THE St Leger – the last Classic of the season and one of the biggest races all year – will be run on Sunday at Doncaster.
All racing is cancelled on Friday and Saturday as a mark of respect after the death of The Queen.
The St Leger at Doncaster is one of the big races of the season
The St Leger is the big race of the four-day St Leger Festival and will be run at 3.55pm.
A statement from the British Horseracing Authority confirmed the contest will be run on Sunday as part of a massive nine-race card.
It read: “British racing remains in mourning today regarding the death of Her Majesty The Queen.
“As an ongoing mark of respect it has been determined that, alongside the cancellation of fixtures on 8 and 9 September, all racing will also be cancelled tomorrow, Saturday 10 September. Scheduled fixtures and racing events will return on Sunday 11 September.
“An additional day of racing at Doncaster will also be scheduled for Sunday 11 September, to ensure that the Cazoo St Leger and other important races lost as result of the cancellations can take place.
“However, the fixture scheduled for Musselburgh racecourse on Sunday will be cancelled as a mark of respect for the fact that the Queen’s body will be lying in rest in Edinburgh.”
BHA boss Julie Harrington said: “Her Majesty the Queen’s affinity and bond with British racing was enduring and unique, and a number of our sport’s participants have a close, direct relationship with her.
“It is out of respect for this, and in sympathy with her family including King Charles III, that the sport has taken the decision to continue our suspension of fixtures into Saturday.
“The return of racing on Sunday will see the running of the Cazoo St Leger, one of Britain’s five Classic races and a race which the Queen won with her filly Dunfermline in 1977.
“This will also provide an opportunity for the sport and its supporters to pay its respects to Her Majesty, for the contribution which she has made to the sport to be marked, and for racing to express its deep gratitude to her and sympathies to her family.”
All racecourses racing from Sunday and over the mourning period will continue to mark Her Majesty’s passing with tributes on-course.
Flags will fly at half-mast, jockeys will wear black armbands while riding in each race and a period of silence will be observed prior to the opening race at each meeting.
These marks of respect will continue to be observed until Her Majesty’s funeral next week, and further updates will follow in due course.
The five races from 1:35pm through to 3:55pm will be shown live on ITV4, whose coverage will run from 1pm to 4.30pm, as well as all races being broadcast on Sky Sports Racing
Have sporting events been cancelled before after a Royal Death?
The Grand National and the Premier League were allowed to continue after the death of Prince Philip in 2021.
However, it should be noted that sporting events were postponed in the UK for approximately a week when Princess Diana died in 1997.
The tragic death of Princess Diana rocked the whole of Britain which led sport organisers to believe that pausing events was most appropriate.
