St. Leger Italiano

St. Leger Italiano
Group 3 race
LocationSan Siro Racecourse
Milan, Italy
Race typeFlat / Thoroughbred
WebsiteSan Siro
Race information
Distance2,800 metres (1¾ miles)
SurfaceTurf
TrackRight-handed
QualificationThree-years-old and up
Weight54 kg (3yo); 57 kg (4yo+)
Allowances
1½ kg for fillies and mares
Penalties
3 kg for Group 1 winners *
2 kg for Group 2 winners *
1 kg for Group 3 winners *
* since January 1 2016
Purse€64,900 (2016)
1st: €23,800

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

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

History

St. Leger Italiano was established in the late 19th century, and it was originally restricted to three-year-olds.

The first winner to complete a Triple Crown (having previously won the Premio Parioli and the Derby Italiano) was Niccolo dell'Arca in 1941. The feat was subsequently achieved by Gladiolo in 1946 and Botticelli in 1954.

The present system of race grading was introduced in the early 1970s, and for a period St. Leger Italiano held Group 2 status. It was relegated to Group 3 level in 1988, and from this point, it was contested over 2,900 metres at Turin. For several years it was held in July.

The race was opened to older horses and rescheduled for the autumn in 1994. It was later downgraded to Listed level, and it began its current spell in Milan in 2002. It regained Group 3 status in 2010.

Records

Most successful horse (3 wins):

  • Noel – 1999, 2000, 2001

Leading jockey since 1988 (3 wins):

  • Mirco Demuro – Maktub (2002), N'Oubliez Jamais (2006), Spanish Hidalgo (2007)

Leading trainer since 1988 (4 wins):

  • Hans Blume – Noel (1999, 2000, 2001), N'Oubliez Jamais (2006)

Winners since 1988

Year Winner Age Jockey Trainer Time
1988 Welsh Guide 3 Vittorio Panici Michael Jarvis 3:09.25
1989 Sierra Star 3 Vittorio Panici Michael Jarvis 3:06.60
1990 Parting Moment 3 Bruce Raymond Ian Balding 3:04.20
1991 Green Senor 3 Michel Planard Emilio Borromeo 3:10.00
1992 Jape 3 Alan Munro Paul Cole 3:11.00
1993 Pay Me Back 3 Sergio Dettori Gianfranco Verricelli 3:15.40
1994 Double Trigger 3 Jason Weaver Mark Johnston 3:20.80
1995 Assessor 6 Richard Hughes Richard Hannon Sr. 3:21.00
1996 Duke of Flite 3 Giovanni Forte R. Rossini 3:10.60
1997 Belsalazie 4 Frédéric Spanu Jacques Heloury 3:11.60
1998 Rondan 3 Mario Esposito Vittorio Caruso 3:06.00
1999 Noel 4 Massimiliano Tellini Hans Blume 3:14.60
2000 Noel 5 Jorge Horcajada Hans Blume 3:07.60
2001 Noel 6 Massimiliano Tellini Hans Blume 3:11.60
2002 Maktub 3 Mirco Demuro Bruno Grizzetti 3:39.20
2003 Liquido 4 L. Hammer-Hansen Horst Steinmetz 3:16.40
2004 Liquido 5 Edmondo Botti Horst Steinmetz 3:13.00
2005 Backbord 3 Andrasch Starke Andreas Schütz 3:06.70
2006 N'Oubliez Jamais 3 Mirco Demuro Hans Blume 3:10.40
2007 Spanish Hidalgo 3 Mirco Demuro John Dunlop 3:15.60
2008 no race [a]
2009 Caudillo 6 Henk Grewe Dr Andreas Bolte 3:01.80
2010 Burma Gold 3 Jiri Palik Peter Schiergen 3:04.20
2011 Altano 5 Jozef Bojko Andreas Wöhler 2:53.60
2012 Donn Halling 4 Vaclav Janacek Vaclav Luka, Jr. 3:07.00
2013 Parivash 4 Dario Vargiu Waldemar Hickst 3:07.70
2014 Rock Of Romance 4 Eduardo Pedroza Andreas Wohler 3:06.90
2015 Autor 5 Carlo Fiocchi Frantisek Holcak 3:08.70
2016 Dschingis Secret 3 Martin Seidl Markus Klug 3:01.20
2017 Trip To Rhodos 8 Vaclav Janacek Pavel Tuma 3:02.80
2018 O'Juke 3 Sergio Urru Lucia Lupinacci 3:01.10
2019 Pretending 6 Fabio Branca Alessandro Botti 3:19.90
2020 Sir Polski 3 Michael Cadeddu Henk Grewe 3:18.70
2021 Atzeco[b] 3 Dario Vargiu Alduino Botti 3:16.10
2022 Sir Polski 5 Silvano Mulas Henk Grewe 3:24.60
2023 Roberto Escobar 6 Marco Ghiani Michael Appleby 3:25.9
2024 Taany 4 Dario Vargiu Luciano Vitabile 3:27.10

