250 STRIDES Marking 250 years of the St Leger Stakes — Doncaster, 1776–2026

In 1776, five horses ran an unnamed sweepstake on Cantley Common. Two years later, at a dinner in the Red Lion Inn, the race was given the name it has carried ever since. 250 years on, the St Leger is still run at Doncaster. 250 Strides is a multi-screen immersive installation marking the race's quarter-millennium. Built across a three-panel portrait video wall, it draws together archive film and photography, newly filmed interviews with the people who live and work in the sport, animated typographic portraits of the figures who shaped the race, and scripted dramatic vignettes — tracing the horses, the riders, the artists and the town that grew up around a single afternoon in September. It is a story of Doncaster as much as of racing: of a Yorkshire market town that has, for two and a half centuries, drawn the world to its Town Moor. 250 Strides is presented at Doncaster Racecourse for the 2026 St Leger Festival. PROJECT DETAILS Client — Heritage Doncaster Role — Direction, filming, animation, editing, projection design Format — Multi-screen installation, three-panel portrait video wall Year — 2026 Location — Doncaster Racecourse CREDITS Made by Wayne Sables Project. Commissioned by Heritage Doncaster. Made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund — thanks to National Lottery players. With thanks to City of Doncaster Council and Doncaster Racecourse.