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2027 St Leger Festival Middle Distance Handicap Preview
Scheduled to take place in September of each year at the Doncaster racecourse is this Class Three handicap, which was downgraded in 2023 and is run over a distance of one mile and four furlongs. The race is open to runners aged three or older and is run during the St Leger Festival.
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Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com
St Leger Festival Middle Distance Handicap Information:
- St Leger Festival Middle Distance Handicap Past Winners
- St Leger Festival Middle Distance Handicap Trainer Statistics
- St Leger Festival Middle Distance Handicap Jockey Statistics
Our dedicated Doncaster tips page will not only bring you predictions from the OLBG racing tipsters for the upcoming card that includes the St Leger Festival Middle Distance Handicap, but will also have predictions for each meeting at Doncaster throughout the season, so be sure to head over there. You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information. Head down to the Other Principal races during the Doncaster St Leger Festival section for links to these.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2026 (UKGC Regulated)
How competitive is the St Leger Festival Middle Distance Handicap market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 15 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2019, when the race had an over-round of 107%. The race in 2025 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 125%, whilst on average over the last 15 renewals of the St Leger Festival Middle Distance Handicap, the over-round has been 115%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £115 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2027 St Leger Festival Middle Distance Handicap Trends. See which patterns have occurred over the recent renewals that you may be able to use for the next renewal. We also have a section that looks at the St Leger Festival Middle Distance Handicap Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run St Leger Festival Middle Distance Handicap races over the last 15 renewals:
- Swift Alhaarth (2:27.48) in 2011
- Viking Storm (2:28.70) in 2012
- Away He Goes (2:29.87) in 2020
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? Over the past 15 renewals, if you had followed the winner of the St Leger Festival Middle Distance Handicap next time out, then you would have backed a total of 2 winners. Backing all 14 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -6.62. Before placing your bet on the 2027 St Leger Festival Middle Distance Handicap, see which other runners today are being backed on the racing predictions page.
The runner that holds the record over the past 15 renewals for the slowest time in the race was set in the 2023 renewal when In The Breeze from Michael Appleby under the guidance of Tom Marquand, won in a time of 2:39.08, whilst at the other end of the spectrum, Swift Alhaarth, trained by Mark Johnston and ridden by Silvestre De Sousa set the quickest time of 2:27.48 in the 2011 renewal.
St Leger Festival Middle Distance Handicap Past Winners
Here are the St Leger Festival Middle Distance Handicap past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the race year, the winning horse, and the horse's age & weight. Also detailed are the stall from which the horse came and the total number of runners in the race. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the St Leger Festival Middle Distance Handicap are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse (Drawn) | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 2:31.17 | Devils Peak (GB) 3yo 9-6 (4 of 9) 15/8F | William Buick John & Thady Gosden (GB) |
| 2025 2:35.15 | Munsif (IRE) 3yo 9-5 (1 of 14) 5/2F | Ray Dawson Roger Varian (GB) |
| 2024 2:34.84 | Kildare Legend (IRE) 3yo 9-3 (7 of 13) 100/30F | Daniel Muscutt James Ferguson (GB) |
| 2023 2:39.08 | In The Breeze (IRE) 5yo 9-9 (7 of 9) 15/2 | Tom Marquand Michael Appleby (GB) |
| 2021 2:34.22 | Title (IRE) 3yo 9-7 (1 of 6) 11/10F | David Egan Roger Varian (GB) |
| 2020 2:29.87 | Away He Goes (IRE) 4yo 9-5 (4 of 5) 100/30 | Jim Crowley Ismail Mohammed (GB) |
| 2019 2:32.51 | Kitaabaat (GB) 4yo 9-4 (1 of 2) 6/4 | Andrea Atzeni David Simcock (GB) |
| 2018 2:33.39 | Byron Flyer (GB) 7yo 9-5 (4 of 5) 9/2 | William Buick Ian Williams (GB) |
| 2017 2:36.76 | Game Starter (IRE) 3yo 9-1 (2 of 6) 5/6F | Oisin Murphy Saeed bin Suroor (GB) |
| 2016 2:31.31 | Gold Trail (IRE) 5yo 9-12 (3 of 6) 5/1 | James Doyle Charlie Appleby (GB) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the St Leger Festival Middle Distance Handicap have been based:
- GB: 15 winners with an additional 21 placings from 113 runners
- IRE: 0 winners with an additional 1 placing from 3 runners
St Leger Festival Middle Distance Handicap Trainer Statistics
Two trainers have led the St Leger Festival Middle Distance Handicap over the last 15 renewals, with both Roger Varian and David Simcock winning the race twice. Roger Varian's winners have been Title (2021) and Munsif (2025). David Simcock winners have been with Captain Morley (2015) and Kitaabaat (2019).
