St Leger 2025 Tips & Full Race Preview – Billy Grimshaw’s Pick for Doncaster Classic

The St Leger is the crown jewel of Doncaster’s Festival, the final Classic of the British Flat season and a brutal test of stamina, class, and composure. Run over 1m6f, it asks three-year-olds to stretch their limits at a time when some are still maturing and others are already hardened stayers. This year’s renewal is as open as it is compelling, with proven stayers mixing it with progressive types stepping into deeper waters. Billy Grimshaw has dug into the racecard and come down firmly on one he believes has the tools to handle Town Moor at full stretch.

The first name to address is SCANDINAVIA, who for me has the profile of a St Leger winner. He’s been steadily progressive this season, finding more each time connections have asked for it, and crucially, he looked like a horse crying out for further when seen at Newmarket last month. What struck me wasn’t just the winning move, but the way he kept lengthening once he’d hit top stride. That long, loping action looks built for Doncaster, where rhythm and stamina count for more than a quick turn of foot. His temperament also impresses, relaxed early, never pulling hard, and that means when the pressure comes at the three-pole he still has petrol left to call on. His beating of the elders in the Goodwood Cup marked him out as the potential Kyprios successor and he's the one to beat.

Of course, he won’t have it all his own way. Stay True has been improving with racing and showed in defeat last time that he’s a proper stayer, one who grinds rather than quickens but refuses to go away. He looks the type who will relish a searching gallop and could easily be in the frame if things fall into place. Furthur, meanwhile, shaped like he belongs in this company in the Geoffrey Freer. That race often serves as a stepping-stone to Doncaster, and his proven ability to see out a trip suggests he’ll be bang there again. Carmers is another who deserves respect; consistent, durable, and rarely running a poor race, he might lack the finishing kick to land the big prize but could certainly rattle the places if the leaders cut each other’s throats.

Tactically, the complexion of this year’s Leger is fascinating. With a couple of confirmed front-runners, the early pace should be honest, if not outright ferocious. The obvious chief threat is front running dual Derby winner and Scandinavia's stablemate Lambourn, who will be ridden by Sean Levey while Tom Marquand gets the plum ride on the favourite. The scenario of Lambourn trying to go wire to wire suits a horse who can travel without burning petrol, then pick up when the tempo finally relents. You don’t want to be too far back on Town Moor — it’s a long straight, yes, but traffic can kill momentum — so being in the perfect stalking spot is key. Scandinavia ticks that box, able to sit handy without overexertion. His jockey will be tasked with keeping him off the bridle for as long as possible, stalking his stablemate, and if that happens, I see him reeling Lambourn in inside the final two furlongs.

There’s stamina on both sides of Scandinavia’s pedigree page, and his trainer has campaigned him with patience, resisting the urge to throw him into the biggest races too soon. That means he arrives here fresh enough, with scope still in the locker, unlike some who’ve been through a punishing season already. The sense is that connections have targeted this race, not stumbled into it, and that matters in a contest where preparation is half the battle.

So where does that leave us? Well, plenty in here are good horses. Stay True is tough and reliable, Furthur comes alive when stamina is tested, and Carmers will keep plugging. But on balance of form, pedigree, tactical shape, and scope for improvement, the winner should come from Ballydoyle and the one I want running for me is SCANDINAVIA. He looks tailor-made for this trip, arrives on the up, and has the right blend of class and resilience.

The St Leger demands more than just ability — it demands a horse with the mindset to stay balanced when others falter. Scandinavia gives me that impression, and I’m confident he can outstay and outbattle them all up the Doncaster straight.