St. Leger family historical importance was Gen. Anthony St. Leger. He was born in 1731, probably in Kildare, Ireland. He was one of a group of noblemen and gentlemen who in 1778 gathered for a private dinner party in an upper room of the Red Lion Inn, which stands in the market square in Doncaster. A horse race, which was to set the pattern for classic racing throughout the world, had been christened the St. Leger at the suggestion of Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham. The race, a sweepstake for three-year-olds, had been born two years earlier in 1776, at the suggestion
Gunner B offered at odds of 8/1 for the St Leger Stakes. He then produced a creditable effort in defeat in an on mile handicap at Beverley, finishing third under a weight of 141 pounds. When Gunner B contested the Gordon Stakes, a recognised St Leger trial at Goodwood however, he ran poorly and finished last of the six runners. Gunner B bypassed the St Leger, running instead in the Doonside Cup over eleven furlongs at Ayr Racecourse in which, ridden by Mercer, he was required to concede weight to older horses including Patch (Great Voltigeur Stakes), Rymer (Brigadier Gerard Stakes) and