St Leger Festival Underway After Action-Packed Opening Day at Doncaster

The 2026 Betfred St Leger Festival is officially underway after an eventful opening afternoon at Doncaster Racecourse, with Musical Times producing the performance of Day One with a dominant victory in the Group 2 May Hill Stakes.

Ladies Day opened four days of racing on Town Moor on Thursday, with Night In Vegas, Waardah and Bourbon Blues also among the winners before Charlie Appleby’s unbeaten juvenile stole the show. The Festival now moves towards Gents Day and the Doncaster Cup on Friday before Saturday’s historic Betfred St Leger Stakes.

Experience the Remaining St Leger Festival with Eventmasters

Three days of the 2026 Festival remain, giving racegoers the opportunity to enjoy the action at Doncaster Racecourse with Eventmasters hospitality.

A range of options are available across the meeting, including Private Box Hospitality, the Conduit Restaurant, Home Straight Restaurant, Sky Garden Restaurant and Triple Crown Restaurant. Friday’s Gents Day features the Doncaster Cup, while Saturday brings the headline Betfred St Leger Stakes before Sunday Funday closes the meeting.

With the St Leger celebrating the 250th anniversary of its first running in 1776, this weekend represents a particularly significant edition of one of British racing’s biggest meetings.

Musical Times Dominates the May Hill Stakes

The clearest statement of the afternoon came from Musical Times, who maintained her unbeaten record with an emphatic seven-and-a-half-length success in the Group 2 Betfred May Hill Stakes.

William Buick travelled strongly aboard the Charlie Appleby-trained filly before moving into contention and taking control more than a furlong from home. Scommessa Sicura finished second for Andrew Balding and Oisin Murphy, with Aidan O’Brien’s Speckles another length behind in third.

The result made it three wins from three for Musical Times following earlier victories at Newmarket and Yarmouth, and attention is now expected to turn towards the Fillies’ Mile.

Appleby said: “She travelled up to the leaders well and most importantly, accelerated, which is what you wanted to see. We’ll head to the Fillies’ Mile and we’ve had that pencilled in since Yarmouth.”

Godolphin have recent history in the race, with Desert Flower winning the May Hill Stakes in 2024 before going on to Classic success in the 1,000 Guineas the following spring.

Waardah Returns to Winning Ways in Park Hill Stakes

Waardah gave trainer Owen Burrows his first Group 2 victory of the season with a strong performance in the Betfred Park Hill Fillies’ Stakes.

Ridden by Callum Rodriguez, the four-year-old finished one and three-quarter lengths clear of Danielle, with Consent taking third. The victory represented a return to form for Waardah and could now lead to another step up in company later in the campaign.

The Park Hill was one of the two Group 2 contests on Thursday’s card and helped provide an early indication of the quality still to come over the remainder of the Festival.

Night In Vegas Lands Another Valuable Prize

There was another notable success earlier in the afternoon as Night In Vegas continued an excellent season for Eve Johnson Houghton by landing the Weatherbys £300,000 2-Y-O Stakes.

Sent off as the 5/6 favourite under Charles Bishop, Night In Vegas held off Satellite Of Love by half a length, with Dorigo finishing third. It followed his victory in the Tattersalls Somerville Auction Stakes at Newmarket and provided another sizeable prize for connections.

The win also helped Johnson Houghton surpass her previous best prize-money total for a season, with several months of the campaign still remaining.

Bourbon Blues Edges a Tight Handicap

One of the closest finishes of the opening day came in the 1m2f Pertemps Network Handicap, where Bourbon Blues got the better of favourite Knights Charge by a head.

Ryan Moore partnered the Brian Meehan-trained three-year-old, with Wild Thoughts just half a length further back in third. Meehan indicated afterwards that the Cambridgeshire could now come under consideration for Bourbon Blues.

Elsewhere, Speed Of Sound opened the meeting with victory for Saffie Osborne and Richard Spencer, while Primal, Fuel The Jet and Devil’s Peak completed the list of Day One winners. William Buick ended the afternoon with a double thanks to Musical Times and Devil’s Peak.

Attention Turns to the Doncaster Cup and St Leger

The Festival continues on Friday 11th September with Betfred Gents Day and the Doncaster Cup before the meeting reaches its centrepiece on Saturday.

The Betfred St Leger Stakes will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the race’s first running, with Derby winner Christmas Day and Enceladus among the headline contenders for the final British Classic of the season.

Following an opening day featuring impressive performances from established names and emerging talents alike, the stage is now set for three more days of action at Doncaster.

Betfred St Leger Festival 2026 FAQs

Who won the May Hill Stakes at Doncaster in 2026?

Musical Times won the 2026 Betfred May Hill Stakes for trainer Charlie Appleby and jockey William Buick, beating Scommessa Sicura by seven and a half lengths.

Who won the Park Hill Stakes on Day One?

Waardah won the Group 2 Betfred Park Hill Fillies’ Stakes under Callum Rodriguez for trainer Owen Burrows.

When is the 2026 Betfred St Leger Stakes?

The Betfred St Leger Stakes takes place at Doncaster Racecourse on Saturday 12th September 2026. This year celebrates the 250th anniversary of the first running of the race in 1776.

Can I book St Leger Festival hospitality with Eventmasters?

Yes. Eventmasters offers a range of VIP hospitality options at Doncaster Racecourse for the Betfred St Leger Festival, including Private Box Hospitality and packages in the Conduit Restaurant, Home Straight Restaurant, Sky Garden Restaurant and Triple Crown Restaurant.