Kieren Fallon's loss looks set to be Frankie Dettori's gain at Doncaster tomorrow as Scorpion aims to carry off the £450,000 Ladbrokes St Leger on behalf of top Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien.

With Fallon, O'Brien's number-one jockey, remaining in Ireland to partner the stable's Oratario in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown, Dettori has come in for the plum ride on Scorpion, the red-hot favourite for the fifth and final Classic of the season.

The only Group 1 winner in the seven-strong line-up, Scorpion will be a tough nut to crack. He comes into this race after a decisive victory in the Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp last time out, a performance which came hot on the heels of a cracking effort to finish second to Hurricane Run in the Irish Derby.

Those credentials are the best on show in a race which has also attracted Hard Top, last month's Great Voltigeur winner at York, who bids to give Sir Michael Stoute a long-overdue first win in this historic race.

Useful horse that he is, Hard Top faces a tough task against Scorpion, as indeed does The Geezer, just touched-off in the Great Voltigeur, having won his two previous races.

Avalon, third behind Hard Top and The Geezer on Knavesmire, is also in the line-up as the second of Aidan O'Brien's runners. He cannot be left out of the reckoning, stepping-up in trip, but it is O'Brien's number-one representative Scorpion who looks set for glory.

Grazeon Gold Blend is an interesting starter in the Polypipe Flying Childers Stakes, the main supporting race on the card. Trained by John Quinn, the gelding broke his maiden tag in good style at Pontefract and followed-up with a fine effort in a hot nursery race at Beverley last time.

Tomorrow's test is a challenging one in Group 2 company, but Grazeon Gold Blend is improving fast and, with Jamie Spencer in the saddle, I would not be surprised to see him complete a hat-trick.

Richard Whitaker's Tabaret, a winner at the Ebor Festival, and Richard Fahey's highly-regarded Colorus, who was unsuited by the course at Ripon last time, are likely to be also in the shake-up in this five-furlongs dash.

Another Bottle, trained near Tadcaster by Tom Tate, has good prospects of his third success of the season in the Porcelanosa Handicap.

Blue Spinnaker will be hard to beat in the ladbrokes.com Handicap.

Mick Easterby's six-year-old has been a wonderful stalwart over the last couple of years and has won on this course. He should go well under Paul Mulrennan, who knows him well.

Saturday's tips:

Doncaster

1.40 Blue Spinnaker, 2.15 Another Bottle, 2.50 Grazeon Gold Blend, 3.25 Scorpion, 4.05 Tufton, 4.40 Creative Mind, 5.20 Sendintank.

Chester

2.10 Mutamarres, 2.40 Trinculo, 3.15 Sierra Vista, 3.50 Weekend Fever, 4.20 Baan, 4.50 El Chaparral (Nap), 5.25 Golden Boot.

Mussleburgh

1.50 Kangaruz, 2.20 Joshua's Gold, 2.55 Startori, 3.30 Tagula Sunrise, 4.00 Oblique, 4.35 Iridescence, 5.10 Zalimar.

Wolverhampton

Televised race: 1.00 Magic Warrior.

Tomorrow's other UK race meeting is at Goodwood.

Updated: 12:53 Friday, September 09, 2005