September represents the biggest month of the year for the historic South Yorkshire track at Doncaster. It’s Classic time once again as the four-day St Leger Festival lights up the Town Moor Stage. The headline act takes place on Saturday afternoon, but the St Leger isn’t the only Group Class staying event on the Doncaster menu.
A little over 24 hours before the three-year-olds take their final shot at Classic glory in the 1m6½f showpiece, the runners and riders line up in the Doncaster Cup. First run in 1766, the Group 2 event predates the St Leger by ten years, making it the oldest surviving race at the track. Taking place over a 2m2f trip, it also places greater demands on the stamina of the contenders than the main attraction.
Open to runners aged three and older, and offering £150,000 in prize money, the Doncaster Cup never fails to attract a quality cast of stars. Such is the case in 2025, with the market suggesting we could be in for an intriguing battle between the defending champion and an Irish raider from the yard of Willie Mullins.
Sweet Success for Gosden Team?
Successful with Samuel (2010), Stradivarius (2019 & 2021), and Sweet William (2024), John Gosden boasts the best record of the eight trainers represented in the 2025 field. Now training in partnership with his son Thady, the Newmarket handler lies three behind Joe Mercer in the all-time trainers’ table for this event.
In his bid for win number five, Gosden turns to the 2024 champ. At the age of six, Sweet William is still seeking a Group 1 win, having come closest when second to the mighty Kyprios in the 2024 Goodwood Cup. He finished third in this year’s renewal of that race before chasing Trawlerman home in the Lonsdale Cup. Boasting career form figures of 121 at Doncaster, the mount of Robert Havlin is 2lb clear of the field on official ratings and the horse they all have to beat.
Hipop a Hit for Mullins?
The sole Irish runner in the field makes the trip to Doncaster from the Closutton yard of National Hunt titan Willie Mullins. Best known for his record-shattering exploits at the Cheltenham Festival, Mullins also has a string of notable flat triumphs to his name, including the Irish St Leger, two Lonsdale Cups, and the 2018 edition of this race.
Thomas Hobson beats stablemate in Doncaster Cup at @DoncasterRaces
Watch the action LIVE on @ITV4 pic.twitter.com/CVU0TKjwh0
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) September 14, 2018
Seven years on from Thomas Hobson’s triumph, Hipop De Loire bids to double Mullins’ Doncaster Cup tally. Now eight, the dual-purpose performer is the oldest runner in the field – the same age as Thomas Hobson at the time of his success. A Listed class winner in Germany in 2022, he has finished fifth and sixth in the past two editions of the hugely competitive Ebor Handicap at York. He will need to step up considerably on those efforts but may improve for this step up in trip.
Sun to Shine for Menuisier?
The David Menuisier-trained Sunway also features prominently in the market. The four-year-old is the second-best horse in the race, according to the official handicapper, but has yet to show he can hit those heights in a high-class staying event.
Ending his juvenile season with a Group 1 victory in the Criterium International, the son of Galiway looked like a star on the rise. He has failed to win in 12 starts since. His best efforts came in 2024 when runner-up in the Irish Derby and third in the St Leger. Having faded into fourth in the Goodwood Cup over 2m, he needs to rediscover his best form and show that he stays this far.
Impressive Goodwood Winner Best of the Rest
Two days before the race, the only other runner trading at a single-figure price is the improving Kyle Of Lochalsh. With seven top three finishes from ten turf starts, this Hughie Morrison runner is an admirably consistent sort but has yet to win outside of handicap company. That said, his latest 9½l romp in a 2m4½f event at Goodwood suggests he may be improving at five years of age.
A facile win for the @Summerdown1997-trained Kyle Of Lochalsh in our opening race of the day, the @Coral Goodwood Handicap pic.twitter.com/SzUHzMULo6
— Goodwood Racecourse (@Goodwood_Races) August 1, 2025
Can Sweet William become the first back-to-back winner of the Doncaster Cup since Times Up (2012, 2013), or will the prize head elsewhere? Find out at 3pm on Friday.
