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2026 City of Doncaster Handicap Preview
Introduced in 2007 and run at the St Leger Festival at Doncaster in September of each year is this class two handicap that is run over a distance of seven furlongs and is open to runners aged three years old.
City of Doncaster Handicap Information:
- City of Doncaster Handicap Past Winners
- City of Doncaster Handicap Trainer Statistics
- City of Doncaster Handicap Jockey Statistics
Why not use the trends shortlist below to help you narrow down the field and then head over to the dedicated Doncaster tips page to see which runners are being supported by the OLBG expert racing tipsters to find yourself a bet? You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information. Head down to the Other Principal races during the Doncaster St Leger Festival section for links to these.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2025
How competitive is the City of Doncaster Handicap market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 15 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2019 when the race had an over-round of 108%. The race in 2025 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 133%, whilst on average over the last 15 renewals of the City of Doncaster Handicap, the over-round has been 117%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £117 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 City of Doncaster Handicap Trends. See which patterns have occurred over the recent renewals that you may be able to use for the next renewal. We also have a section that looks at the City of Doncaster Handicap Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run City of Doncaster Handicap races over the last 15 renewals:
- Haqeeqy (1:23.98) in 2020
- Modern News (1:24.00) in 2021
- Sulaalaat (1:24.12) in 2015
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? Over the past 15 renewals, if you had followed the winner of the City of Doncaster Handicap next time out, then you would have backed a total of 4 winners. Backing all 14 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of +4.16. Ahead of the 2026 City of Doncaster Handicap, why not head over to the racing predictions for tips on other races today?
Over the last 15 renewals, it was Haqeeqy, trained by John Gosden and ridden by Jim Crowley, who set the fastest winning time in the City of Doncaster Handicap. That runner won the race in a time of 1:23.98 in 2020. At the other end of the scale, it was the combination of trainer David Simcock and jockey Martin Lane with Breton Rock who set the slowest winning time; the race-winning time was 1:27.46 in the 2013 renewal.
What the expert says...
Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com
City of Doncaster Handicap Past Winners
Here are the City of Doncaster Handicap past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the year of the race, the horse which won, along with the age & weight of the horse. Also detailed is the stall where the horse came from and the total number of runners in the race. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the City of Doncaster Handicap are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse (Drawn) | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 1:24.62 | Rogue Diplomat (IRE) 3yo 8-13 (12 of 16) 14/1 | Harry Davies James Owen (GB) |
| 2024 1:26.17 | Telemark (IRE) 3yo 9-4 (10 of 9) 12/1 | Harry Davies Simon & Ed Crisford (GB) |
| 2023 1:24.17 | Poet Master (IRE) 3yo 9-3 (6 of 8) 9/2 | Sam James K R Burke (GB) |
| 2022 1:24.93 | New Kingdom (GB) 3yo 9-9 (6 of 10) 14/1 | William Buick Charlie Appleby (GB) |
| 2021 1:24.00 | Modern News (GB) 3yo 9-5 (4 of 7) 6/4F | William Buick Charlie Appleby (GB) |
| 2020 1:23.98 | Haqeeqy (IRE) 3yo 8-13 (5 of 13) 12/1 | Jim Crowley John Gosden (GB) |
| 2019 1:26.79 | Mutamaasik (GB) 3yo 9-7 (1 of 4) 5/6F | Jim Crowley Roger Varian (GB) |
| 2018 1:25.63 | Best Alliance (IRE) 3yo 8-3 (3 of 8) 20/1 | Paul Hanagan Richard Fahey (GB) |
| 2017 1:26.66 | Lahore (USA) 3yo 8-9 (6 of 8) 7/2F | Silvestre De Sousa Roger Varian (GB) |
| 2016 1:26.62 | Stamp Hill (IRE) 3yo 9-3 (7 of 6) 5/1 | Tony Hamilton Richard Fahey (GB) |
City of Doncaster Handicap Trainer Statistics
There are multiple leading trainers in the City of Doncaster Handicap over the last 15 renewals, with Richard Fahey, Roger Varian, and Charlie Appleby having all won the race twice. Richard Fahey winners have been with Stamp Hill (2016) and Best Alliance (2018). Roger Varian winners have been with Lahore (2017) and Mutamaasik (2019). Charlie Appleby's winners have been with Modern News (2021) and New Kingdom (2022).
