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 youâre betting with more than just gut instinct.
2026 May Hill Stakes Preview
Run at the St Leger Festival at Doncaster racecourse in September of each year, the May Hill Stakes is open to two-year-old fillies only. The race was upgraded to a Group 2 in 2003 and is run over a straight one-mile course.
May Hill Stakes Information:
If you are interested in other predictions at Doncaster, then head over to the Doncaster tips page to see which runners are being supported by the OLBG racing tipsters and also compare those predictions to the runners that make the trend shortlist when added below. 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 May Hill Stakes market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2021 when the race had an over-round of 110%. The race in 2007 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 120%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the May Hill Stakes, the over-round has been 114%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £114 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 May Hill Stakes 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 May Hill Stakes Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run May Hill Stakes races over the last 20 renewals:
- Turret Rocks (1:36.82) in 2015
- Agnes Stewart (1:37.20) in 2014
- Desert Flower (1:37.47) in 2024
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? Over the past 20 renewals, if you had followed the winner of the May Hill Stakes next time out, then you would have backed a total of 8 winners. Backing all 19 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of +7.43. Before placing your bet on the 2026 May Hill Stakes, see which other runners today are being backed on the racing predictions page.
When looking over the past 20 renewals, a time of 1:36.82 was set by Turret Rocks in 2015, which is the quickest time over that period. The runner was trained by J S Bolger and ridden by Kevin Manning. The slowest winning time was set in 2013 when Ihtimal won in a time of 1:43.30, booked to ride was Silvestre De Sousa by trainer Saeed bin Suroor.
May Hill Stakes Past Winners
Here are the May Hill Stakes' 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 May Hill Stakes are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse (Drawn) | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 1:39.79 | Aylin (IRE) 2yo 9-2 (1 of 8) 5/1 | David Egan K R Burke (GB) |
| 2024 1:37.47 | Desert Flower (IRE) 2yo 9-2 (3 of 9) 1/1F | William Buick Charlie Appleby (GB) |
| 2023 1:41.38 | Darnation (IRE) 2yo 9-2 (3 of 7) 11/10F | Clifford Lee K R Burke (GB) |
| 2022 1:38.34 | Polly Pott (GB) 2yo 9-2 (7 of 8) 40/1 | Daniel Tudhope Harry Dunlop (GB) |
| 2021 1:37.47 | Inspiral (GB) 2yo 9-0 (5 of 6) 2/9F | Frankie Dettori John & Thady Gosden (GB) |
| 2020 1:38.84 | Indigo Girl (GB) 2yo 9-0 (9 of 9) 100/30 | Frankie Dettori John Gosden (GB) |
| 2019 1:39.31 | Powerful Breeze (GB) 2yo 9-0 (1 of 9) 6/1 | James Doyle Hugo Palmer (GB) |
| 2018 1:38.71 | Fleeting (IRE) 2yo 9-0 (1 of 11) 12/1 | Donnacha O'Brien A P O'Brien (IRE) |
| 2017 1:40.06 | Laurens (FR) 2yo 9-0 (4 of 8) 11/4F | P J McDonald K R Burke (GB) |
| 2016 1:41.24 | Rich Legacy (IRE) 2yo 9-0 (7 of 9) 3/1 | Oisin Murphy Ralph Beckett (GB) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the May Hill Stakes have been based:
- GB: 17 winners with an additional 31 placings from 149 runners
- IRE: 3 winners with an additional 2 placings from 15 runners
2025 May Hill Stakes Replay
May Hill Stakes Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the May Hill Stakes over the last 20 renewals is K R Burke, who has won the race three times, with those three winners coming from Laurens (2017), Darnation (2023) and Aylin (2025). Other trainers who have recorded multiple wins in the May Hill Stakes are John Gosden (2 wins) and Saeed bin Suroor (2 wins).
Here are some of the top May Hill Stakes trainer statistics over the last 20 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| K R Burke | 6-3-4 | +5.85 | +3.29 |
| John Gosden | 6-2-3 | -0.34 | -1.09 |
| Saeed bin Suroor | 4-2-2 | -0.17 | -0.85 |
| A P O'Brien | 8-1-3 | +5.00 | +2.18 |
| Ralph Beckett | 4-1-4 | +0.00 | +4.24 |
| Charlie Appleby | 4-1-4 | -2.00 | +1.46 |
| J S Bolger | 3-1-1 | +1.50 | +0.10 |
| Edward Lynam | 2-1-1 | +1.75 | +0.65 |
| Harry Dunlop | 1-1-1 | +40.00 | +24.00 |
| Hugo Palmer | 1-1-1 | +6.00 | +3.60 |
May Hill Stakes Jockey Statistics
The leading jockey in the May Hill Stakes over the last 20 renewals is Frankie Dettori, who has won the race four times, with those four winners coming from White Moonstone (2010), Lyric Of Light (2011), Indigo Girl (2020) and Inspiral (2021).