a The 2008 running was cancelled because of a strike.
b The 2021 races took place at Capannelle.

Earlier winners

  • 1892: Dardinello
  • 1893: Festuca
  • 1894: Sansonetto
  • 1895: Oranzeb
  • 1896: Goldoni
  • 1897: Hira
  • 1898: Brunello
  • 1899: Elena
  • 1900: Kikamba
  • 1901: Silvana
  • 1902: Euro
  • 1903: Esquilino
  • 1904: Eureka
  • 1905: Onorio
  • 1906: Plinio
  • 1907: San Gallo
  • 1908: Qui Vive
  • 1909: Dedalo
  • 1910: Wistaria
  • 1911: Alcimedonte
  • 1912: Valmy
  • 1913: Arianna
  • 1914: Prometeo
  • 1915: Aristippo
  • 1916: Kibwesi
  • 1917: Alcione
  • 1918: Burne Jones
  • 1919: Delft
  • 1920: Vodice
  • 1921: Michelangelo
  • 1922: Fiorello
  • 1923: Giovanna Dupre
  • 1924: Manistee
  • 1925: Major
  • 1926: Cranach
  • 1927: Delfino
  • 1928: Akenaton
  • 1929: Ortello
  • 1930: Ostiglia
  • 1931: Ageratum
  • 1932: Fenolo
  • 1933: Crapom
  • 1934: Grand Marnier
  • 1935: Lub
  • 1936: Tellurio
  • 1937: El Greco
  • 1938: Ursone
  • 1939: Lafcadio
  • 1940: Bellini
  • 1941: Niccolo dell'Arca
  • 1942: Scire
  • 1943: Tokamura
  • 1944: Macherio
  • 1945: Peana
  • 1946: Gladiolo
  • 1947: Tenerani
  • 1948: Trevisana
  • 1949: Antonio Canale
  • 1950: Tommaso Guidi
  • 1951: Daumier
  • 1952: Belfagor
  • 1953: De Dreux
  • 1954: Botticelli
  • 1955: Derain
  • 1956: Barbara Sirani
  • 1957: Braque
  • 1958: Tiepolo
  • 1959: Feria
  • 1960: Tiziano
  • 1961: Proteo
  • 1962: Bragozzo
  • 1963: Tavernier
  • 1964: Crivelli
  • 1965: Ben Marshall
  • 1966: Chio
  • 1967: Carlos Primero
  • 1968: Baccio Bandinelli
  • 1969: Bacuco
  • 1970: Alcamo
  • 1971: Weimar
  • 1972: Tierceron
  • 1973: Veio
  • 1974: Mister Henry
  • 1975: Laomedonte
  • 1976: Gallio
  • 1977: Novigrad
  • 1978: Xibury
  • 1979: Quadrupler
  • 1980: Lotar
  • 1981: Solero
  • 1982: Crusader Castle
  • 1983: Celio Rufo
  • 1984: Rough Pearl
  • 1985: Fire of Life
  • 1986: Comme l'Etoile
  • 1987: Sergeyevich

See also

References