Here are some of the top City of Doncaster Handicap trainer statistics over the last 15 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Trainer | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Fahey | 10-2-4 | +17.00 | +18.06 |
| Roger Varian | 6-2-2 | +0.33 | -1.90 |
| Charlie Appleby | 5-2-3 | +12.50 | +8.64 |
| Kevin Ryan | 6-1-2 | +3.00 | +3.06 |
| K R Burke | 4-1-2 | +1.50 | +3.50 |
| John Gosden | 3-1-2 | +10.00 | +7.88 |
| Michael Bell | 3-1-1 | +5.50 | +3.69 |
| Brian Meehan | 2-1-1 | +13.00 | +8.40 |
| David Simcock | 2-1-2 | +11.00 | +7.30 |
| James Owen | 1-1-1 | +14.00 | +8.75 |
City of Doncaster Handicap Jockey Statistics
There are multiple leading jockeys in the City of Doncaster Handicap over the last 15 renewals, with William Buick, Jim Crowley, and Harry Davies having all won the race twice. William Buick winners have been with Modern News (2021) and New Kingdom (2022). Jim Crowley's winners have been with Mutamaasik (2019) and Haqeeqy (2020). Harry Davies' winners have been with Telemark (2024) and Rogue Diplomat (2025).
Here are some of the top City of Doncaster Handicap jockey statistics over the last 15 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Jockey | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| William Buick | 7-2-4 | +10.50 | +8.58 |
| Jim Crowley | 6-2-3 | +8.83 | +9.30 |
| Harry Davies | 2-2-2 | +26.00 | +15.95 |
| Silvestre De Sousa | 6-1-3 | -1.50 | +3.04 |
| Jamie Spencer | 5-1-2 | +3.50 | +3.49 |
| Sam James | 2-1-2 | +3.50 | +4.70 |
| Tony Hamilton | 1-1-1 | +5.00 | +3.13 |
| Andrea Atzeni | 6-0-3 | -6.00 | +0.87 |
| Frankie Dettori | 5-0-2 | -5.00 | -1.17 |
| Sean Levey | 4-0-1 | -4.00 | +0.35 |
2026 City of Doncaster Handicap Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): (6, 7), 6, 4, (8, 10), (3, 7), 3, 1, 5, 1, 9, 1, 5, 4, 7, 9
The percentage shown is the percentage of the total number of runners who fell under that factor. High percentages are less appealing than lower ones, as you would expect them to do well.
- 15 / 15 (66%) - No bigger than 12/1 (Career Place)
- 15 / 15 (77%) - Within the first 8 of the market
- 15 / 15 (79%) - Off a break of 17 - 109 days
- 15 / 15 (82%) - No bigger than 20/1
- 15 / 15 (83%) - Not on SFT/FM/STD (Debut)
- 15 / 15 (83%) - Fewer than 3 races (Higher Class)
- 15 / 15 (85%) - Carried 120 - 137lbs (LTO)
- 15 / 15 (85%) - Held an OR of 83+ (Hcps)
- 15 / 15 (87%) - No bigger than 25/1 (Debut)
- 15 / 15 (87%) - Achieved an RPR of 90+ (Last 5)
- 15 / 15 (89%) - No bigger than 12/1 (Career Win)
- 15 / 15 (89%) - In a field of 5 - 14 (Last Win)
- 15 / 15 (89%) - Highest Placed is not G2-3/LST
- 14 / 15 (83%) - Won within last 6 starts
- 14 / 15 (85%) - Achieved a TS of 65+ (Season)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Doncaster racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the City of Doncaster Handicap. Did you know that we have an OLBG Betting School section on OLBG? It is a place to help you improve your betting experience with articles covering numerous topics.
Are you already a member? If not, then why not? With over £6,000 given away each month in the tipster competition, why not get involved? Remember, it is completely FREE! So, head over to the registration page to sign up today! If you are already a member, then share your thoughts on the City of Doncaster Handicap by adding a tip on the race here.
101 Ways to find Winners in Horse Racing
City of Doncaster Handicap Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor, which has produced 8+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +42.33, is when runners had an IRE-bred dam.
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had a furthest trip placed of 1m, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-33.
Here are the most recent winning draws, along with the further placings in brackets:
- 2025: Winner in 12 (10,16,17) [16 Runners]
- 2024: Winner in 10 (8,1) [9 Runners]
- 2023: Winner in 6 (9,8) [8 Runners]
- 2022: Winner in 6 (3,2) [10 Runners]
- 2021: Winner in 4 (3) [7 Runners]
The courses that have produced the most winners of the City of Doncaster Handicap are Goodwood and Newmarket (July); there have been a total of 4 winners from each of those courses.
The race is open to both sexes, with the Male runners having produced a total of 14 winners from a total of 140 runners, whilst the Female runners have produced 1 winner from a total of 10 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the City of Doncaster Handicap:
- Dubawi (2 Wins)
- Lope De Vega (2 Wins)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 15 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Best Alliance in 2018, winning for Richard Fahey at odds of 20/1 under the guidance of Paul Hanagan. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 15 renewals, there have been 3 winning favourites in the race. Remember to bookmark the best racing tipsters page so you can get easy access to the best OLBG racing tipsters.
