Racing: Ramruma the Leger favourite

THE DERBY WINNER, Oath, will not attempt to add a second British Classic to his haul. The Henry Cecil-trained colt was not among the 51 entries for the St Leger announced yesterday.

Although Montjeu, the dazzling winner of Sunday's Irish Derby, is among the entries, it is Oath's stable companion Ramruma that has been installed as the 7-1 favourite for the race with Victor Chandler, who continues to bet on-course as well as off-shore in Gibraltar.

Oath's Derby form, which received a setback when Daliapour was trounced by Montjeu at the Curragh, takes another knock as the Epsom runner-up is regarded as no better than a 12-1 chance for success in the oldest Classic at Town Moor on 11 September.

Tchaikovsky is one of five entries for champion Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien, whose other representatives are Festival Hall, Genghis Khan, Moon Dragon and Urban Ocean. There has been no Irish-trained St Leger winner since Vincent O'Brien sent over Boucher in 1972.

Cecil, the 10-times champion trainer, has almost monopolised the British Classics this season winning the Derby, Oaks and 1,000 Guineas, and saddling the runner-up in the 2,000 Guineas.

The Newmarket-based handler, who has won the St Leger four times before, with Light Cavalry (1980), Oh So Sharp (1985), the Derby winner Reference Point (1987) and Michelozzo (1989), has also entered Endorsement, winner of the Group Three Queen's Vase at Royal Ascot, and Samoa, runner-up to Fairy Queen in the Group Two Ribblesdale Stakes at the same meeting.

Cecil's stable jockey, Kieren Fallon, who was expected to return to action today after a crunching fall at Chepstow on Monday, will now be out of action until tomorrow.

Fallon was fortunate to escape serious injury when unshipped from Red Raja on the home turn at the Welsh course. He lay on the track for about five minutes and came back in a course ambulance. However he was able to walk back into the medical room and was given the all-clear, save for a dislocated thumb which was put back in on course.

The Irishman had four booked rides at Yarmouth today but his agent, Dave Pollington, reported that the champion would take another day's rest. "It's nothing serious but he went to the physio, who said that he ought to take another day off," Pollington said. "He didn't have a ride for Henry [Cecil] so we thought it was best."

Fallon was in midfield when the incident occurred and Red Raja appeared to lose his footing badly on the turn into the home straight, stumbling and sending his rider out of the saddle. The incident happened on the same part of the course where the South African jockey Piere Strydom came down earlier in the season.

ST LEGER (Doncaster, 11 September): Victor Chandler: 7-1 Ramruma, 12- 1 Daliapour, 14-1 Elmutabaki, 16-1 Endorsement, Fairy Queen, All The Way, 20-1 Glamis, Tchaikovsky, Mukhalif, Samoa, Lucido, Mutawafeq, Rhagaas, 25-1 Adair, Kilting, Tier Worker, Northerntown, 33-1 others