Racing: Sakhee is struggling to regain old brilliance

The potential cast list for the remaining Classic of the season is down to 17, possible supplementaries aside, and now is the time for the St Leger publicists to sweep into action.

The Leger is always a cracking race, no matter what the composition of the field, as the searching gallop down the Town Moor straight rewards only the brave. It probably does not need the Tinseltown touch afforded it by Doncaster's general manager, Steven Clarke, yesterday.

"It will be fascinating to see if Kazzia can complete the Triple Crown, or whether Mark Johnston or Tim Easterby can saddle the first home-trained winner of Yorkshire's Classic for 29 years, or if Sir Michael Stoute can break his duck in the St Leger," he said. "But this year's race is so competitive that it is hard to discount any of the 17 remaining entries." It all sounded a bit too much like Donnywood.

Not to be outdone in the verbal mischief, Coral's Simon Clare announced that the Aidan O'Brien pairing of Ballingarry and Sholokhov had been "trimmed" from 12-1 to 7-1 and 8-1 respectively. That was more like a No1. Ladbrokes, incidentally, yesterday shortened O'Brien's Van Nistelrooy, Saturday's Futurity Stakes winner at the Curragh, to 12-1 from 16-1 for next spring's 2,000 Guineas.

Johnston's Bandari, the Great Voltigeur Stakes winner, is the Leger favourite, while the promotional build-up to Kazzia's Triple Crown challenge is rather premature considering Godolphin's filly is also a consideration for the Prix Vermeille in Paris.

The Dubai team's filly has a reputation to regain after her failure in the Yorkshire Oaks, as does her stablemate Sakhee, who was reported to have worked limply on Newmarket's Racecourse Side on Tuesday.

That was not entirely true, as the five-year-old was not fully tried, yet it remains a reality that Sakhee has yet to sprinkle the stardust of last season on the gallops. Unless he does so soon, his competitive career might be at an end.

The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and Champion Stakes at Newmarket remain tentatively on the agenda, but Ireland's Champion is scored through as the horse struggles with what his owner, Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum, fears might be a recurrence of a knee injury incurred as a three-year-old.

"The ground was a bit firm [on Tuesday] so we couldn't put the work into him and Frankie held on to his head," Simon Crisford, the Godolphin racing manager, said yesterday. "I would say the Irish Champion would be in doubt because we didn't see what we wanted to see.

"The knee problem is an ongoing situation and we have to monitor it very carefully. The horse is sound. I'm not saying he's definitely going to race again, because if we don't see what we saw last year he won't."

The Jockey Club are continuing their investigations into another disappointment, Martin Pipe's Hit And Run, who ran so poorly at Fontwell on Monday.

The trainer reported yesterday that his horse was still lame, 48 hours after pulling up in the Portsmouth Greyhound Stadium Claiming Hurdle. A considerable factor here though was Hit And Run's price, which opened at 4-6 and went right out to 5-2 before settling at the returned 2-1.

"The matter was referred to us for further investigation and those investigations are ongoing," John Maxse, at the Jockey Club, said. "The stewards at Fontwell felt that in view of the market move and the performance, although the horse was subsequently found to be lame, that the matter merited further review from Portman Square.

"We are awaiting the results of blood and urine tests taken and we will consider any other relevant information as well."

ST LEGER: (Doncaster, 14 September): Coral: 5-2 Bandari, 6-1 Kazzia, Balakheri, 7-1 Ballingarry, 8-1 Sholokhov, Bollin Eric, 9-1 Highest, 14-1 Mr Dinos, 16-1 Mamool, First Charter, 20-1 Gamut, 25-1 Black Sam Bellamy, 33-1 Spanish John, Nysaen, Lady's Secret, 50-1 Starbourne. Ladbrokes: 11-4 Bandari, 6-1 Balakheri, Kazzia, 7-1 Ballingarry, Sholokhov, 8-1 Bollin Eric, Highest, 12-1 Mr Dinos, 16-1 First Charter, 20-1 Gamut, Mamool, 25-1 Black Sam Bellamy, Nysaean, Sorcerous, Spanish John 33-1 Lady's Secret, 50-1 Starbourne. Tote: 11-4 Bandari, 5-1 Kazzia, 11-2 Balakheri, Highest, 8-1 Bollin Eric, 10-1 Ballingarry, Sholokhov, 14-1 First Charter, 16-1 Gamut, Mamool, Sorcerous, 20-1 Mr Dinos, 25-1 Black Sam Bellamy, Lady's Secret, Nysaean, Spanish John, 40-1 Starbourne.