Route to the City of Doncaster Handicap
Many trainers will target races to use as prep races before coming to the City of Doncaster Handicap. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Rogue Diplomat Southwell (AW) - 1st of 10 (6/1) | Reach Flower Pod Southwell Handicap |
| 2024 - Telemark Goodwood - 8th of 14 (16/1) | William Hill Most Top Price Runners Handicap |
| 2023 - Poet Master Haydock - 8th of 13 (3/1) | Betfred Play Freds £5 Million Handicap |
| 2022 - New Kingdom York - 11th of 14 (9/1) | Ebor Festival Mile Heritage Handicap |
| 2021 - Modern News Newmarket (July) - 1st of 8 (11/4) | Joyce And Charlie Guest Memorial Handicap |
| 2020 - Haqeeqy Newmarket (July) - 10th of 10 (6/1) | bet365 Mile Handicap |
| 2019 - Mutamaasik Newmarket (July) - 1st of 6 (6/4) | 32Red Casino Handicap |
| 2018 - Best Alliance Thirsk - 9th of 13 (14/1) | Peter Bell Memorial Handicap |
| 2017 - Lahore Deauville - 5th of 7 (97/10) | Prix de Meautry Barriere |
| 2016 - Stamp Hill Goodwood - 9th of 14 (10/1) | Qatar Stakes |
Other Principal races during the Doncaster St Leger Festival
Here is the schedule for the four-day St Leger Festival for races, which we cover with blogs. Each race will be linked to the race blog and detail last year's winner in the table below.
Thursday at St Leger Festival
There are a couple of Group 2s which take centre-stage on the opening day of the St Leger Festival, the £120k May Hill Stakes, where the two-year-olds feature and then the £150k Park Hill Fillies Stakes, where the older fillies compete. We also have the £300k 2-y-o Stakes, a valuable class two race.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| Carrie Red Fillies Nursery | Half Sovereign (FR) 2yo - 9/4 | K R Burke Clifford Lee |
| Doncaster 2yo Stakes | Calendar Girl (GB) 2yo - 7/2 | Owen Burrows Saffie Osborne |
| May Hill Stakes | Aylin (IRE) 2yo - 5/1 | K R Burke David Egan |
| Park Hill Stakes | Santorini Star (IRE) 4yo - 7/2 | William Haggas Tom Marquand |
| St Leger Festival Middle Distance Handicap | Munsif (IRE) 3yo - 5/2 | Roger Varian Ray Dawson |
Friday at St Leger Festival
On Friday, the feature race of the day is the Group 2 Doncaster Cup, which is part of the British Champion Series and carries a £150k purse. The Flying Childers Stakes is another race on Friday, which carries a decent purse, £130k on offer for the two-year-olds.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| Mallard Handicap | Subsequent (IRE) 4yo - 12/1 | Andrew Balding Oisin Murphy |
| Flying Scotsman Stakes | Avicenna (IRE) 2yo - 11/2 | Roger Varian William Buick |
| Flying Childers Stakes | Revival Power (IRE) 2yo - 17/2 | Tim Easterby Oisin Murphy |
| Doncaster Cup | Sweet William (IRE) 6yo - 10/11 | John & Thady Gosden Robert Havlin |
Saturday at St Leger Festival
The feature race of the festival, the St Leger, takes place on Saturday, another race which is part of the British Champion Series, this Group 1 carries a purse of £700k. The three races before the St Leger all carry decent purses too, the Champagne Stakes (£150k), the Portland (£100k) and the Park Stakes (£140k).
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| St Leger Festival Mile Handicap | Treble Tee (IRE) 3yo - 11/5 | Simon & Ed Crisford Oisin Murphy |
| Champagne Stakes | Puerto Rico (IRE) 2yo - 15/2 | A P O'Brien Sean Levey |
| Portland Heritage Handicap | Eternal Sunshine (GB) 5yo - 12/1 | Jim Goldie Lauren Young |
| Park Stakes | Marvelman (IRE) 3yo - 13/2 | Andrew Balding Oisin Murphy |
| St Leger | Scandinavia (USA) 3yo - 2/1 | A P O'Brien Tom Marquand |
| St Leger Festival Ten Furlong Handicap | Fantasy Believer (IRE) 8yo - 9/1 | Ed Walker Oisin Murphy |
Sunday at St Leger Festival
Sunday is a bit more low-key, only one class one race, which is the £85k Sceptre Stakes for the fillies over 7f, and there are also a couple of decent handicaps carrying good purses of £70k and £65k.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| City of Doncaster Handicap | Rogue Diplomat (IRE) 3yo - 14/1 | James Owen Harry Davies |
| St Leger Festival Sprint Handicap | Desert Falcon (IRE) 5yo - 9/1 | Julie Camacho Rowan Scott |
| Sceptre Stakes | Fair Angellica (GB) 4yo - 11/1 | Richard Hughes Finley Marsh |
Article Contributor Information
We are blessed with an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to creating and maintaining this City of Doncaster Handicap Preview are Andy and James. They both work on the Horse racing tips team, looking after the tipsters and managing the tips settlement, whilst also creating and managing all of the horse racing event previews for Flat Racing.
James Banting
Expert Guide
Andy Powell
Expert Guide
