After Betfair has pulled out of a sponsorship deal with the satellite channel Racing UK, the betting exchange has pledged £400,000 to sponsor the St Leger at Doncaster.

Betfair flirts with St Leger

After Betfair has pulled out of a sponsorship deal with the satellite channel Racing UK, the betting exchange has pledged £400,000 to sponsor the St Leger at Doncaster, www.onlinecasinonews.com reported.

It's a good move for Betfair who, faced with hostility from the BHB and traditional bookmakers, is eager to make friends in the horseracing community and present itself as a patron to the sport. And this plan has worked.

John Sanderson, Doncaster's chief executive, said "We are delighted to welcome the world's largest betting exchange as sponsors of the 2004 St Leger and May Hill Stakes. The company has revolutionised modern-day betting, and we are thrilled they have recognised the importance of the world's oldest Classic by choosing it for their highest-profile racing sponsorship to date."

The St Leger is the World's oldest classic horse race, first run in 1776, and the sponsorship deal will no doubt take Betfair a step closer to becoming part of the horse racing establishment.