You know how punters get lost in too much data or bet blindly? I break down the stats and trends so you can feel confident you’re betting with more than just gut instinct.
2025 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
We also have a dedicated Doncaster tips page that will cover this race as well as all of the other races on the day of the race, see which runners the OLBG racing tipsters are predicting to win this race and the others on the cards. 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.
How competitive is the City of Doncaster Handicap market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 14 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2019 when the race had an over-round of 108%. The race in 2013 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 124%, whilst on average over the last 14 renewals of the City of Doncaster Handicap, the over-round has been 115%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £115 which is bet.
City of Doncaster Handicap Trends:
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? From the past 14 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 to win at SP next time out, would have returned an LSP of +4.16. Ahead of the 2025 City of Doncaster Handicap why not head over to the racing predictions for tips on other races today?
The runner that holds the record over the past 14 renewals for the slowest time in the race was set in the 2013 renewal when Breton Rock from David Simcock under the guidance of Martin Lane, won in a time of 1:27.46, whilst at the other end of the spectrum, Haqeeqy, trained by John Gosden and ridden by Jim Crowley set the quickest time of 1:23.98 in the 2020 renewal.
These are the top three quickest-run City of Doncaster Handicap over the last 14 renewals:
- Haqeeqy (1:23.98) in 2020
- Modern News (1:24.00) in 2021
- Sulaalaat (1:24.12) in 2015
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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) |
| 2015 1:24.12 | Sulaalaat (GB) 3yo 9-5 (3 of 8) 14/1 | Paul Hanagan Brian Meehan (GB) |
City of Doncaster Handicap Trainer Statistics
There are multiple leading trainers in the City of Doncaster Handicap over the last 14 renewals with Richard Fahey, Roger Varian and Charlie Appleby having all won the race two times. Richard Fahey's winners have been with Stamp Hill (2016) and Best Alliance (2018). Roger Varian winners have been with Lahore (2017) and Mutamaasik (2019). Charlie Appleby 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 14 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 |
| 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 |
| K R Burke | 2-1-2 | +3.50 | +5.50 |
| Simon & Ed Crisford | 1-1-1 | +12.00 | +7.20 |
City of Doncaster Handicap Jockey Statistics
There are two leading jockeys in the City of Doncaster Handicap over the last 14 renewals with both William Buick and Jim Crowley who have both won the race two times. William Buick winners have been with Modern News (2021) and New Kingdom (2022). Jim Crowley winners have been with Mutamaasik (2019) and Haqeeqy (2020).
Here are some of the top City of Doncaster Handicap jockey statistics over the last 14 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 |
| Silvestre De Sousa | 5-1-2 | -0.50 | +2.48 |
| Jamie Spencer | 4-1-2 | +4.50 | +4.49 |
| Sam James | 2-1-2 | +3.50 | +4.70 |
| Harry Davies | 1-1-1 | +12.00 | +7.20 |
| 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 |
2025 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
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.
- 14 / 14 (66%) - No bigger than 12/1 (Career Place)
- 14 / 14 (79%) - Within the first 8 of the market
- 14 / 14 (81%) - No bigger than 20/1
- 14 / 14 (81%) - Off a break of 17 - 109 days
- 14 / 14 (82%) - Not on SFT/FM/STD (Debut)
- 14 / 14 (83%) - Fewer than 3 races (Higher Class)
- 14 / 14 (84%) - Carried 120 - 137lbs (LTO)
- 14 / 14 (84%) - Not on FM/STD-SLW/STD (Last Win)
- 14 / 14 (85%) - Held an OR of 83+ (Hcps)
- 14 / 14 (87%) - No bigger than 25/1 (Debut)
- 14 / 14 (88%) - In a field of 5 - 14 (Last Win)
- 14 / 14 (88%) - Achieved an RPR of 90+ (Last 5)
- 14 / 14 (89%) - Highest Placed is not G2-3/LST
- 13 / 14 (82%) - Won within last 6 starts
- 12 / 14 (86%) - Achieved a TS of 65+ (Last 3)
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. You may want to do your research into the race, there are times when there are several runners who pass the trends so you need to do your research to find a bet, we have a Horse Racing Form Reading Made Easy & What to Look For article to help you do just this in the OLBG Betting School section.
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.
City of Doncaster Handicap Trend Analysis
The trend factor which had produced 7+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +44.50 is when runners had 0 starts in the past 30 days. 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:
- 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]
- 2020: Winner in 5 (9,7) [13 Runners]
The courses that have produced the most winners of the City of Doncaster Handicap are Goodwood and Newmarket (July), there has been a total number of 4 winners from each of those courses.
The race is open to both sexes with the Male runners having produced a total of 13 winners from a total of 124 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 14 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 14 renewals there have been 3 winning favourites in the race. Remember to use the best racing tipsters along with the information on this page to find you a bet on the 2025 City of Doncaster Handicap.
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 2's 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.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| Carrie Red Fillies Nursery | Ghost Run (GB) 2yo - 5/1 | Andrew Balding Oisin Murphy |
| Doncaster 2yo Stakes | Hallasan (GB) 2yo - 15/2 | Charlie Appleby William Buick |
| May Hill Stakes | Desert Flower (IRE) 2yo - 1/1 | Charlie Appleby William Buick |
| Park Hill Stakes | Nakheel (FR) 3yo - 10/1 | Owen Burrows Jim Crowley |
| St Leger Festival Class 3 1m4f Handicap | Kildare Legend (IRE) 3yo - 100/30 | James Ferguson Daniel Muscutt |
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 £140k 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 | Faylaq (GB) 8yo - 18/1 | Jim Goldie Amie Waugh |
| Flying Scotsman Stakes | Benevento (IRE) 2yo - 7/1 | Raphael E Freire David Egan |
| Flying Childers Stakes | Aesterius (IRE) 2yo - 7/2 | Archie Watson James Doyle |
| Doncaster Cup | Sweet William (IRE) 5yo - 7/4 | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Champagne Stakes | Bay City Roller (IRE) 2yo - 9/2 | George Scott Callum Shepherd |
| Portland Heritage Handicap | American Affair (GB) 4yo - 4/1 | Jim Goldie Paul Mulrennan |
| Park Stakes | Kinross (GB) 7yo - 11/4 | Ralph Beckett Rossa Ryan |
| St Leger | Jan Brueghel (IRE) 3yo - 11/4 | A P O'Brien Sean Levey |
| PJ Towey Construction Handicap | Daysofourlives (IRE) 4yo - 100/30 | Marco Botti Jack Mitchell |
| St Leger Festival Class 2 Mile Handicap | Johan (GB) 7yo - 18/1 | Jack Channon Rossa Ryan |
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 | Telemark (IRE) 3yo - 12/1 | Simon & Ed Crisford Harry Davies |
| Sceptre Stakes | Great Generation (IRE) 3yo - 8/1 | Marco Botti Marco Ghiani |
| St Leger Festival Class 2 Sprint Handicap | Baldomero (IRE) 6yo - 10/1 | Michael Appleby Silvestre De Sousa |
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 at hand, Andy and James. They both work on the Horse racing tips team 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
Other Principal Races at Doncaster Racecourse
Here are some other notable races at the Doncaster racecourse throughout the racing season that you may be interested in.
