September sees the last stop on the 2025 Classic tour, as the three-year-olds take a final shot at the history books in the St Leger Stakes. Making its Town Moor debut in 1776, this 1m6½f is the oldest of the five British Classics, predating the Epsom Oaks by three years.
Offering £700,000 in total prize money, the only Classic held in the north of England places a distinctive set of demands on the contenders. Where speed often wins the day in the 1000 and 2000 Guineas, and sheer class prevails in the Epsom Classics, staying power is the number one pre-requisite for success in the St Leger. The oldest and longest of Britain’s flagship three-year-old events, the St Leger is also the only Classic without a fillies-only alternative.
There are no fillies included in the final field in 2025. However, with the runners and riders now confirmed, we look set for an enthralling edition. Thanks to three entries from the yard of Aidan O’Brien and one from the Paddy Twomey operation, Ireland boast strength in numbers, while Andrew Balding and Roger Varian strive to keep the prize on home soil.
St Leger Stakes: Confirmed Field of Runners and Riders
| Number | Horse | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carmers | Billy Lee | Paddy Twomey |
| 2 | Furthur | Oisin Murphy | Andrew Balding |
| 3 | Lambourn | Sean Levey | Aidan O’Brien |
| 4 | Rahiebb | Ray Dawson | Roger Varian |
| 5 | Scandinavia | Tom Marquand | Aidan O’Brien |
| 6 | Stay True | Mickael Barzalona | Aidan O’Brien |
| 7 | Tarriance | Colin Keane | Andrew Balding |
Highlights
With eight previous St Leger wins, Aidan O’Brien lies some way behind 16-time winner John Scott on the all-time trainer’s table. However, the Ballydoyle genius is comfortably the most successful trainer of the modern era. Boasting four times as many wins as his rival trainers combined, O’Brien sends a talented trio to post in 2025.
With Ryan Moore injured and Wayne Lordan suspended, establishing the O’Brien pecking order isn’t straightforward. However, the Tom Marquand-ridden Scandinavia is clear at the head of the market. Zero from three in a low-key juvenile campaign, Scandinavia has shot through the ranks since moving up to staying distances. Too good for the field in the Bahrain Trophy, he mastered 2024 St Leger runner-up Illinois last time out in the Goodwood Cup. If repeating that effort, he has every chance of becoming the first horse to win the Goodwood Cup and St Leger in the same season.
Lambourn, meanwhile, will become the first horse since Nijinsky (1970) to complete the Derby/St Leger double if coming home in front. The son of Australia backed up his all-the-way Epsom success with a win in the Irish Derby but arrives on the back of a disappointing display in the Great Voltigeur Stakes. However, it is easy to forgive that effort in a race labelled “a mess” by his trainer. Sean Levey takes the ride, having teamed up with the O’Brien-trained Jan Brueghel to claim the 2024 edition of this race.
All three O’Brien runners arrive with a compelling story. Stay True provides the late, great Galileo with one last chance to add to a Classic haul which includes four wins in the 1,000 Guineas, three in the 2,000 Guineas, five in the Oaks, five in the Derby, and four in the St Leger. Raced only three times to date, he finished fourth in the Great Voltigeur last time but remains open to improvement.
Rounding out the Irish challenge is a horse who has already shown he has what it takes to master Scandinavia. Hailing from the Cashel yard of Paddy Twomey, Carmers stayed on best of all to claim the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot in June, with Scandinavia finishing back in fifth. Ahead of both Lambourn and Stay True when second in the Great Voltigeur, he looks like a big threat to the market leader.
Nicely named (if not exactly spelt) for a staying star, Andrew Balding’s Furthur is the form pick of the British trio. Losing out by just half a length to Carmers at Ascot, he bombed out in the Bahrain Trophy but bounced right back in the Geoffrey Freer Stakes at Newbury. Balding’s second string, Tarriance, has a lot to find on ratings, but at least arrives at the top of his game, having won three of his last four starts, including a hot handicap at York in August.
Finally, Rahiebb is unfancied by the bookmakers but finished just a length behind Carmers in the Queen’s Vase. He performed below expectations at Goodwood last time but represents a trainer who won the 2014 and 2021 editions of the Doncaster Classic.
