster, Motown Filly and Roosike, a formidable team assembled with an eye to landing this valuable nursery prize.

Charlie Appleby's Sorrengail and Richard and Peter Fahey's Crystal Queen offer the chief opposition to the Spencer battalion, while Clive Cox's Art Of Life, ridden by Rossa Ryan, and K R Burke's Kodi Bear Light add further depth to a twenty-five-strong field that promises a properly competitive renewal of this nursery contest.

Meadowhall Nursery Awaits Later Runners

The Meadowhall X Flannels Beauty Bar Nursery Handicap, run over the straight mile for two-year-olds rated 0-95, is worth £18,319.00 (US$24,364) to the winner, and forms the first half of a nursery double completed later in the afternoon by its sister race.

The sixteen-runner field assembled for this valuable juvenile nursery sets up a competitive renewal, with several of those declared facing a quick turnaround, doubling back later over a different trip within hours of racing here.

JET2 Nursery Links Doncaster's Card

The East Midlands Airport And JET2 Nursery Handicap, over 7f6y for two-year-olds rated 0-95, carries the same £18,319.00 (US$24,364) first prize as its earlier sister race, setting up the second half of the afternoon's nursery double.

This twenty-one-strong field adds fresh challengers to those completing the turnaround from the earlier nursery, closing out the nursery double before racing concludes.

Doncaster's opening day of the St Leger Festival marks the 250th anniversary of the world's oldest Classic, balancing black type with depth, from Dover Street's Weatherbys test to Consent's step up in trip, while Richard Spencer's six-strong nursery raiding party adds the kind of subplot that rewards following the card from the first race to the last. The two Group Two contests provide the afternoon's clearest tests of quality, with the Pertemps Network Handicap and the nursery double rounding out a genuinely competitive card from start to finish.

DONCASTER — GOING: GOOD TO SOFT, Good in places (GoingStick: 6.1) | Rail Movements: 2.25 & 5.20 +19yds, 3.00 +9yds | Light rain

Race Info

British Stallion Studs 'Carrie Red' EBF Fillies' Nursery Handicap (Class 2) (2yo): 16:15 GST (13:15 BST) | Turf | 6f111y | £55,000 guaranteed | 12 runners (1 NR) | Winner £28,347 | Prize Breakdown: 1st £28,347.00 | 2nd £13,293.50 | 3rd £6,649.50 | 4th £3,322.00 | 5th £1,661.00 | 6th £830.50

Weatherbys £300,000 2-Y-O Stakes (GBB Race) (Class 2) (2yo): 16:50 GST (13:50 BST) | Turf | 6f111y | £410,695 guaranteed | 17 runners | Winner £201,979.79 | Prize Breakdown: 1st £201,979.79 | 2nd £80,824.77 | 3rd £40,412.39 | 4th £20,165.12 | 5th–10th £10,103.10 each

Pertemps Network Handicap (GBBPlus Race) (Class 2) (3yo 0-105): 17:25 GST (14:25 BST) | Turf | 1m2f43y | £70,000 guaranteed | 11 runners | Winner £36,078 | Prize Breakdown: 1st £36,078.00 | 2nd £16,919.00 | 3rd £8,463.00 | 4th £4,228.00 | 5th £2,114.00 | 6th £1,057.00

Betfred Park Hill Fillies' Stakes (Group 2) (Class 1) (3yo+): 18:00 GST (15:00 BST) | Turf | 1m6f115y | £165,000 guaranteed | 9 runners | Winner £93,571.50 | Prize Breakdown: 1st £93,571.50 | 2nd £35,475.00 | 3rd £17,754.00 | 4th £8,844.00 | 5th £4,438.50 | 6th £2,227.50

Betfred May Hill Stakes (Group 2) (Fillies) (Class 1) (2yo): 18:35 GST (15:35 BST) | Turf | 1m | £125,000 guaranteed | 11 runners | Winner £70,887.50 | Prize Breakdown: 1st £70,887.50 | 2nd £26,875.00 | 3rd £13,450.00 | 4th £6,700.00 | 5th £3,362.50 | 6th £1,687.50

