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2026 Sceptre Stakes Preview
Run during the St Leger Festival in September of each year at Doncaster, the Sceptre Stakes, which is named after the filly Sceptre, a winner of four classics, including the St Leger, is a Group 3 race for fillies and mares who are aged three or older and is run over a straight seven furlongs and six yards.
Sceptre Stakes Information:
Our dedicated Doncaster tips page will not only bring you predictions from the OLBG racing tipsters for the upcoming card that includes the Sceptre Stakes, but will also have predictions for each meeting at Doncaster throughout the season, so be sure to head over there. 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 Sceptre Stakes market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2016 when the race had an over-round of 109%. The race in 2025 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 130%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Sceptre Stakes, the over-round has been 119%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £119 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Sceptre 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 Sceptre Stakes Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Sceptre Stakes races over the last 20 renewals:
- Fantasia (1:22.69) in 2009
- Kiyoshi (1:22.74) in 2014
- Just Beautiful (1:22.75) in 2021
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 Sceptre Stakes next time out, then you would have backed a total of 3 winners. Backing all 18 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -9.45. Remember to use the racing predictions along with the information on this page to find a bet on the 2026 Sceptre Stakes.
When looking over the past 20 renewals, a time of 1:22.69 was set by Fantasia in 2009, which is the quickest time over that period. The runner was trained by Luca Cumani and ridden by Kieren Fallon. The slowest winning time was set in 2008 when Royal Confidence won in a time of 1:28.66, booked to ride was Michael Hills by trainer B W Hills.
Sceptre Stakes Past Winners
Here are the Sceptre 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 Sceptre Stakes are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse (Drawn) | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 1:24.63 | Fair Angellica (GB) 4yo 9-4 (6 of 18) 11/1 | Finley Marsh Richard Hughes (GB) |
| 2024 1:26.22 | Great Generation (IRE) 3yo 9-3 (8 of 11) 8/1 | Marco Ghiani Marco Botti (GB) |
| 2023 1:23.48 | Matilda Picotte (IRE) 3yo 9-1 (5 of 10) 6/1 | Oisin Murphy Kieran P Cotter (IRE) |
| 2022 1:24.57 | Bounce The Blues (IRE) 5yo 9-4 (5 of 11) 5/1 | William Buick Andrew Balding (GB) |
| 2021 1:22.75 | Just Beautiful (GB) 3yo 8-12 (1 of 12) 11/4F | Silvestre De Sousa Ivan Furtado (GB) |
| 2020 1:24.47 | Foxtrot Lady (GB) 5yo 9-2 (13 of 15) 18/1 | Frankie Dettori Andrew Balding (GB) |
| 2019 1:23.40 | Breathtaking Look (GB) 4yo 9-2 (12 of 13) 20/1 | Jim Crowley Stuart Williams (GB) |
| 2018 1:25.26 | Dancing Star (GB) 5yo 9-2 (4 of 9) 7/2 | Oisin Murphy Andrew Balding (GB) |
| 2017 1:24.72 | Music Box (IRE) 3yo 8-12 (6 of 13) 8/1 | Ryan Moore A P O'Brien (IRE) |
| 2016 1:25.81 | Spangled (GB) 4yo 9-2 (6 of 7) 14/1 | Andrea Atzeni Roger Varian (GB) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Sceptre Stakes have been based:
- GB: 17 winners with an additional 38 placings from 229 runners
- IRE: 3 winners with an additional 1 placing from 17 runners
- FR: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 2 runners
- GER: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
- SPA: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
Sceptre Stakes Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Sceptre Stakes over the last 20 renewals is Andrew Balding, who has won the race three times, with those three winners coming from Dancing Star (2018), Foxtrot Lady (2020) and Bounce The Blues (2022). The only other trainer to have recorded multiple wins in the Sceptre Stakes is Roger Varian (2 wins). Two trainers have not had the best of times over the last 20 renewals in the Sceptre Stakes. Richard Hannon has sent a total of 10 runners to the race without recording any wins, whilst Ralph Beckett has sent out 10 without a winner.
Here are some of the top Sceptre 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Balding | 8-3-5 | +21.50 | +14.35 |
| Roger Varian | 9-2-4 | +32.00 | +16.60 |
| William Haggas | 13-1-2 | -8.00 | -8.45 |
| Marco Botti | 11-1-5 | -2.00 | +2.90 |
| Peter Chapple-Hyam | 3-1-1 | +20.00 | +9.00 |
| A P O'Brien | 3-1-1 | +6.00 | +2.80 |
| Charles Hills | 2-1-1 | +10.00 | +5.60 |
| Richard Hughes | 2-1-1 | +10.00 | +4.50 |
| Stuart Williams | 1-1-1 | +20.00 | +12.00 |
| Kieran P Cotter | 1-1-1 | +6.00 | +3.60 |
Sceptre Stakes Jockey Statistics
The leading jockey in the Sceptre Stakes over the last 20 renewals is Ryan Moore, who has won the race three times, with those three winners coming from Silver Touch (2006), Medley (2007) and Music Box (2017). Other jockeys who have recorded multiple wins in the Sceptre Stakes are Jamie Spencer (2 wins), Andrea Atzeni (2 wins) and Oisin Murphy (2 wins).
