Varian happy with Doncaster rain Roger Varian was buoyed by heavy rainfall at Doncaster over the weekend ahead of Kingston Hill's likely tilt at glory in the Ladbrokes St Leger. The high-class colt is the warm favourite for the final Classic of the Flat season in the UK, but he does require ease in the ground to be at his best. Kingston Hill was taken out of the Irish Derby at the Curragh and the Great Voltigeur Stakes at York due to unsuitable conditions, but Varian was happy to see 14 millimetres of rain fall at the South Yorkshire circuit on Saturday. The trainer told the Times: "The rain they had at Doncaster on Saturday was very useful for us. There is very little chance of any more this week, but this is September, not July. Tracks don't get baked by hot sun at this time of year, so we should not have the same problems." Varian reaffirmed that the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp on October 5th may come into the reckoning if Kingston Hill runs with honour in the Leger. He said: "It's no concern to me that he hasn't run for a while and I'd be keen on the Arc if all goes well at Doncaster. "I know it's never been done, winning the Leger and the Arc in the same season, but he hasn't had a busy summer and Andrea (Atzeni, jockey) got off him the other day and said he'd never felt better. "First things first, he has to win at Doncaster, but he has an amazing constitution and could go on to a target three weeks later."
