Bet on the St Leger with totesport
The fifth and final British classic of the Flat racing season, Doncaster’s Group 1 St Leger is the oldest classic that provides both traditional and new betting opportunities with totesport.
Run at the expansive, galloping Town Moor track, the St Leger is rich in history and makes up the final leg of the ‘Triple Crown’.
It was first run in 1776 and remains the longest classic race on the calendar at one-mile, six furlongs and 132 yards. The stamina required to see out the trip at championship pace means only truly exceptional horses can complete the ‘Triple Crown’ that begins with the Guineas races over one mile (where speed is a prerequisite), then continues with the Derby and Oaks over the middle distance of a mile-and-a-half.
Few horses even attempt the feat, but both the colt Nijinsky in 1970, and the filly Oh So Sharp in 1985 managed to achieve what many in the modern era had believed to be virtually impossible.
The ante-post market for the St Leger builds up during the summer and at totesport we offer the best value odds in the market, constantly updated as the ‘Leger’ picture becomes clearer through late summer and early autumn.
Amongst the great names to have won the ‘Leger’ in the early days were star racehorses such as Ebor (1817), Voltigeur (1850), Pretty Polly (1904), Solario (1925) and Never Say Die (1954). In the modern era the great Nijinsky (1970), Bustino (1974), the Queen’s Dunfermline, who followed up her Oaks success with victory at Doncaster in Silver Jubilee year 1977, the superb Oh So Sharp (1985), Derby winner Reference Point (1987) and tough as teak Oaks heroine User Friendly (1992), have all gone down in racing folklore.
In recent years trainers Aidan O’Brien (three wins) and Saeed bin Suroor (four wins) have been very much the men to follow when weighing up the race, whilst John Gosden, who scored in 1996 with Shantou, enhanced his good record in the race from only a handful of attempts in sending out the 2007 victor Lucarno to beat Mahler by one length.
The Tote Exacta dividend for Lucarno to beat Mahler paid a handsome £ 35.60 comparing very favourably with the Computer Straight Forecast return of just £26.83.
Frankie Dettori is the most successful current jockey, the most recent of his four victories in the racing having come aboard Sixties Icon in 2006. Dettori however has a long way to go to match the legendary Lester Piggott, who won the race eight times between 1960-84, when Commanche Run gave ‘Old Stoneface’ the last of his classic successes.
Here at totesport, as well as offering ante-post prices on the St Leger, we also offer a range of unrivalled betting opportunities on the day of the race that give the punter more choice and variety then any of our competitors.
By visiting our website a totesport.com you can decide how you want to bet in the easiest possible way. So, whether you want to bet at traditional odds or via the Tote, totesport should always be your first choice.
