It's day two of the St Leger Festival at Doncaster on Thursday
The St Leger Festival kicks off at Doncaster on Thursday

Timeform's Doncaster course guide and key stats


Timeform's guide to racing at Doncaster, featuring the key facts and figures ahead of the St Leger meeting which starts on Thursday.

Timeform's Doncaster course guide

Left handed, galloping. One of the fairest courses in the country, essentially flat with the exception of a slight uphill gradient about ten furlongs from the finish. Races between five furlongs and seven furlongs are run on the straight course, while there is also both a straight and round mile course. It is a free-draining course, underfoot conditions only occasionally being soft/heavy.

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Leading active trainers at Doncaster

Sorted by strike rate since the start of 2018 (minimum 25 runners)

  • Owen Burrows 29.4% (10 winners - 34 runners)
  • John & Thady Gosden* 25.7% (38-148)
  • Freddie & Martyn Meade** 25% (7-28)
  • Charlie Appleby 24.4% (20-82)
  • Sir Michael Stoute 24.1% (19-79)

Other points to consider

  • Andrew Balding fares well based on a number of metrics, most notably level-stake profit. In the period in question he has had 26 winners at Doncaster from 121 runners at a strike rate of 21.5% for a level-stake profit of £80.36.
  • Other trainers with a notable level-stake profit at Doncaster since the start of 2018 include James Fanshawe, whose 17 winners from 90 runners returned a profit of £55.34, and Kevin Ryan, whose 20 winners from 182 runners returned a profit of £44.53.
  • Richard Hannon has trained the most winners in the period in question, sending out 39 winners from his 313 runners at a strike rate of 12.5%. Roger Varian has also enjoyed notable success with his 38 winners from 171 runners coming at a strike rate of 22.2%.

* includes data for John Gosden prior to joint-licence
** includes data for Martyn Meade prior to joint-licence

Leading active jockeys at Doncaster

Sorted by strike rate since the start of 2018 (minimum 25 rides)

  • Frankie Dettori 28.8% (19 winners - 66 rides)
  • William Buick 23.1% (33-143)
  • Robert Havlin 21.3% (17-80)
  • Ryan Moore 20.6% (20-97)
  • Jim Crowley 20.6% (21-102)

Other points to consider

  • William Buick has ridden the most winners at Doncaster in the period in question, while Danny Tudhope, who has had 26 winners from 183 rides at a strike rate of 14.2%, has the second-highest tally among active jockeys still based in Britain or Ireland.
  • Backing William Buick's mounts at Doncaster since the start of 2018 would have returned a level-stake profit of £15.85, while Frankie Dettori also shows a modest level-stake profit of £6.81 in that time.
  • Connor Planas and Benoit de la Sayette show up well after removing the minimum rides criteria. Planas has had four winners from 12 rides at a strike rate of 33.3% for a level-stake profit of £30.30, while De La Sayette has had five winners from 17 runners at a strike rate of 29.4% for a level-stake profit of £18.83.

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