Eddery free for St Leger favourite

Racing

The chief protagonists started to shape up yesterday for the race that could decide the destiny of this season's trainers' championship. With only pounds 30,000 separating Saeed bin Suroor, the leader on pounds 1,242,536, and Henry Cecil at the top of the trainers' table, the pounds 225,000 prize-money for the St Leger on Saturday week may be crucial in propelling one of the pair beyond recall.

With the controversy over Godolphin's creator, Sheikh Mohammed, withdrawing his horses from Cecil's stable less than a year ago, it is a contest that both sides will be particularly keen to win.

Cecil's ambitions were given a hoist yesterday when Pat Eddery, the regular rider of Cecil's Dushyantor, the Leger favourite, was freed to ride in the race on Saturday week. Eddery went before the stewards at York to hear what punishment he would receive for a whip offence on Eva Luna in the Galtres Stakes at the course's Ebor meeting.

Fortunately for Eddery, the stewards decided that his offence merited no more than a two-day suspension, which he can serve on the day before the Leger and the Monday after the Classic. Had the punishment been any more severe, the rules would not have permitted splitting the ban around days when there is Group One racing.

Cecil, Eva Luna's trainer, had described Eddery's ride on the filly as one of the best he had seen all season. "The stewards obviously decided I used the whip more than was allowed but the filly was lazy and I just had to keep at her," Eddery said. "I must admit that I was surprised that there was an inquiry, I had waited for the weigh in and took my time before going home and it was only later that I heard about it."

While Cecil's anxiety over Eddery's availability is now resolved, the Godolphin team must start scanning the ranks of jockeys for partners for Sharaf Kabeer and Pricket, their Leger hopes.

Frankie Dettori is likely to desert the pair and is "90% certain", according to his agent, Matty Cowing, to ride Sheikh Mohammed's Derby third, Shantou, who came back to form at Windsor last month. Godolphin have provided Dettori with all four of his British Classic wins, including Classic Cliche in last year's St Leger.

"Frankie thinks Shantou is coming back to himself now," Cowing said. "He was impressed with him at Windsor."

Punters did not take long to take Dettori's hint and Ladbrokes reported that Shantou was supported with them to 8-1 from 12-1 yesterday.

"The effect of Frankie's booking is really marked in this instance," Ian Wassell, Ladbrokes spokesman, said. "He appears to have chosen against Sharaf Kabeer who was 7-2 joint favourite [and is now pushed out to 9- 2] in favour of Shantou who was 12-1 this morning. You don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to follow clues like that."

The detective work is more demanding at York today when the most spectacular event should be the 27-runner Quintin Gilbey Silver Trophy. As the event is restricted to horses rated below 75, the Cecil and bin Suroor stables would hardly have a horse eligible for the race and this can fall to the rather smaller Newmarket yard of Conrad Allen who saddles Sylvan Princess (2.40). She has the benefit of a low draw and the excellent Martin Dwyer is able to take 5lb off her back with his apprentice allowance.

ST LEGER (Doncaster, 14 September), Ladbrokes: 7-2 Dushyantor & Mons, 9-2 Sharaf Kabeer (from 7-2), 8-1 Shantou (from 12-1) & Heron Island, 10-1 Gordi & St Mawes, 14-1 Clerkenwell & Pricket, 16-1 Chief Contender, Flying Legend & Jack Jennings, 25-1 others. 5-1 Lady Carla "with a run".