The 5 Best Doncaster St Leger Winners Ranked: From Hurricane Lane to Nijinsky

With the final Classic of the British Flat season fast approaching, we’re taking a trip down memory lane and ranking some of the best Doncaster St Leger winners.

Having picked out our five favourite victors on Town Moor, this is how we rate them in reverse order.

Ranked: The 5 Greatest Doncaster St Leger Champions

Sun Princess

5. Sun Princess (1983)

Dick Hern’s filly had romped home by 12 lengths in the Oaks and enjoyed another easy success in the Yorkshire Oaks, but soft ground at Doncaster was a concern.

Willie Carson seemed to be sending out distress signals early on in the home straight, but Sun Princess was all heart as she burst through a wall of horses to hit the front and then kept on gamely to get the better of French raider Esprit du Nord and Derby runner-up Carlingford Castle. This admirable sort went on to be just denied Arc glory at Longchamp, where she was reeled in late on by All Along.

Oh So Sharp

4. Oh So Sharp (1985)

With 1,000 Guineas and Oaks wins already in the bag, Henry Cecil’s charge set about becoming the first filly to land the Triple Crown since Meld 30 years earlier. Steve Cauthen was content to sit in a handy position in fourth place until making a forward move after turning for home.

Front-running stablemate Lanfranco battled on gamely and outsider Phardante threw down a late challenge, but Oh So Sharp’s class shone through and she was always doing enough to finish in front.

Classic Cliché

3. Classic Cliché (1995)

After securing a brave Dante triumph, Saeed bin Suroor’s colt ran with credit in defeat in the French and Irish derbies before being sent off as a 100/30 favourite for St Leger glory. The Godolphin ace had always looked a strong stayer and Frankie Dettori sought to make the most of his stamina by sending him to the front with half a mile to go.

“ Classic Cliché has sprouted wings,” cried commentator Graham Goode as the market leader soon bounded clear and the result was never in doubt as this future Ascot Gold Cup hero went on to score in emphatic fashion, giving Dettori his 1,000 ^th winner.

Hurricane Lane

2. Hurricane Lane (2021)

After losing both of his front shoes when third at Epsom, Charlie Appleby’s stunning son of Frankel stayed on strongly to land the Irish Derby and the Grand Prix de Paris before heading to Doncaster as an odds-on shot.

Favourite backers had few worries as William Buick worked his way through from a midfield berth to surge past on the outside with a powerful challenge and score easily by two and three quarter lengths. Buick beamed: “He’s a jockey’s dream, he’s a lovely horse to ride – you can put him anywhere in the race and he relaxes, which is obviously vital in a race over this distance.”

Nijinsky

1. Nijinsky (1970)

The sight of Lester Piggott sitting motionless as his mount cruised into contention between the final two furlongs is quite simply a thing of beauty. Nijinsky, who had already claimed 2,000 Guineas and Derby victories, was eased to the front in a manner described as “smooth as silk” by commentator Tony Cooke.

Piggott merely had to nudge the Vincent O’Brien- trained all-time great out with hands and heels to complete a famous Triple Crown triumph.

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