St Leger Stakes Betting Guide - 2023

Theo Last Update: March 26, 2023

St Leger betting is the last chance to bet on a classic for the season each year. Which is why so many punters take it so seriously.

If you happen to be one of them, you’re in luck. This page has everything you need to know about St Leger betting, and more.

From our list of the top St Legers bookies, to our experts’ advice for betting on the festival, and even a list of recommended bets, Sportsbetting24 has you covered.

Top 9 St Leger Stakes Betting Sites

1

bet365

5/5

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Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets

CD365 Offer

Payment methods

24+

Withdrawal time

1-5 days

Minimum Deposit

5

Registration time

5

Licenses

United-kingdom Gibraltar Malta

Accepted Players

United Kingdom

Apps

Bonus Details

Open Account Offer

 

• • Available to new customers only. Make a qualifying deposit of £5* or more and claim the offer within 30 days of registering your account to qualify for 300% of that amount in Bet Credits, up to a maximum of £30* in Bet Credits. Once released your Bet Credits will be held in your account balance and are non-withdrawable
  • To release your Bet Credits for use, you must place qualifying bets to the value of your qualifying deposit (capped at £10*) and they must settle within 30 days of claiming the offer. Only qualifying bets settled after claiming the offer will count towards this requirement.
  • Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, paysafecard and all other prepaid credit and debit cards, where available, cannot be used for either your qualifying deposit or any subsequent withdrawal of returns from Bet Credits stakes unless we have successfully verified an accepted form of your Identity Documents and you have entered a Postal Verification Code (PVC), or we have successfully verified two accepted forms of your Identity Documents. See full Terms and Conditions for details.
  • Bets placed must meet certain conditions to count towards the release of your Bet Credits:
    – Must contain at least one selection at odds of 1/5 (1.20) or greater.
    – In market/fixture combinations that only have two or three potential outcomes (for example Soccer Full Time Result), where you have placed bets on more than one potential outcome, either pre-match or In-Play, only the outcome with your highest cumulative stake will count.
    – Where a stake has been partially Cashed Out, only the remaining active stake will count.
    – Where a bet has been edited using our Edit Bet feature, only the new stake on the new bet will count.
    – Fully Cashed Out, Instant Games, Gaming, void bets or In-Play bets which are settled as a push will not count.
  • Your Bet Credits are non-withdrawable, and Bet Credits stakes are not included in any returns. Any returns from Bet Credits placed will be added to your Withdrawable Balance. Bet Credits cannot be used on certain products, offers/promotions and bet types. See full Terms and Conditions for details.
  •  Your Bet Credits will be forfeit and removed if your account is inactive for 90 consecutive days.
  •  The code CD365 doesn’t change the welcome offer.

*or currency equivalent
T&Cs, time limits and exclusions apply.

#ad

Terms&Conditions

Open account offerNew Customers OnlyBet £10 & Get £30 in free betsSign-up, deposit between £5* and £10* to your account and bet365 will give you three times that value in free bets when you place qualifying bets to the same value and they are settledFree Bets are paid as Bet CreditsMin odds/bet and payment method exclusions applyReturns exclude Bet Credits stakeTime limits and T&Cs apply.18+ begambleaware.org • #ad*or currency equivalent

2

Betfair

5/5

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Get £30 in Free Bets

ZBGC01 Offer

Payment methods

13+

Withdrawal time

1-5 days

Minimum Deposit

10

Registration time

5

Licenses

United-kingdom Gibraltar Malta

Accepted Players

United Kingdom

Apps

Bonus Details

Key Terms:

• • New Customers Only. Must be 18+.
  • Deposit and bet £10 or more to receive a £30 free bet.
  • A qualifying bet is a ‘real money’ stake of at least £/$10 placed on any sports markets
  • Min odds 1/2 (1.5). Exchange bets excluded.
  • Free bets credited within 24 hours after qualifying bet settlement and expire after 30 days
  • Free bet stakes not included in returns
  • Bets placed using free bets as the stake (in full or in part) will not qualify.
  • Offer excludes customers who make their first deposit using any method other than Credit/Debit Cards or Applepay.
  • Offer excludes customers who have not verified their phone number by SMS.

