13 go forward for Saturday´s BETFAIR.COM ST LEGER

A field of 13 could go to post for the world´s oldest classic, the £400,000 Group One betfair.com St Leger, at Doncaster on Saturday, September 11, after yesterday´s five-day confirmation stage.
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The possible field includes the first three home in last month´s Group Two Daily Telegraph Great Voltigeur Stakes at York, Rule Of Law, Let The Lion Roar and Go For Gold.

Godolphin´s ante-post favourite Rule Of Law previously finished second in the Vodafone Derby and fourth in the Irish equivalent, while Let The Lion Roar came third and fifth in the same events. Go For Gold was gaining a place for the third time this term, having finished the one and a half length runner-up to Maraahel on his previous start in the Group Three ABN Amro Stakes at Glorious Goodwood in July.

Maraahel is one of two Sir Michael Stoute-trained hopes, the other being Quiff, who was so impressive when gaining her first Pattern success by 11 lengths in the Group One Aston Upthorpe Yorkshire Oaks at York on August 18.

The John Gosden-trained Percussionist has not been seen since finishing last in the Irish Derby, but the Sadler´s Wells colt was unsuited by the very fast ground that day and his ability can be better assessed by his earlier fourth in the Vodafone Derby, while Tycoon, trained like Go For Gold by Aidan O´Brien, put up his best effort this year when a two-length staying-on third in the Irish Derby.

An intriguing contestant is the Arslangirey Shavuyev-trained Darsalam, who has been in fine form this season winning on his last five starts including in the Austrian Derby, the Czech Derby and, most recently, the Czech St Leger by nine lengths from Reviton at Velka Chuchle on August 29.

The half-brother to St Leger winner Moonax was trained by Mark Johnston for Jaber Abdullah in 2003 when he was beaten over 40 lengths in 10-furlong events at Pontefract and Leicester.

Shavuyev, born on September 16, 1954, is a Russian citizen who has been training at the new racecourse at Most in the Czech Republic since 2000. He currently has 14 horses in training, four of whom, including Darsalam, are owned by Ardak Amirkulov of Turan Stables.

The trainer is a Nagayen national hailing from a small ethnic group of about 8,000 people in the Caucasus mountains. Born at the Tersky stud farm, which breeds Arab horses in Russia, Shavuyev comes from a family steeped in racing. He is the son of a leading Russian rider in Arab races, while his uncle Anvar Zekashev rode for Russian trainer Nikolai Nasibov, winning over 500 races in the former Soviet Union including the Moscow Derby. Zekashev also rode a Russian Derby winner, Zbor, in the 1969 Prix de l´Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp.

Shavuyev joined the Kabardinsky stud farm as a trainer in 1976 and, in addition to Darsalam´s two Derby successes in 2004, has won a further four Derbys - Temirkanov also took the Czech Derby as well as the Slovakian Derby in 1998 and two Derbys in the former Soviet Union.

Amirkulov, who purchased Darsalam for 6,500 guineas at last year´s Tattersalls October Horses-in-Training Sale in Newmarket, was born 48 years ago close to the Kazakh town of Almaty and is a Professor of the Film Department of Kazakh University. He also owns a big trout farm and inherited from his father a stud farm boarding 20 Kazakh broodmares and the same number of thoroughbred mares. In addition to his horses in the Czech Republic with Shavuyev, he has a dozen horses in training at Almaty Racecourse.

Darsalam will be ridden by Stanley Chin, who rides mainly for Johnston in Britain, and knows his mount well having partnered him to success in both the Austrian and Czech Derbys.

The betfair.com St Leger possible field is completed by Mikado, Two Miles West and Acropolis, also trained by O´Brien, the Andrew Balding-trained Albinus and Frank Sonata, trained by Mick Quinlan,

In addition to sponsoring the feature event at the betfair.com St. Leger Festival, which begins on Wednesday, September 8, and ends on Saturday, September 11, the world´s largest betting exchange also supports the Group Two £70,000 betfair.com May Hill Stakes on Thursday, September 9, and today announced details of the betfair.com Top Jockey Trophy.

The betfair.com Top Jockey Trophy is based on winners over the four days of the meeting and, in the case of a tie, will be determined by placed horses.

Betfair is generously providing £2,500 which will be donated to a charity of the winning jockey´s choice and a golfing break consisting of an overnight stay and a round of golf for four people at a top UK golf course. A memento will also be donated by Doncaster Racecourse. Betfair will be running a market on the top jockey.

Sir Peter O´Sullevan, the 'Voice of Racing', will be on hand at Doncaster on Friday, September 10, to present the trophy for the Gilbey Brothers Silver Microphone Conditions Stakes.

The race commemorates the two Gilbey brothers, Quintin and Geoffrey, who jointly provided the first live radio commentary on the St Leger in 1927, won by Book Law. The commentary is widely recognised as a truly innovative broadcasting event. Quintin Gilbey was entirely professional during the broadcast, despite being known to have placed a substantial wager on Book Law!

Geoffrey Gilbey subsequently founded the Sporting Record publication which inaugurated the sports personality of the year contest before it was transferred to the BBC while Quintin Gilbey was a writer on the Manchester-based Sporting Chronicle for many years.

Anthony Gilbey, son of Quintin, has presented the trophy to Doncaster racecourse - a 1930s style microphone cast in silver.

The going at Doncaster is good, with good to firm places on the straight course and the going reading is 8.0. The course is in excellent condition.