The St. Leger, "racing's oldest Classic, and host track Doncaster have received a major boost with news that sponsors Ladbrokes have extended their deal" until '16, according to Marcus Townend of the London DAILY MAIL. It had been feared that the bookmaker "would pull out of backing the race it had supported for 10 years because of the fresh clash with the new Irish Champions weekend." Ladbrokes has warned "any hope of the deal being extended further heavily depends on the wider commercial deals in the sport involving Levy plus Data and Media rights." Ladbrokes Retail Managing Dir Nick Rust said, "It is well known within the industry that we were disappointed by the BHA's approach to supporting the decision of Irish Champions weekend to clash with Ladbrokes St. Leger weekend. ... The easy thing to do would be to walk away from the Leger now that our current agreement has ended. ... However, at a time when British Racing and betting operators are working hard to find a sustainable, commercially-based model for our future partnership, and one which addresses the substantial issues arising from the double-whammy of declining consumer interest in betting on racing and increasing costs to betting operators, such a decision would be short-sighted and unhelpful" (DAILY MAIL, 9/24).