,

• The offer excludes the following bet types: Canadian, Goliath, Heinz, Lucky 15, Lucky 31, Lucky 63, Patent, Super Heinz, Trixie & Yankee.
• Full T&C’s apply – Gamble Responsibly .

Terms&Conditions

New Customer offer. Place a min £10 bet on the Sportsbook on odds of min 1/2 (1.5), get £30 in Free Bets. Rewards valid for 30 days. SMS verification required. Only deposits via cards will qualify. T&Cs apply. Please Gamble Responsibly

3

William Hill

5/5

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Bet £10, Get £30

P30 Offer

Payment methods

40+

Withdrawal time

10 days

Minimum Deposit

10

Registration time

5

Licenses

United-kingdom Gibraltar Malta

Accepted Players

Costa Rica Japan Spain Sweden Mexico Chile Peru Argentina Bolivia Colombia El Salvador Guatemala Honduras Nicaragua Panama Paraguay Dominican Republic Uruguay Venezuela

Apps

Bonus Details

Key Terms:

• Only available to new William Hill customers in the UK or Ireland;
• Customers must sign up using Promo Code P30;
• Only one ‘new account offer’ per person, household address, email address, debit/credit card number, or IP address is allowed;
• Duplicate accounts will not qualify for this offer;
• This Promotion is not available to new accounts depositing funds with Entropay, Paypal, Neosurf, iDeal, Paysafe, Neteller, Skrill, ecoPayz, Kalibra/Postpay;
• Offer will run from 00:01 on 12 November 2019 until 23:59 on 31 March 2020;
• Only available for customers who deposit in GBP pounds (£) sterling or Euro (€) currencies;
• Qualifying bet must be placed with a unit stake of £10/€10 or greater;
• For bets placed as an Each Way bet, only the win part for the bet will count towards to offer;
• Qualifying bet must be placed at odds of 1/2 (1.5) or greater;
• Qualifying bet must be placed on the William Hill Sportsbook site only;
• Qualifying bet must be struck using funds from your main balance;
• Qualifying bet can be pre-match or in-play;
• Cash in my bet is not available for bets placed that trigger a free bet as part of a promotion until at least one selection has been resulted or is In-Play. At this point, Cash in my bet will become available as long as all the other availability conditions are met;
• Free bets will be paid as 2 x £15/€15 denominations;
• Free bets can be used on any sportsbook product (excluding tote, pool, and lottery bets);
• Free bets will be available for 30 days;
• Free Bet is non-refundable and may not be withdrawn;
• Free Bet stake will be excluded from any winnings;
• Free Bet cannot be partially redeemed;
• Cash in my bet will be available for bets placed using a free bet (minus the value of the initial free bet);
• Player, country, currency, Market restrictions and terms apply.

Terms&Conditions

New customers using Promo Code P30 only, min £10/€10 stake, min odds 1/2, free bets paid as 2 x £15/€15 (30 days expiry), free bet/payment method/player/country restrictions apply.

4

Unibet

5/5

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Money Back as Bonus up to £40 if Your First Bet Loses + £10 Casino Bonus

Offer

Payment methods

17+

Withdrawal time

1-5 days

Minimum Deposit

10

Registration time

5

Licenses

United-kingdom Gibraltar Malta

Accepted Players

Japan Germany Sweden Chile Peru Argentina Bolivia El Salvador Guatemala Honduras Paraguay Dominican Republic Uruguay Nicaragua

Apps

Bonus Details

• £40 Money Back as Bonus on Your First Bet + £10 Casino Bonus.
• The minimum qualifying deposit is £10.
• You must wager your bonus money 3x to make it withdrawable at odds of 2/5 (1.40) in the Sportsbook, 25x for Casino.
• Your first bet is not considered to be a qualifying bet if betting on horse racing, greyhound racing, trotting, and/or virtual sports
• Unless forfeited the sportsbook bonus must be wagered before using the casino bonus
• The bonus will expire after 7 days of opt-in.
• No deposit required for NI customers
• This offer applies to your first bet only. If you win your first bet the bonus has been used. If you place a system bet only the first settled column of £10 or higher will count towards the bonus.
• New Customers Only. 18+, Further T&Cs Apply.

