In Doncaster, they say that autumn blows in on the tail of the last horse home in the St Leger.
The old phrase was as true in 1776 as it is today, when September’s meeting at the city’s racecourse is still the highlight of the summer social season.
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When the St Leger Stakes was first run 250 years ago, racing was still the sport of the aristocracy, but Doncaster’s growth as a railway town over the next two centuries meant that race week began to appeal to the masses.
Today, it is still a festival with a broad appeal, where women spend months planning their outfits for Ladies’ Day and staff serve 45,000 glasses of prosecco and champagne to thirsty punters.
Many still arrive by train and stop off for a pre-race drink at the old coaching inns that in years past would have stabled the runners in the world’s oldest classic race.
According to Doncaster historian Tony Barber, the St Leger is the most important race in the sport’s history.
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It was named after Colonel Anthony St Leger, who suggested introducing a shorter two-mile “dash” for younger horses.
The race started on Cantley Common before the course on Town Moor was built.
Barber, who has written a history of the meeting, says that the St Leger’s golden age came once the railways were able to transport punters.
He said: “In the early 1800s, they’d have crowds of maybe 20,000 people who would descend on a town of 5,000, because Doncaster was then a small Georgian town.
“When the railways became established in the 1880s, they estimated the crowd at 200,000.”
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Special trains were put on – there were 173 of them in 1892, including one from London. The horses had to be walked to the course over long distances before rail travel meant they could save their legs.
One of their historic stops was The Salutation, a coaching inn on the old Great North Road. It opened in 1779, just three years after the first St Leger was run.
Today, it is located on the main route from the railway station to the racecourse.
Landlord Joshua Wilsden says the pub has always had strong connections to the race meeting.
“The horse sales for St Leger week used to happen right outside here because historically it was a coaching house with stables behind,” he said.
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Many of the hotels nearby are also favourites with racegoers, including the Earl of Doncaster and Regent.
However, the listed Grand St Leger, a landmark building opposite the course, closed in 2022. It is now vacant and derelict.
Doncaster was always prestigious enough to attract royalty. Queen Elizabeth II attended several times in the 1950s, at one point sitting next to Winston Churchill. Her father, King George VI, visited in 1948.
Although the royal patronage waned somewhat for the rest of the 20th Century, King Charles was at the festival in 2023 to watch his horse Desert Hero. His sister Princess Anne will be in the stands this year.
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Around 30,000 people will still converge on the course this week – and in charge of their raceday experience is executive director Rachel Harwood.
Harwood attends meetings with emergency services, the council and representatives of the racing industry to make sure everything runs smoothly.
“King Charles was just another horse owner – just with a much bigger hat and lots more security,” she said.
Managing the owners’ and trainers’ suite is Libby Scruton, now 79, who started out working on the racecourse bars 50 years ago.
Her colleagues must prepare 750kg of fruit for the jugs of Pimm’s, while some of those 45,000 glasses of champagne and prosecco are served in her suite.
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“Any champagne they want, I don’t say no,” she said. “My job is to give them as much food and drink as they want.”
Although Scruton has served many famous faces over the years, she has not always recognised them.
The meeting attracts the ruling family of Dubai and racehorse owners from the football world such as Sir Alex Ferguson and Michael Owen, who was once given a day off by the Manchester United manager to attend the St Leger.
Scruton said: “Just last year I was serving a nice man in a smart suit. He was having lots of fish.
“After he left, one of my staff said, ‘you know that was Frankie Dettori?’.”
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The festival atmosphere means race week can be better for business than Christmas, according to Crown Hotel manager Craig Dowie, whose Bawtry hotel is fully booked.
“I’ve been here 25 years now and the buzz never goes, as soon as September starts, everyone just talks about St Leger,” he said.
“The pop stars, the bands, the jockeys, the TV presenters. It’s just a great vibe around the town.”
Staff at Whitby’s Fish and Chip Restaurant, based in the old fire station opposite the racecourse, are also fully prepped.
Operations director Darren Richards says their regular customers will be replaced by racegoers more interested in pink champagne than dandelion and burdock.
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He said: “We’ll have some Lauren Perrier Pink come in, we’ll have Verve Clicquot, but it’s always snaffled up as soon as it can come through the door.
“It’s the press boys who really take over. On Tuesday before the races, they all turn up.
“I think it’s the smell of the beef dripping wafting over the racecourse, it draws everybody in. We had a booking of 75 TV crew on Tuesday.”
While the Stakes on Saturday remain the showpiece, Ladies’ Day is a key part of the Doncaster social calendar, with women competing to win the Best Dressed Lady title.
Carolyn Poole is celebrating 25 years of running her boutique, Chique in Armthorpe. Working alongside her daughter Emma Gimlet, a milliner, she offers a service where women can be dressed and styled for the races.
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She said: “If somebody comes in who’s never been to the races before, hasn’t got a clue what to wear, we give them guidelines. We do all different styles with them – shoes, bag, fascinator – so they’re not stressing over it.”
Poole said the St Leger had been “incredible” for her business and influenced her planning for much of the year.
“We start putting the displays out in April, that’s when the ladies start to come,” she said.
“This year we’ve had the Pretty Woman dress with the brown spots, that’s been a winner. Plus, great big hats, lots of bows on hats, feathers, quills.”
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For racecourse director Harwood, the end of race week offers a chance for 30 of her staff to sit down and reflect.
She said: “Everybody works so hard here. But we do have a lot of fun with it and that’s really important, because at the end of day because we’re selling happiness”.
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