Here are some of the top May Hill Stakes jockey statistics over the last 20 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frankie Dettori | 10-4-7 | +7.28 | +6.60 |
| William Buick | 10-1-4 | -8.00 | -4.90 |
| Ryan Moore | 9-1-1 | +6.00 | +0.75 |
| James Doyle | 6-1-2 | +1.00 | -0.50 |
| Oisin Murphy | 6-1-3 | -2.00 | -0.85 |
| Jamie Spencer | 5-1-2 | -1.75 | -1.70 |
| Daniel Tudhope | 4-1-1 | +37.00 | +21.00 |
| Silvestre De Sousa | 3-1-1 | -0.90 | -1.31 |
| David Egan | 2-1-1 | +4.00 | +2.00 |
| P J McDonald | 2-1-2 | +1.75 | +2.00 |
2026 May Hill Stakes Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 2, 1, 1, 3, 1, 2, 1, 1, 2, 8, 6, 1, 7, 6, 3, 1, 7, 1, 1, 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.
- 20 / 20 (64%) - Not on HY/GD/FM/STD-SLW/STD (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (79%) - Not on STD-SLW/STD (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (79%) - Carried 124 - 135lbs (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (80%) - Break of 11 - 83 days (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (82%) - Break of 11 - 50 days (Last Place)
- 20 / 20 (84%) - Achieved a TS of 52+ (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (84%) - Beaten no more -3l (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (84%) - Won by at least a neck (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - In a field of 5 - 15 (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Had 1 - 3 wins (90 Days)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Within the first 7 of the market
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Not in a Cl2-3 (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - No bigger than 22/1 (Career Win)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Not in FRA/ITA/SCO/WAL (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Achieved an RPR of 70+ (Last Win)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Doncaster racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the May Hill Stakes. 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 May Hill Stakes by adding a tip on the race here.
101 Ways to find Winners in Horse Racing
May Hill Stakes Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +37.74, is when runners ran on Good To Firm ground when last winning.
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners ran on Good ground last time out, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-45.
Here are the most recent winning draws, along with the further placings in brackets:
- 2025: Winner in 1 (5,3) [8 Runners]
- 2024: Winner in 3 (5,2) [9 Runners]
- 2023: Winner in 3 (7) [7 Runners]
- 2022: Winner in 7 (3,1) [8 Runners]
- 2021: Winner in 5 (1) [6 Runners]
The course which has produced the most winners of the May Hill Stakes is Newmarket (July); there have been a total of 8 winners of this race who ran at Newmarket (July) last time out. The next best courses, which have produced the second most winners, are Goodwood and Curragh; there have been a total of 3 winners from each of those courses.
Looking over the past renewals, there is only one stallion whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the May Hill Stakes; that stallion, Dynaformer, has produced 2 winners (2010,2008).
Looking over the past renewals, there is only one stallion whose offspring have been disappointed with multiple attempts but no wins in the May Hill Stakes; that stallion is Galileo, who has failed to produce a winner from 5 runners.
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Polly Pott in 2022, winning for Harry Dunlop at odds of 40/1 under the guidance of Daniel Tudhope. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 9 winning favourites in the race. Whilst we wait for the 2026 May Hill Stakes, remember you can get daily racing predictions from the top racing tipsters on the best racing tipsters page.
Route to the May Hill Stakes
Many trainers will target races to use as prep races before coming to the May Hill Stakes. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Aylin Goodwood - 3rd of 7 (15/2) | Virgin Bet Prestige Fillies Stakes |
| 2024 - Desert Flower Newmarket (July) - 1st of 6 (1/4) | Turners EBF Fillies Novice Stakes |
| 2023 - Darnation Goodwood - 1st of 6 (5/2) | William Hill Prestige Fillies Stakes |
| 2022 - Polly Pott Salisbury - 1st of 6 (7/2) | Tuck Box Fresh By Nature Nursery Handicap |
| 2021 - Inspiral Sandown - 1st of 9 (1/1) | British Stallion Studs EBF Star Stakes |
| 2020 - Indigo Girl Yarmouth - 1st of 5 (10/3) | British Stallion Studs EBF Fillies Novice Stakes |
| 2019 - Powerful Breeze Newmarket (July) - 1st of 8 (20/1) | C J Murfitt Ltd Fillies Novice Stakes |
| 2018 - Fleeting Curragh - 3rd of 8 (20/1) | Flame Of Tara Irish EBF Stakes |
| 2017 - Laurens Deauville - 2nd of 11 (42/5) | Shadwell Prix du Calvados |
| 2016 - Rich Legacy Goodwood - 4th of 7 (10/3) | Prestige 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 May Hill Stakes 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