Meadowhall X Flannels Beauty Bar Nursery Handicap (GBBPlus Race) (Class 3) (2yo 0-95): 19:10 GST (16:10 BST) | Turf | 1m | £35,000 guaranteed | 6 runners | Winner £18,319 | Prize Breakdown: 1st £18,319.00 | 2nd £8,596.00 | 3rd £4,294.50 | 4th £2,149.00 | 5th £1,071.00

East Midlands Airport And Jet2 Nursery Handicap (Class 3) (2yo 0-95): 19:45 GST (16:45 BST) | Turf | 7f6y | £35,000 guaranteed | 9 runners | Winner £18,319 | Prize Breakdown: 1st £18,319.00 | 2nd £8,596.00 | 3rd £4,294.50 | 4th £2,149.00 | 5th £1,071.00

Pertemps Handicap (GBBPlus Race) (Class 3) (3yo+ 0-90): 20:20 GST (17:20 BST) | Turf | 1m3f197y  | £35,000 guaranteed | 9 runners | Winner £18,319 | Prize Breakdown: 1st £18,319.00 | 2nd £8,596.00 | 3rd £4,294.50 | 4th £2,149.00 | 5th £1,071.00

Contenders 

British Stallion Studs 'Carrie Red' EBF Fillies' Nursery Handicap:
Sexy Chick (T: Richard Spencer / J: Oisin Murphy) | Art Of Life (T: Clive Cox / J: Rossa Ryan) | Bymiddaytomorrow (T: Ed Walker / J: Ashley Lewis (3)) | Speed Of Sound (T: Richard Spencer / J: Saffie Osborne) | Angel Sense (T: Marco Botti / J: Marco Ghiani) | Kodi Bear Light (T: K R Burke / J: Jack Nicholls (3)) | Downonmainstreet (T: Michael Bell / J: David Probert (1)) | Roosike (T: Richard Hughes / J: Joe Leavy) | Rollthedicebaby (T: Richard Hannon / J: J F Egan (1)) | Leucothea (T: Richard Hannon / J: Laura Pearson (1)) | Wondervision (T: Jack Channon / J: Nicola Currie (1)) | Angel In My Heart (T: Adrian Paul Keatley / J: Luke Morris (1)) | NR: Bayside (T: Rod Millman)
(Not declared, despite appearing in earlier entries: Crystal Queen, Coat Of Red, Ferrystream, Fire Thunder, Babzini, Marralyn, Diamond New Bay, Miss Havisham, Starburster, Sorrengail, Motown Filly, Zigazig Ah.)

Weatherbys £300,000 2-Y-O Stakes (GBB Race):
Alfa Hoodini (T: Ivan Furtado / J: Marco Ghiani (1)) | Backmeifyoucan (T: Ivan Furtado / J: Luke Morris (1)) | Blazing Inferno (T: Edward Bethell / J: Daniel Tudhope) | God Given Talent (T: William Haggas / J: Tom Marquand) | Icy Moon (T: Ivan Furtado / J: Tom Eaves) | Mithaaly (T: George Boughey / J: William Buick (1)) | Ongombo (T: Charlie Fellowes / J: Lewis Edmunds (1)) | Satellite Of Love (T: Clive Cox / J: Rossa Ryan) | Stardom Glory (T: Hugo Palmer / J: James Doyle) | The Dancing Pirate (T: Andrew Balding / J: Oisin Murphy) | Dorigo (T: Kevin Ryan / J: Kevin Stott) | A Bear Affair (T: Richard Hannon / J: Sean Levey) | Secret Society (T: Clive Cox / J: Callum Rodriguez (1)) | Sovereign Glory (T: Charles Hills / J: Oisin Orr (1)) | Night In Vegas (T: Eve Johnson Houghton / J: Charles Bishop) | Seven Nation Army (T: Joseph Patrick O'Brien (IRE) / J: David Probert (1)) | Zigazig Ah (T: Richard Spencer / J: Saffie Osborne)
(Not declared: Florida Bay, Carry The Flag, Marco Polo, Ile De France, Baddaddan, Star Prospect.)

