Deutsches St. Leger

The Deutsches St. Leger is a Group 3 flat horse race in Germany open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Dortmund over a distance of 2,800 metres (about 1¾ miles), and it is scheduled to take place each year in September or October.

It is Germany's equivalent of the St. Leger Stakes, a famous race in England.

History

The event was established in 1881, and it was originally restricted to three-year-olds. It was staged at Hanover until 1908, and for a period it was called the Norddeutsches Saint Leger. It was transferred to Grunewald in 1909, and to Hoppegarten in 1934.

The race became known as the Lehndorff-Rennen in 1940. It was cancelled in 1945 and 1946, and held at Dortmund in 1947. It took place at Düsseldorf in 1948 and 1949, and on the latter occasion it was renamed the Deutsches St. Leger. It began its current spell at Dortmund in 1950.

The present system of race grading was introduced in Germany in 1972, and the Deutsches St. Leger was initially given Group 2 status. The first winner to complete a Triple Crown (having previously won the Henckel-Rennen and the Deutsches Derby) was Königsstuhl in 1979.

The Deutsches St. Leger was relegated to Group 3 level in 2005, and opened to older horses in 2007.

Records

Most successful horse (2 wins):

• El Tango – 2005, 2007

Leading jockey (6 wins):

• Charles Ballantine – Pumpernickel (1887), Glöcknerin (1890), Wahlstatt (1893), Waschfrau (1895), Vollmond (1898), Rachenputzer (1900)
• Otto Schmidt – Ossian (1921), Ganelon (1923), Lampos (1926), Eisenkanzler (1927), Gregor (1930), Octavianus (1939)
• Gerhard Streit – Marschall Vorwärts (1938), Samurai (1940), Yngola (1944), Masetto (1955), Baalim (1961), Marinus (1964)

Leading trainer (11 wins):

• George Arnull – Abgott (1922), Weissdorn (1925), Wolkenflug (1931), Blinzen (1934), Marschall Vorwärts (1938), Octavianus (1939), Samurai (1940), Yngola (1944), Aubergine (1949), Asterios (1950), Jonkheer (1951)

Winners since 1970

^a Cassis finished first in 1985, but he was relegated to second place following a stewards' inquiry.

Earlier winners

* The 1909 race was a dead-heat and has joint winners.

See also

• List of German flat horse races

References

• Racing Post / siegerlisten.com:
  • 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992
  • 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
  • 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
  • 2013, 2014

• galopp-sieger.de – Deutsches St. Leger.
• horseracingintfed.com – International Federation of Horseracing Authorities – Deutsches St. Leger (2014).
• pedigreequery.com – Deutsches St. Leger – Dortmund.