Here are some of the top St Leger Festival Middle Distance Handicap trainer statistics over the last 15 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Trainer | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roger Varian | 7-2-2 | -1.40 | -1.75 |
| David Simcock | 5-2-2 | +0.50 | -1.75 |
| Charles Hills | 3-1-2 | +10.00 | +6.50 |
| John & Thady Gosden | 3-1-1 | -0.12 | -0.87 |
| Ian Williams | 2-1-2 | +3.50 | +4.81 |
| James Ferguson | 2-1-1 | +2.33 | +1.08 |
| Saeed bin Suroor | 2-1-1 | -0.17 | +0.52 |
| Michael Appleby | 1-1-1 | +7.50 | +4.50 |
| Charlie Appleby | 1-1-1 | +5.00 | +3.13 |
| Harry Dunlop | 1-1-1 | +4.00 | +2.40 |
St Leger Festival Middle Distance Handicap Jockey Statistics
The leading jockey in the St Leger Festival Middle Distance Handicap over the last 15 renewals is Andrea Atzeni, who has won the race three times, with those three winners coming from Mount Logan (2014), Captain Morley (2015) and Kitaabaat (2019). The only other jockey to have recorded multiple wins in the St Leger Festival Middle Distance Handicap is William Buick (2 wins).
Here are some of the top St Leger Festival Middle Distance Handicap jockey statistics over the last 15 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Jockey | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrea Atzeni | 7-3-3 | +1.25 | -1.70 |
| William Buick | 7-2-3 | +1.38 | +1.14 |
| Silvestre De Sousa | 6-1-2 | -2.75 | -0.15 |
| Oisin Murphy | 5-1-1 | -3.17 | -3.48 |
| Jamie Spencer | 4-1-1 | +9.00 | +4.20 |
| Tom Marquand | 4-1-2 | +4.50 | +2.88 |
| James Doyle | 3-1-1 | +3.00 | +2.13 |
| Daniel Muscutt | 2-1-1 | +2.33 | +1.08 |
| Ray Dawson | 2-1-1 | +1.50 | +0.56 |
| David Egan | 2-1-1 | +0.10 | -0.31 |
2027 St Leger Festival Middle Distance Handicap Trends
Favourites' finishing positions (oldest to latest): (1, 2), 6, 8, 1, 1, (2, 3), 1, 4, 2, 2, 1, 6, 1, 1, 1
The percentage shown is the proportion of runners who fell under that factor. High percentages are less appealing than lower ones, as you would expect them to do well.