Terms&Conditions

18+ begambleaware.org. New customers only. Min deposit £10. Money back as bonus if first bet loses. Wagering requirements: sportsbook 3x at min. odds of 1.40 (2/5), casino 35x. Unless forfeited the sportsbook bonus must be wagered before using the casino bonus. Bonus expires 7 days after opt-in. No deposit required for NI customers. Call 08081699314 to claim. Full T&Cs apply.

5

888sport

4.5/5

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100% till 100cad

Offer

Payment methods

20+

Withdrawal time

3-10 days

Minimum Deposit

10

Registration time

5

Licenses

United-kingdom Gibraltar Malta Schleswig-holstein Spanien

Accepted Players

Canada

Apps

Bonus Details

100% of your first deposit up to $200 + $10 Casino Bonus!

• Minimum qualifying deposit: $10
• Maximum bonus amount: $200
• Payment method restrictions: Deposits made with PayPal, Entropay, Neteller, Paysafecard, and Skrill are not eligible for this promotion
• Sports Wagering requirement: 6x bonus amount
• Odds restrictions: 1.50 (1/2)
• Time limit: Wagering requirements must be met within 60 days
• Users must opt-in to this promotion
• Cashed out and voided bets do not contribute to the wagering requirements for this offer
• Once the bonus has been activated, users may not withdraw any funds until the wagering requirements have been completed
• This promotion is only available to users residing in Canada
• 18+, New Customers Only

Terms&Conditions

New Customers only • $10 min deposit • The bonus will be applied once the full deposit amount has been wagered at least once with cumulative odds of 1.5 or greater • Wagering must be cleared within 60 days • This offer may not be combined with any other offer • Casino Bonus valid for selected games only • Bonus wins capped at $500, exc. JP wins • To withdraw bonus & related wins, wager 30 x (bonus amount) • Wagering requirements vary by game Full T&C’s apply

6

BetVictor

5/5

Read BetVictor review >

100% till 100cad

Offer

Payment methods

8+

Withdrawal time

5 days

Minimum Deposit

5

Registration time

5

Licenses

United-kingdom Gibraltar

Apps

Bonus Details

100% Matched Free Bet Up To $100

• Max. Bonus Amount: $100
• Min. Odds for Qualifying Bet: 2.00
• Qualifying bet must be placed within 7 days of registering your account
• Restricted Payment Methods: PaySafe, Skrill, Neteller
• Cashed Out or Partially Cashed Out bets are not considered to be qualifying bets
• Void bets, Special Markets, BetBoosts, and Enhanced Accas are not considered to be qualifying bets
• Free Bet Rules
  • Free bets can be used on any sports
  • Your free bet can be used on a whole bet, or a number of smaller bets
  • Profit Limit: Amount of stake
  • Free bets will expire within 7 days
• No Wagering Requirements apply to this promotion
• 18+ New Customers only
• Residents of Canada only
• Full Terms and Conditions apply

Terms&Conditions

New Customers opt in, deposit and bet up to $100 at odds of 2.00 or greater within 7 days of registration, excludes cashed out bets. Matched bonus paid in free bets; 7 day expiry. Offer valid from 09:00GMT on 23/12/2019. Payment cards only. Geo Restrictions. T&Cs Apply See Below. Please Gamble Responsibly. 18+ .

