Chapter II helps celebrate 250 years of the Betfred St Leger Festival

There are few sporting events with quite the history of the Betfred St Leger Festival.

This year, the world’s oldest Classic horse race celebrated its 250th anniversary, bringing four days of racing, fashion and entertainment to Doncaster Racecourse. For Chapter II, it was a particularly exciting one to be involved in, as we were appointed to lead the regional PR campaign for the landmark festival.

The St Leger is about much more than what happens on the track. With its rich heritage and longstanding connection to Doncaster and South Yorkshire, the 250th anniversary was a great opportunity to showcase the festival’s history and what makes it so special, while shining a light on the people, stories and experiences that continue to make it such an important event for the region.

Our work began in June, with PR activity running throughout the summer to keep the St Leger in the regional spotlight and build momentum ahead of the festival week. From media outreach and reactive press office support to identifying new profile-raising opportunities, the campaign continued to grow as the Leger weekend approached.

And there was certainly no shortage of stories to tell!

Alongside the racing itself, we explored different stories and traditions that sit at the heart of the festival, from the fashion of Ladies Day and the history behind the iconic St Leger trophy to the people who make the event what it is. One of our highlights, and biggest responsibilities, was the launch of the Betfred St Leger Ladies Day Style Guide, working with Doncaster-born beauty, fashion and lifestyle creator Daisy Tomlinson, to give racegoers all the best style inspiration ahead of Ladies Day.

The Style Guide generated coverage across a number of regional titles, including the Yorkshire Post, Doncaster Free Press, The Star, The Scarborough News, Rotherham Advertiser, Dewsbury Reporter, Harrogate Advertiser and Wakefield Express.

We also secured opportunities to tell some of the stories behind the festival, including the history of the St Leger trophy and a pre-Leger interview with jockey Saffie Osbourne, helping to build excitement as the anniversary weekend drew closer. 

The busyness of the 250th St Leger festival weekend came, and we generated coverage across print, online, radio and TV, with ITV Calendar, BBC Look North, BBC Radio Sheffield and Hits Radio South Yorkshire all getting involved - alongside plenty of coverage from local and regional titles! To say we were run off our feet (in the best way) is an understatement!

There was certainly plenty for the media to talk about - the 250th running delivered a historic moment as the first female winner of the Betfred St Leger Stakes, Saffie Osbourne, was crowned, while more than 60,000 people attended across the weekend, and Gents Day saw its biggest crowd in 20 years.

Across the campaign, we secured 48 pieces of coverage across 17 different outlets, spanning local, regional and broadcast media.

Behind an event with 250 years of history is a huge team of people working behind the scenes to bring it all to life. From the Doncaster racecourse team and organisers to the jockeys, trainers, staff, partners and everyone who helps make the festival what it is, there’s a lot that goes into creating four days that mean so much to Doncaster and the wider region. We’re proud that Chapter II could play a part in celebrating that history and helping tell the stories behind this year’s landmark festival.

It’s been so rewarding and a great experience to be part of such a significant year for the St Leger, and we’ve loved being along for the ride.

Here’s to the next 250 years!