St Leger (horse race)
| Group 1 race | |
| Location |
Doncaster Racecourse Doncaster, England |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1776 |
| Race type | Flat / Thoroughbred |
| Sponsor | William Hill |
| Website | Doncaster |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1m 6f 115y (2,921 m) |
| Surface | Turf |
| Track | Left-handed |
| Qualification | Three-year-olds excluding geldings |
| Weight | 9 st 1 lb Allowances 3 lb for fillies |
| Purse | £700,000 (2017) 1st: £396,970 |
The St Leger Stakes (spelt without a full stop in UK English) is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 1-mile, 6 furlongs and 115 yards (2,921 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each year in September.
Established in 1776, the St Leger is the oldest of Britain's five Classics. It is the last of the five to be run each year, and its distance is longer than any of the other four.
The St Leger is the final leg of the English Triple Crown, which begins with the 2000 Guineas and continues with the Derby. It also completes the Fillies' Triple Crown, following on from the 1000 Guineas and the Oaks. The St Leger has rarely featured Triple Crown contenders in recent decades, with the only one in recent years being the 2012 2,000 Guineas and Derby winner Camelot, who finished second in the St Leger.
The event was devised by Anthony St Leger, an army officer and politician who lived near Doncaster. It was initially referred to as "A Sweepstake of 25 Guineas", and its original distance was two miles. The rules stipulated that colts and geldings were to carry 8 st, and fillies would receive an allowance of 2 lb.
The inaugural running was held at Cantley Common on 24 September 1776. The first winner was an unnamed filly owned by the event's organiser, the 2nd Marquess of Rockingham. The filly was later named Allabaculia.
The title St Leger Stakes was decided at a dinner party held in 1776 at The Red Lion Inn located in the Market Place, Doncaster to discuss the following year's race. It was suggested that it should be called the Rockingham Stakes in honour of the host, the Marquess of Rockingham, but the Marquess proposed that it should be named instead after Anthony St Leger. The event was moved to its present location, Town Moor, in 1778.
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