7

LeoVegas Sport

4/5

Read LeoVegas Sport review >

100% up to £100 Profit Boost

Offer

Payment methods

14+

Withdrawal time

2-5 days

Minimum Deposit

10

Registration time

5

Licenses

United-kingdom Malta

Accepted Players

United Kingdom

Apps

Bonus Details

Up to £100 Extra Winnings on your first LeoVegas SPORT bet.

• The maximum bet is £10 on odds of 2.0 (1/1) or higher.
• Only applies to first qualifying bet.
• Should you place a combination bet the total odds must be 2.0 (1/1) or higher.
• The qualifying bet must be placed with real funds.
• Skrill/Neteller deposits do not qualify.
• The qualifying bet has to be placed within 7 days from the first deposit.
• 18+, New Customers Only.

Terms&Conditions

New customers only. Deposit £10 min and claim in ‘my offers' 1×100% mobile in-play profit boost. Max stake £10. Max extra winnings £100. Valid for 30 days. Skrill/Neteller deposits do not qualify. 18+ Full T&Cs apply www.begambleaware.org

Bet On The St Leger With William Hill

William Hill is our number one St Leger betting site. They sponsored the race between 2017 and 2019 and you can be sure they have every angle covered for punters who want to bet on the St Leger Festival. You’ll find extra place specials, enhanced St Leger prices and the William Hill St Leger betting odds are amongst the best in class. To put it simply, if you are planning on having a St Leger punt you could do a lot worse than choosing William Hill.

Recommended St Leger Bets

In this section we look at some of the most highly recommended St Leger bets. Our St Leger bet risk table neatly illustrates the risk associated with each different bet and we also outline whether bets are best suited to novices, beginners or experts. After you check out our risk table*, make sure to read the subsequent St Leger betting advice section where we reveal some superb snippets of advice that should enable you to back more St Leger winners.

(*risk can be managed, not volatility)

St Leger Betting Advice

There are a number of fundamentals you need to stick to when betting on the St Leger. Things like the ground and a horse’s ability to get the 1m 6f distance are vital and certain trainers and jockeys tend to do well in the race too. Check out our expert St Leger betting advice below…

• The Ground – You should always take the ground conditions into consideration before you bet on the St Leger. If you fancy a horse, look back at his previous runs and see whether they came on soft or good ground. If the horse has produced his or her best form on heavy ground, there won’t be much point in backing it for the St Leger if it comes up good to firm. So, always check the weather forecast before you put your money down.
• Pedigree – The St Leger is the longest of the classic races in terms of trip at 1 mile 6 furlongs. The 2000 Guineas is run over 1 mile, while the Derby is run over a trip of 1m 4f. You need a horse with plenty of staying power and one indicator of how likely a horse is to get the trip is their pedigree. If they are related to horses that have won at that distance then the likelihood is that they will stay the distance too.
• Trainer/Jockey Combination – As you can see in our previous St Leger winners section it usually pays to stick with top trainers and jockey combinations. Between 2010 and 2019 John Gosden (3) and Aidan O’Brien (3) won the race 6 times between them. Harbour Law pulled off a big shock in 2016 for Laura Mongan and George Baker, but overall the powerful yards tend to come to the fore in the St Leger Stakes at Doncaster.
• Watch Video Replays – If you want to improve your strike rate of finding St Leger winners then make sure you don’t just look at form figures and comments from tipsters. We recommend looking back at video replays of previous performances because you might see something in a horse that others have missed (interference/slow start etc.). Once your eye improves your ability to find St Leger winners will get better too.

