Chris Day with his best bets for Doncaster and Chester

The final Classic of this truncated flat season, the Pertemps St Leger, takes place on Saturday at Doncaster and looks as competitive a renewal as I can remember.

You’d have got big odds on William Muir training the favourite for this race at the start of the season but Pyledriver has earned his place at the head of the market, winning the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot and carrying his penalty to victory in York’s Sky Bet Great Voltigeur Stakes either side of a disappointing effort in the Investec Derby.

He seems to have plenty of speed and is expected to head to the QIPCO Champion Stakes after this and you wouldn’t have thought a slog up the Doncaster straight was the ideal preparation to be taking on Mishriff in a few weeks’ time.

If he stays he’s got the best form but the jury is out on that one and he wouldn’t be the first strong traveller to cry enough in the last furlong of this race.

Royal Ascot and Irish Derby winner Santiago appears to be the number one Ballydoyle hope having already shown his stamina in the Queen’s Vase in June. The Irish Derby form is open to question though and he didn’t appear good enough in receipt of loads of weight from Stradivarius in the Goodwood Cup last time.

The other Royal Ascot winner, Hukum, looked to appreciate this sort of trip in Newbury’s Geoffrey Freer Stakes, comfortably beating a 108 rated three-year-old on soft ground. He has to enter calculations as a fast improving horse for connections who are enjoying a great season.

The slight doubt about him is class but I see him galloping all the way to the line and keeping going when others have cried enough which he certainly did in the King George V Stakes with the re-opposing Subjectivist behind.

That colt's trainer, Mark Johnston, knows how to win the race but I believe there’ll be something more classy in here, possibly Joseph O’Brien’s Galileo Chrome, who improved from beating a 92-rated rival in his Curragh maiden on seasonal debut to thrashing his brother Emperor Of The Sun in a Listed contest at Navan. If he comes over then his chance is there for all to see.

The one staying three year old who has hinted at brilliance this year is Ed Walker’s English King, who went into winter quarters with just a Newcastle maiden win to his name but put in a visually stunning performance to beat Berkshire Rocco in the Lingfield Derby Trial in May.

That race has thrown up Leger winners previously and I think all beaten horses in the Investec Derby need to be forgiven although he was the eye-catcher there, staying on from a terrible draw to finish fifth.

He wouldn’t be the first horse to take a dislike to Goodwood last time and comes out best on Topspeed figures based on his rout at Lingfield when barely coming off the bridle to win a Group Three.

He’s still entered in France at the weekend but do not ignore him if he’s sent to Doncaster and he would be a danger to all.

As things stand, though, I think Hukum is the horse with the best chance with 4-1 available in places.

At 2.25, the first and second from a very strong Ascot handicap in July, Jawwal and Mountain Peak, look set to go very well in one of the flat season’s great sprint handicaps, the bet365 Portland Handicap over the quirky distance of five furlongs 143 yards.

It would be no surprise to see either or both run well and while the former disappointed at York last time, Mountain Peak looked good when winning at Haydock and I also believe there’s a good race to be won this autumn with Andrew Balding’s Stone of Destiny.

However, time has shown that trying to beat Oxted in receipt of 10lbs and 5lbs respectively in this race last year was an impossible task and both A Momentofmadness and Arecibo, second and fourth that day, are weighted to go close in a race which clearly suits them both well.

At the prices and on the revised terms the vote has to go to Arecibo, who is on offer at 12-1, with Jawwal the big danger.

At 3.00 the Group Two bet365 Park Stakes, has attracted a smart entry and Wichita, currently top rated, arguably holds the best form claims as runner-up in the QIPCO 2000 Guineas and third to Palace Pier in the St James's Palace Stakes.

However his last couple of efforts have not really been to that level and his stable companion, Lancaster House has similar claims.

However, there’s no rain forecast on Town Moor this week and on quick ground there’s still no better seven furlong horse in training than Limato, who was devastating in this race as a three-year-old and quickened clear in style to win this year's Criterion Stakes at Newmarket from Happy Power.

That rival went on to win his next two races and 7/2 really does offer some value for a horse set to enjoy is optimum conditions. Some might say the sport needs a good story at the moment and there’d be none better on Saturday than this popular eight-year-old defying the years for a trainer in Henry Candy who has handled him brilliantly throughout his career.

Chester also stage a competitive card with Morando a standout chance on form in the Chesterbet Stand Cup assuming the ground stays on the soft side for Andrew Balding’s stayer. 5/1 is a decent price for the top-rated horse in the race while the Commonhall Street Social Handicap could go the same way of a number of recent big handicaps with Fifth Position fancied to bring home another good pot to the Newmarket stable of Roger Varian.

A repeat of his a John Smith’s Cup third to Sinjaari would see him home here and at 4/1 it’s worth having a wager now.

Chris Day's Saturday bets:

Hukum 3.35 Doncaster at 4/1

Arecibo 2.25 Doncaster at 12/1

Limato 3.00 Doncaster at 7/2

Morando 2.05 Chester at 5/1

Fifth Postion 2.40 Chester at 4/1