Racing: Godolphin's Sakhee fit to lead fight for supremacy

The prospect of a Godolphin fightback in the remaining Group One contests this season increased on grass and paper yesterday. The Dubai team's Sakhee turned in an impressive piece of morning work at Newmarket to match the exploits 24 hours earlier of his stablemate Grandera. The pair appear to have the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot on Saturday week to themselves as their great rivals from Ballydoyle seem loath to field a credible candidate.

The Irish team are also intent on using the relative peashooters in their arsenal for the St Leger at Doncaster on 14 September. Once again, the mighty High Chaparral will not be asked to take off his ermine robes and add to the legend forged at Epsom and the Curragh. He instead is on a collision course with Europe's best in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

Ballydoyle and Aidan O'Brien, who were successful with Milan last season, still have eight entries in the world's oldest Classic, notably the Irish Derby and Eclipse Stakes runner-up Sholokhov. Also among their squad for the 226th St Leger are the unbeaten Sorcerous, who made his three-year-old debut at Leopardstown last night, and Galileo's brother, Black Sam Bellamy.

Godolphin, who have won the Leger with Classic Cliche (1995), Nedawi (1998) and Mutafaweq (1999), this time have a block booking of five of yesterday's 46 entries, including Kazzia, the favourite to become the first horse to win the fillies' Triple Crown since Sheikh Mohammed's Oh So Sharp in 1985.

"Kazzia is doing well," Simon Crisford, the Godolphin racing manager, said. "She missed the Irish Oaks on purpose and heads for the Yorkshire Oaks next month with a view to then running in the St Leger."

It is all good news for the boys in blue at the moment. On Tuesday, awkward head carriage and all, Grandera, the Prince Of Wales's Stakes winner at Ascot, completed a smart piece of work on the Limekilns' round gallop. Around 24 hours later, Sakhee, the world's best horse on official ratings last year, was similarly impressive over seven furlongs in the same environs as he dispensed with Sydenham and Divine Task.

"I am delighted," Frankie Dettori said yesterday. "He has come on since Sandown [and a 10-furlong racecourse gallop last Tuesday]. He wasn't even blowing afterwards. Obviously we weren't asking him too much after his racecourse gallop, but he was still good and I was very pleased with him.

"If it is good to soft [at Ascot] I will ride Sakhee and if it is fast I will ride Grandera. As long as both are ready to win – and they are right now – I'll be ready. It's nice to have that choice. Now it's down to the weather."

Fast ground could also mean the King George inclusion of Marcus Tregoning's Nayef, who worked over Lingfield's stiff, all-weather mile yesterday. "He looks fantastic and I couldn't be happier with his condition muscle-wise," the trainer said. "He looks in great form and he's working like it, which is the main thing."

Norman Williamson, the jockey who completed the Champion Hurdle and Cheltenham Gold Cup double on Alderbrook and Master Oats in 1995, is to base his career in his native Ireland from September.

By the time he has recovered from a shin injury sustained in a fall at Leopardstown in April, Williamson, 33, expects to have moved in to a new house on the Curragh. The jockey, who says the increased prize-money in Irish racing was a principal factor in his relocation, will continue to ride in Britain when commitments allow.

Also this autumn, the Tote are to cut deductions from win and place pools, a move they say will save punters £3m a year. The current take-out of 16 per cent from win pools is expected to come down by at least two per cent, while a considerable deduction is also anticipated from the place figure of 24 per cent.

ST LEGER (Doncaster, 14 September): Coral: 3-1 Kazzia, 7-1 Sholokhov, 8-1 Balakheri, Ballingarry, Jelani, 12-1 Bollin Eric, 14-1 Bandari & Highest, 16-1 Black Sam Bellamy, Diaghilev, Spanish John & Simeon.