St Leger Odds Comparison

In this section you’ll discover why it is absolutely imperative to get the best St Leger betting odds. They key to maximising your potential profit is getting the best price possible when you bet on the St Leger Stakes. You can see the importance of shopping around if you look at our St Leger odds comparison table* below…

Horse Name	bet365	William Hill	Unibet
Santiago	11/4	11/4	9/4
Love	5/1	5/1	4/1
Mogul	6/1	7/1	6/1
English King	8/1	10/1	10/1
Tiger Moth	10/1	8/1	8/1
Dawn Patrol	10/1	10/1	11/1
*Odds listed above are for display purposes only

As the table above shows, the odds can vary quite dramatically between bookies. This is even more so the case when you are dealing with ante-post St Leger betting markets. Look at Santiago, for example. He is only 9/4 with Unibet whereas with both bet365 and former race sponsors William Hill he is 11/4. Dawn Patrol, on the other hand, is 10/1 with bet365 and William Hill but at Unibet he is 11/1. William Hill were best price about 4 of the 6 horses listed though and that is why they are at the top of our list of the best St Leger bookmakers.

St Leger Festival Format

Traditionally the St Leger Festival is held on the final day of a four day festival at Doncaster racecourse. Usually held in early to mid-September, it begins on the Wednesday (Legends’ Day) and finishes on the Saturday with the St Leger Stakes. There are a total of between 7 and 8 races on each day of the St Leger meeting, with a total of between 28 and 32 races over the 4 days.

The biggest races of the week are held on the final two days of the meeting, including the St Leger itself on Saturday and the Doncaster Cup on the Friday. In the more important races you can be sure that every horse will be doing their best to win and this is the time to increase your stakes if you fancy a horse. On the first two days of the St Leger meeting we recommend minimising stakes as shock results are a bit more likely. You can get upsets in the big one too though, as we discuss later on in our biggest St Leger shocks section.

St Leger Past Winners and Odds

• Only three favourites won the St Leger between 2010 and 2019.
• The biggest priced winner ever was Theodore, all the way back in 1822 at 200/1.
• Logician set the record for the fastest winning time in 2019, completing the race in 3m 00.27s.
• The widest winning margin in the St Leger was 12 lengths in 1954 by a horse named Never Say Die.

Shock St Leger Results – Encke Beats Camelot

Theodore in 1822 was the biggest priced winner of the St Leger at 200/1 in 1822. However, perhaps the biggest shock in recent times was when Encke scored at 25/1 in 2012. The mighty Camelot was a long odds on shot (2/5) to complete the classic triple crown of Guineas/Derby/St Leger. Nijinsky was the last horse to complete the set all the way back in 1970. So, as you can imagine, there was huge hype surrounding Camelot and not many punters expected him to be turned over.

However, his backers hadn’t considered that Encke, trained by Mahmood Al Zarooni and ridden by Mickael Barzalona, might upset the applecart. 2 furlongs out Camelot was still on the bridle while Encke was driven to the front. The favourite was caught in a pocket though and Encke nicked a lead that he was just about able to hang onto. It was an inspired ride by Mickael Barzalona and a heart-breaking defeat for Camelot and his legion of fans who were hoping he would make history.

St Leger Stakes Festival History

The St Leger is the oldest of the UK classics, first being run all the way back in 1776 when the official distance was 2 miles. The first horse to complete the Derby/St Leger was the fittingly named Champion in 1800. The distance of the race was cut to 1m 6f and 193 yards in 1813 and that remains the trip to this day.

The race has been hosted by Doncaster for the most part, but there has been some exceptions. During WW1 the race was run at Newmarket and between 1940-45, during WW2, it was moved to Thirsk, Manchester, Newmarket and York. It was also run at York in 2006 while in 1989 Ayr hosted the St Leger. The St Leger is the final classic race of the season and you can find out more about the schedule on the official Doncaster St Leger site.

The 1000/2000 Guineas are the opening classic races in early May and the Epsom Derby and Oaks meeting is held in early June. The Glorious Goodwood and York Ebor festivals are worth watching for clues if you are planning on having a bet on the St Leger. The flat season then winds down with big races at Newmarket (Cambridgeshire meeting), Doncaster (Vertem Futurity Trophy) and Champions Day at Ascot.