Doncaster St Leger Festival handed timely boost as Pertemps steps in as sponsor

The company previously backed the world’s oldest Classic between 1995 and 1998.

The deal is only for one year, with the option of continuing in 2021. The race’s value will be £350,000.

Managing director of Arena Racing Company, racing division, Mark Spincer said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome Pertemps Network Group back to Doncaster for the St Leger.

“Pertemps Network Group are well known for their previous association with the race as well across the sport as a whole.

“With the incredibly difficult circumstances that the industry has faced as a whole this year, we are hugely grateful that Pertemps Network Group have been able to once again support Doncaster Racecourse and the St Leger.

“We very much look forward to working with them this year, and hopefully into the future also.”

Lifetime president of Pertemps, Tim Watts, said: “The St Leger brings back fond memories, especially from 1997 following the win of Silver Patriarch, whose portrait by David Dent proudly stands in our board room.

“In these unprecedented and extremely challenging times, the hospitality and entertainment industry are facing an overwhelming difficult period and their future remains under threat.

“It gives us enormous pleasure that we are able to support Doncaster Racecourse and the St Leger in this way.

“We have been fortunate to be a part of some of the greatest races and everyone at Pertemps Network Group looks forward to more history being made.”

Elsewhere, Art Power will step back up to six furlongs for the Sprint Cup at Haydock after finishing unplaced in the Nunthorpe at York last week.

The bookmakers rated him as the only serious danger to Battaash in the Group One but the three-year-old found things happening too quickly over the minimum trip following a slow start.

Trainer Tim Easterby will now step his Royal Ascot winner back up to the trip over which he had looked so impressive when winning a Group Three at Naas.

“He’s absolutely fine. He just went to sleep in the stalls and by the time he woke up it was too late,” said Easterby.

“We’ll look towards the Sprint Cup at Haydock and all the top sprints next year.

“We know six furlongs is fine for him and maybe he’ll even go seven (furlongs) at some stage.’’

Fev Rover has the Fillies’ Mile and the Prix Marcel Boussac among her options, meanwhile, after winning the Prix du Calvados at Deauville.

The Richard Fahey-trained filly added to her Listed win at Sandown by claiming Group Two honours in France.

Despite winning on soft ground, Fahey thinks she is an even better filly on a sounder surface.

“She’ll have to go into a Group One now, either at Newmarket or back to France,” said Fahey.

“She’s a talented filly. Everyone said she’s good on the soft, but I think she wants fast ground – it’s just that she’s very good.

“She’s a great moving filly and I’m actually surprised she’s running so well on the soft. She’s improving and is just very smart.

“Her form is working out. She ran very well at Newmarket behind Dandalla, but that was over six furlongs and that’s too sharp for her. She’s in the Boussac and we’ll keep an eye on the Fillies’ Mile as well.”

It was a profitable couple of days for Fahey who also had Rhythm Master finish a fine third in the Prix Morny on just his second outing.

“It was a huge ask going from a maiden to a Group One and he did show a little bit of inexperience,” said Fahey.

“He half missed the start a beat and then had a think when he squared him up to get racing.

“I’m not saying I’d have beaten the winner, but I’d like to have been on her tail. Good horses go on any ground, but I would prefer to see him on better ground.

“He’s got plenty of options, but I’d just like to see how he comes out of this one first – maybe something like the Dewhurst – we do like him, he’s a smart horse.

“He’ll improve, he was just a bit babyish in the preliminaries. It was only his second day at school and for his first there was no crowd – it was quite a big crowd at Deauville.”

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Thank you, James Mitchinson. Editor.