Here are some of the top Sceptre 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Moore | 13-3-3 | +14.75 | +4.85 |
| Jamie Spencer | 9-2-3 | +26.00 | +12.70 |
| Andrea Atzeni | 7-2-4 | +17.00 | +10.90 |
| Oisin Murphy | 5-2-2 | +6.50 | +2.70 |
| William Buick | 13-1-4 | -7.00 | -4.00 |
| Frankie Dettori | 11-1-3 | +8.00 | +3.80 |
| Silvestre De Sousa | 6-1-1 | -2.25 | -3.35 |
| Jack Mitchell | 4-1-2 | +22.00 | +10.33 |
| Jim Crowley | 4-1-2 | +17.00 | +9.50 |
| Finley Marsh | 2-1-1 | +10.00 | +4.50 |
2026 Sceptre Stakes Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 2, 4, 4, 1, 1, 3, 5, 5, 2, 4, 7, 4, 5, 10, 2, 1, 9, 4, 2, 12
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 (77%) - No bigger than 25/1
- 20 / 20 (80%) - Achieved a TS of 74+ (Season)
- 20 / 20 (82%) - Dam is not AUS/FR/ITY/SAF/USA bred
- 20 / 20 (82%) - Fewer than 6 races (Further)
- 20 / 20 (83%) - Ran in 3 - 15 races (180 Days)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Not on HY/FM/STD-SLW/STD (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - In a field of 8 - 20 (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Achieved an RPR of 96+ (Last 5)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Held an OR of 92+
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Ran in 3 - 15 races (Season)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Achieved a TS of 74+ (Last 5)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Achieved a TS of 67+ (Last 3)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Within the first 12 of the market
- 20 / 20 (89%) - No bigger than 25/1 (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Achieved an RPR of 96+ (Career)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Doncaster racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Sceptre 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 Sceptre Stakes by adding a tip on the race here.
101 Ways to find Winners in Horse Racing
Sceptre Stakes Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +41.08, 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 carried 126lbs, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-41.
Here are the most recent winning draws, along with the further placings in brackets:
- 2025: Winner in 6 (17,1) [18 Runners]
- 2024: Winner in 8 (9,2) [11 Runners]
- 2023: Winner in 5 (10,4) [10 Runners]
- 2022: Winner in 5 (11,3) [11 Runners]
- 2021: Winner in 1 (7,4) [12 Runners]
The courses that have produced the most winners of the Sceptre Stakes are Deauville and Tipperary; 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 Sceptre Stakes; that stallion, Holy Roman Emperor, has produced 2 winners (2024,2012).
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Sceptre Stakes despite multiple attempts:
- Kodiac (0 Wins from 8 runners)
- Pivotal (0 Wins from 8 runners)
- Shamardal (0 Wins from 8 runners)
- Lope De Vega (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Cape Cross (0 Wins from 5 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Realtra in 2015, winning for Roger Varian at odds of 25/1 under the guidance of Jack Mitchell. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 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 a bet on the 2026 Sceptre Stakes.
Route to the Sceptre Stakes
Many trainers will target races to use as prep races before coming to the Sceptre Stakes. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Fair Angellica Newbury - 5th of 10 (25/1) | Hungerford Stakes |
| 2024 - Great Generation Deauville - 15th of 15 (23/1) | Prix Maurice de Gheest |
| 2023 - Matilda Picotte Tipperary - 2nd of 10 (4/1) | Coolmore Stud No Nay Never Fairy Bridge Stakes |
| 2022 - Bounce The Blues Sandown - 5th of 11 (10/1) | JRL Group Atalanta Stakes |
| 2021 - Just Beautiful Deauville - 2nd of 7 (17/10) | Prix de Lieurey |
| 2020 - Foxtrot Lady Haydock - 5th of 9 (14/1) | BetVictor British EBF Dick Hern Stakes |
| 2019 - Breathtaking Look York - 5th of 19 (16/1) | Ebor Festival Fillies Heritage Handicap |
| 2018 - Dancing Star Goodwood - 2nd of 16 (7/1) | Oak Tree Stakes |
| 2017 - Music Box Tipperary - 3rd of 12 (9/4) | Coolmore Stud Fairy Bridge Stakes |
| 2016 - Spangled Newmarket (July) - 1st of 6 (5/2) | Adnams Ghost Ship Fillies 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 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 Sceptre 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
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Andy Powell
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