- 15 / 15 (59%) - Beaten no more -7l (LTO)
- 15 / 15 (72%) - Achieved an RPR of 85+ (LTO)
- 15 / 15 (73%) - Fewer than 3 races (Higher Class)
- 15 / 15 (74%) - No bigger than 12/1
- 15 / 15 (78%) - Achieved a TS of 44+ (Last Win)
- 15 / 15 (82%) - Within the first 7 of the market
- 15 / 15 (82%) - In a field of 5 - 13 (Last Win)
- 15 / 15 (82%) - Not in a Cl2-3 (Debut)
- 15 / 15 (84%) - Fewer than 18 races (Hcps)
- 15 / 15 (84%) - No bigger than 14/1 (Career Win)
- 15 / 15 (84%) - Off a break of 7 - 63 days
- 15 / 15 (85%) - Fewer than 2 races (30 Days)
- 15 / 15 (88%) - Ran in 3 - 29 races (Career)
- 15 / 15 (89%) - Fewer than 9 placings (Hcps)
- 15 / 15 (89%) - Carried 116 - 137lbs (LTO)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Doncaster racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the St Leger Festival Middle Distance Handicap. Did you know that we have an OLBG Betting School section on OLBG? It is a place to help you improve your betting experience with articles covering numerous topics.
Are you already a member? If not, then why not? With over £6,000 given away each month in the tipster competition, why not get involved? Remember, it is completely FREE! So, head over to the registration page to sign up today! If you are already a member, then share your thoughts on the St Leger Festival Middle Distance Handicap by adding a tip on the race here.
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2027 St Leger Festival Middle Distance Handicap Runners & Shortlist
The runners and the final trends shortlist for the 2027 renewal of the St Leger Festival Middle Distance Handicap will be added once the final declarations are confirmed, which are usually 48 hours before the race.
St Leger Festival Middle Distance Handicap Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor, which has produced 8+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +6.64, is when runners were 1st in the betting market.
❌ The worst-performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had 1 career win in the class; when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-26.
Here are the most recent winning draws, along with the further placings in brackets:
- 2026: Winner in 4 (7,9) [9 Runners]
- 2025: Winner in 1 (4,10) [14 Runners]
- 2024: Winner in 7 (4,9) [13 Runners]
- 2023: Winner in 7 (3,10) [9 Runners]
- 2021: Winner in 1 (6) [6 Runners]
The course which has produced the most winners of the St Leger Festival Middle Distance Handicap is York; there have been a total of 3 winners of this race who ran at York last time out.
The race is open to both sexes, with male runners having produced a total of 15 winners from a total of 110 runners, while female runners have produced 0 winners from a total of 6 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the St Leger Festival Middle Distance Handicap:
- Camelot (2 Wins)
- Sea The Stars (2 Wins)
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the St Leger Festival Middle Distance Handicap despite multiple attempts:
- Galileo (0 Wins from 7 runners)
- Lope De Vega (0 Wins from 5 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 15 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Forgotten Hero in 2013, winning for Charles Hills at odds of 12/1 under the guidance of Jamie Spencer. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 15 renewals, there have been 8 winning favourites in the race. Before placing your bet on the 2027 St Leger Festival Middle Distance Handicap, head over to see which runners the best racing tipsters are tipping today.
Route to the St Leger Festival Middle Distance Handicap
Many trainers target races as preparation for the St Leger Festival Middle Distance Handicap. These are the races in which the recent winners ran before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2026 - Devils Peak York - 6th of 17 (50/1) | Melrose Heritage Handicap |
| 2025 - Munsif Goodwood - 6th of 13 (7/1) | Coral Pipped At The Post Winners Handicap |
| 2024 - Kildare Legend Southwell (AW) - 1st of 13 (15/8) | Golf And Gallop Package Novice Stakes |
| 2023 - In The Breeze Haydock - 1st of 11 (12/1) | Sky Bet Sunday Series Middle Distance Handicap |
| 2021 - Title Hamilton - 2nd of 6 (2/1) | Glasgow Stakes |
| 2020 - Away He Goes Deauville - 5th of 7 (25/1) | Prix Gontaut-Biron Hong Kong Jockey Club |
| 2019 - Kitaabaat Kempton (AW) - 3rd of 7 (20/1) | 32Red On The App Store Handicap |
| 2018 - Byron Flyer Newmarket (July) - 3rd of 7 (9/1) | Price Bailey "Right Advice For Life" Handicap |
| 2017 - Game Starter Newmarket (July) - 1st of 6 (4/5) | Fly London Southend Airport To Prague Handicap |
| 2016 - Gold Trail York - 4th of 19 (12/1) | John Smith's Cup |
Principal races during the Doncaster St Leger Festival
Here is the schedule for the four-day St Leger Festival races, which we cover with blogs. Each race will be linked to the race blog and will detail last year's winner in the table below.