Pertemps Network Handicap (GBBPlus Race):
Bourbon Blues (T: Brian Meehan / J: Ryan Moore (1)) | Spyce (T: Alan King / J: Rossa Ryan) | Besieged (T: Harry Charlton / J: Lewis Edmunds) | Runman (T: John & Thady Gosden / J: Oisin Murphy) | King Of Earth (T: William Haggas / J: Tom Marquand) | Knights Charge (T: Roger Varian / J: Shane Foley) | Wild Thoughts (T: Richard Spencer / J: Saffie Osborne) | Strength Of Spirit (T: K R Burke / J: Jack Nicholls (3)) | Stoneacre Donny (T: Tim Easterby / J: Duran Fentiman) | Sintra (T: Andrew Balding / J: Nicola Currie (1)) | Darius Dark (T: J P Murtagh (IRE) / J: Luke Morris (1))
(Not declared: Pathein, Crest Of Fire, Savvy Disko, River Card, Sovereign View, Lucky Camino.)

Park Hill Fillies' Stakes (Group 2):
Consent (T: Sir Mark Prescott Bt / J: Luke Morris) | Danielle (T: John & Thady Gosden / J: William Buick) | Fairy Glen (T: Simon & Ed Crisford / J: James Doyle) | Floresta (T: J P Murtagh (IRE) / J: Ben Coen) | Nyra (T: Joseph Patrick O'Brien (IRE) / J: J M Sheridan (1)) | Ryka (T: David O'Meara / J: Daniel Tudhope) | Waardah (T: Owen Burrows / J: Callum Rodriguez) | Cameo (T: A P O'Brien (IRE) / J: Ryan Moore) | Prizeland (T: Andrew Balding / J: Oisin Murphy)

May Hill Stakes (Group 2) (Fillies):
Ballyskeagh (T: Joseph Patrick O'Brien (IRE) / J: J M Sheridan (1)) | Beguiled (T: John & Thady Gosden / J: James Doyle (1)) | Eabha (T: Eve Johnson Houghton / J: Charles Bishop) | Martinet (T: Sir Mark Prescott Bt / J: Luke Morris) | Musical Times (T: Charlie Appleby / J: William Buick) | Scommessa Sicura (T: Andrew Balding / J: Oisin Murphy) | Sea Of Rain (T: J S Bolger (IRE) / J: Rossa Ryan (1)) | Speckles (T: A P O'Brien (IRE) / J: Ryan Moore (1)) | Tall Trees (T: Brian Meehan / J: Tom Marquand) | Thuritha (T: David Simcock / J: Sean Levey) | Tie A Navyribbon (T: William Stone / J: Josephine Gordon)

Meadowhall X Flannels Beauty Bar Nursery Handicap (GBBPlus Race):
Al Wathba (T: Charlie Appleby / J: William Buick) | Waasil (T: K R Burke / J: Sam James) | Zarakova (T: Andrew Balding / J: Oisin Murphy) | Metamouse (T: David Loughnane / J: Laura Pearson) | Keep Grating (T: Richard Hannon / J: Joe Leavy) | Primal (T: Andrew Balding / J: Marco Ghiani)

East Midlands Airport And Jet2 Nursery Handicap:
Kach Above (T: David Loughnane / J: Laura Pearson) | Undiscovered (T: Ralph Beckett / J: Rossa Ryan) | Rafe's Da Man (T: Richard Hannon / J: Ryan Moore (1)) | Weekend Roar (T: Hugo Palmer / J: James Doyle) | Fuel The Jet (T: Tom Clover / J: Neil Callan) | Midgham Man (T: Rod Millman / J: Lewis Edmunds (1)) | Storm Blade (T: Andrew Balding / J: Oisin Murphy (1)) | Love Rome (T: Charlie Johnston / J: Saffie Osborne (1)) | Sanbona Warrior (T: William Knight / J: Marco Ghiani)

Pertemps Handicap (GBBPlus Race):
Masterinthewoods (T: Emma Lavelle / J: David Probert) | My Ballyquinn (T: David O'Meara / J: Daniel Tudhope) | Alfred Wincham (T: Patrick Neville / J: Rossa Ryan (1)) | Mocking (T: J P Murtagh (IRE) / J: Ben Coen) | Devil's Peak (T: John & Thady Gosden / J: William Buick) | Railwayview Lady (T: Gavin Cromwell (IRE) (1) / J: Gary Carroll (1)) | Mr Freedom (T: Sheena West / J: Charles Bishop (1)) | Brighton View (T: William Knight / J: Marco Ghiani) | Itica (T: Andrew Balding / J: Oisin Murphy, 6lb ex) | NR: Eniac (T: Brian Ellison)