Racing: Shalapour poised for St. Leger Glory

Despite the fact that racing's romantics will be willing home Vinnie Roe as he bids for an astonishing fifth successive victory in Saturday's Irish Field St Leger at The Curragh, I'm pretty certain they'll be disappointed. I reckon Shalapour will spoil the party and, at 7-2 with William Hill, my advice is to get stuck in.Don't get me wrong, Vinnie Roe is as admirable a horse as you could wish to come across, and his name is already etched into the history books as he became the first horse in history to make four Irish Leger's on the bounce in last year's renewal.However, at the age of seven, the Dermot Weld-trained entire is vulnerable to an up-and-coming sort like Shalapour, and, with the going at The Curragh, described as 'good', 'good to yielding' in places at the time of writing, with rain forecast for Thursday, he is unlikely to hear his hooves rattle the way he likes to on Saturday.Strictly on the form book, Vinnie Rose should beat the selection. He finished a length and a half adrift of Shalapour when the pair were second and third respectively behind Chelsea Rose (winner again since) in a 12-furlong Listed event at Leopardstown last month, and will re-oppose on 8lb better terms at the weekend.However, John Oxx pointed out before the race that his charge had been short of work leading up to the race having been off for nearly two months following his excellent effort in the Irish Derby, and that he would come on for the run. In addition, that was just Shalapour's fifth career start, so there's plenty of scope for improvement, especially with this step up to a mile and three quarters set to be in his favour, something which his pedigree corroborates.The form of Shalapour's run in the Irish Derby entitles him to be an odds-on shot for Saturday's race - not a 7-2 chance. He was beaten just four and a half lengths into third behind Arc favourite, and subsequent Prix Niel victor, Hurricane Run, and Scorpion, who has gone on to land the Grand Prix de Paris and the English St Leger. You can't possibly crib that form!Shalapour has proven his durability and versatility - he can race prominently or come from behind and has won on vastly contrasting underfoot conditions, good to firm and heavy - so it's hard to find any chinks in his armour. He looks a very solid bet.There can be little doubt that Yeats will be popular with the Aidan O'Brien team firing on all cylinders. Lightly raced for a four-year-old, having seen the racecourse just seven times, the son of Sadler's Wells would prove a tough nut to crack if displaying similar pyrotechnics to that saw him make all to land the Coronation Cup at Epsom in June. That form looks very strong at-a-glance, but there was no pace on in the early stages and Yeats was able to dictate matters at the head of affairs and, as such, the form may not be a reliable representation of the merits of those in behind.Furthermore this one-time Derby favourite has been beset by injuries, mainly a muscle problems, and the fact that he has been absent since his poor showing behind Alkaased in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud on June 26, suggests that his old problems may be resurfacing, making him something of a risky proposition.The likes of Gamut and Franklins Gardens will be trying to lure this substantial price back to UK shores but while they are credible challengers, they're also relatively exposed in the context of Saturday's race and, therefore, are likely to be vying for minor places at best.Betting verdict: 2pts win Shalapour @ 7/2 (William Hill)