Thursday at St Leger Festival
There are a couple of Group 2s which take centre stage on the opening day of the St Leger Festival: the May Hill Stakes, where the two-year-olds feature and then the Park Hill Fillies Stakes, where the older fillies compete. We also have the 2-y-o Stakes, a valuable Class Two race.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| Carrie Red Fillies Nursery | Speed Of Sound (IRE) 2yo - 7/4 | Richard Spencer Saffie Osborne |
| Doncaster 2yo Stakes | Night In Vegas (IRE) 2yo - 5/6 | Eve Johnson Houghton Charles Bishop |
| May Hill Stakes | Musical Times (IRE) 2yo - 7/4 | Charlie Appleby William Buick |
| Park Hill Stakes | Waardah (IRE) 4yo - 5/2 | Owen Burrows Callum Rodriguez |
| St Leger Festival Middle Distance Handicap | Devils Peak (GB) 3yo - 15/8 | John & Thady Gosden William Buick |
Friday at St Leger Festival
On Friday, the feature race of the day is the Group 2 Doncaster Cup, which is part of the British Champion Series. The Flying Childers Stakes is another race on Friday, which carries a decent purse on offer for the two-year-olds.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| Doncaster Cup | Caballo De Mar (IRE) 5yo - 5/6 | George Scott Oisin Murphy |
| Flying Childers Stakes | Final Objective (IRE) 2yo - 9/4 | Hamad Al Jehani James Doyle |
| Flying Scotsman Stakes | Forbidden Fire (GB) 2yo - 9/2 | Andrew Balding Oisin Murphy |
Saturday at St Leger Festival
The feature race of the festival, the Group 1 St Leger, takes place on Saturday, another race which is part of the British Champion Series. The three races before the St Leger all carry decent purses too: the Champagne Stakes, the Portland and the Park Stakes.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| Champagne Stakes | Desert Castle (GB) 2yo - 1/1 | Charlie Appleby Billy Loughnane |
| Park Stakes | More Thunder (IRE) 5yo - 4/5 | William Haggas Tom Marquand |
| Portland Heritage Handicap | Air Force One (IRE) 5yo - 11/2 | Geoff Oldroyd Clifford Lee |
| St Leger | Highwayman (FR) 3yo - 11/1 | Joseph Patrick O'Brien Saffie Osborne |
| St Leger Festival Mile Handicap | Scoville (GB) 4yo - 5/1 | William Haggas Daniel Tudhope |
| St Leger Festival Ten Furlong Handicap | Thunder Run (IRE) 5yo - 11/4 | K R Burke Clifford Lee |
Sunday at St Leger Festival
Sunday is a bit more low-key, with only one class one race, which is the Sceptre Stakes for the fillies over 7f, and there are also some decent handicaps carrying good purses.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| City of Doncaster Handicap | Inishbeg (IRE) 3yo - 33/1 | Kevin Ryan Jack Nicholls |
| Mallard Handicap | Valedictory (GB) 4yo - 7/4 | John & Thady Gosden Robert Havlin |
| Sceptre Stakes | Pina Sonata (GB) 4yo - 12/1 | James Fanshawe Daniel Muscutt |
| St Leger Festival Sprint Handicap | Blue Brother (FR) 5yo - 5/2 | Hamad Al Jehani Callum Rodriguez |
Article Contributor Information
We are fortunate to have an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to the creation and maintenance of this St Leger Festival Middle Distance Handicap Preview are Andy and James. They both work on the Horse Racing Tips team, overseeing the tipsters and managing the tip settlement, while also creating and managing all the horse racing event previews for Flat racing.
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