Horse Racing stats man, Andy has contributed to OLBG for 18 years - An Ipswich fan and F1 fanatic, he also contributes EFL football and Motor Sport opinion.
2025 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 back in 2003 and it is run over a straight one mile.
May Hill Stakes Information:
To see which runners the OLBG racing tipsters are tipping throughout the card that includes this race, head over to the Doncaster tips on the day of the race, do they agree with the runners on the trend shortlist or are they predicting other runners? 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 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.
May Hill Stakes Trends:
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? From the past 20 if you had followed the winner of the May Hill Stakes next time out then you would have backed a total of 7 winners. Backing all 19 runners who have been out since to win at SP next time out, would have returned an LSP of +5.52. Before placing your bet on the 2025 May Hill Stakes see which other runners today are being backed on the racing predictions page.
Over the last 20 renewals, it was Nasheej, trained by Richard Hannon Snr and ridden by Richard Hughes who set the fastest winning time in the May Hill Stakes, the runner won the race in a time of 1:36.67 when winning the race in 2005. At the other end of the scale, it was the combination of trainer Saeed bin Suroor and jockey Silvestre De Sousa with Ihtimal who set the slowest winning time, the race-winning time was 1:43.30 in the 2013 renewal.
These are the top three quickest-run May Hill Stakes over the last 20 renewals:
- Nasheej (1:36.67) in 2005
- Turret Rocks (1:36.82) in 2015
- Agnes Stewart (1:37.20) in 2014
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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) |
| 2015 1:36.82 | Turret Rocks (IRE) 2yo 9-0 (2 of 8) 7/2 | Kevin Manning J S Bolger (IRE) |
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 32 placings from 150 runners
- IRE: 3 winners with an additional 1 placing from 14 runners
May Hill Stakes Trainer Statistics
There are multiple leading trainers in the May Hill Stakes over the last 20 renewals with John Gosden, K R Burke and Saeed bin Suroor having all won the race two times. John Gosden winners have been with Rainbow View (2008) and Indigo Girl (2020). K R Burke winners have been with Laurens (2017) and Darnation (2023). Saeed bin Suroor winners have been with White Moonstone (2010) and Ihtimal (2013).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Gosden | 7-2-3 | -1.34 | -2.09 |
| K R Burke | 5-2-3 | +0.85 | +0.29 |
| Saeed bin Suroor | 4-2-2 | -0.17 | -0.85 |
| A P O'Brien | 7-1-2 | +6.00 | +2.03 |
| 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 |
| Ryan Moore | 9-1-1 | +6.00 | +0.75 |
| William Buick | 9-1-4 | -7.00 | -3.90 |
| Oisin Murphy | 6-1-3 | -2.00 | -0.85 |
| Jamie Spencer | 6-1-2 | -2.75 | -2.70 |
| James Doyle | 5-1-2 | +2.00 | +0.50 |
| Daniel Tudhope | 4-1-1 | +37.00 | +21.00 |
| Silvestre De Sousa | 3-1-1 | -0.90 | -1.31 |
| P J McDonald | 2-1-2 | +1.75 | +2.00 |
| W J Lee | 2-1-1 | +1.75 | +0.65 |
2025 May Hill Stakes Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 5, 2, 1, 1, 3, 1, 2, 1, 1, 2, 8, 6, 1, 7, 6, 3, 1, 7, 1, 1
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 (79%) - Break of 11 - 83 days (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (79%) - Not on HY/STD-SLW/STD (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (81%) - Not in a Cl2 (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (82%) - Achieved a TS of 53+ (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (82%) - Break of 11 - 50 days (Last Place)
- 20 / 20 (82%) - In a field of 5 - 15 (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (84%) - Beaten no more -3l (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (84%) - Had 1 - 3 wins (90 Days)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Carried 120 - 135lbs (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Within the first 7 of the market
- 20 / 20 (85%) - No bigger than 22/1 (Career Win)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Won by at least a head (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Not in FRA/ITA/SCO/WAL (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Achieved an RPR of 70+ (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Highest Placed is not Cl2
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. 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 May Hill Stakes by adding a tip on the race here.
May Hill Stakes Trend Analysis
The trend factor which had produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +38.74 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 had 0 career wins in Flat (Turf) races, when backing these the trend shows a record of 0-28.
Here are the most recent winning draws along with the further placings in brackets:
- 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]
- 2020: Winner in 9 (7,1) [9 Runners]
The course which has produced the most winners of the May Hill Stakes is Newmarket (July), there has been a total number of 9 winners of this race who ran at Newmarket (July) last time out. The next best course which has produced the second most winners is Curragh, there has been a total number of 3 winners of this race who ran at Curragh last time out.
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 6 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. Ahead of the 2025 May Hill Stakes why not head over to the best racing tipster page to see what the tipsters are backing today?
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 May Hill Stakes Preview are at hand, Andy and Darren. 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.
Darren Brett
Tipster Competition Manager
Andy Powell
Content Editor
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.
