Yeats is set to try and relieve Vinnie Roe of his Irish Field St Leger crown in the final classic of the season at the Curragh on Saturday.

After his Group One heroics last weekend, Aidan O'Brien will pitch in his Coronation Cup winner against a potentially quality field that will also include the Irish Derby third Shalapour.

A total of 17 horses were left in the St Leger at yesterday's forfeit stage and a pair of Godolphin entries, Cherry Mix and Songlark, are among seven cross-channel possibilities for the big race.

"Both of them have multiple entries all over the place and it will be another 24 hours before we know what we're doing," the Godolphin spokesman Simon Crisford said yesterday.

However, the indications from Ballydoyle are that Yeats is the most likely runner from a triple entry that also includes Acropolis as well as Hippodrome who, along with Shalapour, represents the only hope for the current classic generation.

"Yeats looks like the one at the moment but we will see how the race unfolds," said O'Brien who hasn't raced Yeats since the four-year-old only beat two home in the Grand Prix de St Cloud in late June.

"He is in the Melbourne Cup but that's only a possible. We'll see what happens at the weekend first."

Despite a scare last week all the current indications are that Vinnie Roe will be present to try and secure a remarkable fifth success in a row in the Curragh Leger.

Vinnie Roe is currently recovering from a haematoma on a quarter that he picked up while rolling in his stable. However, the seven-year-old is still expected to make the St Leger line-up before embarking on a third trip to Australia for the Melbourne Cup.

"He is making progress and the next couple of days will be important. However, I'm very positive he will make the race," said Dermot Weld.

Christophe Soumillon will travel from France for the ride on Shalapour and the John Oxx yard could also be represented by the veteran double Curragh Cup winner Mkuzi.

Other possible British raiders - include Alan Swinbank's globe-trotting Collier Hill, Walter Swinburn's Cutting Crew, the Mark Tompkins-trained Franklins Gardens, Michael Stoute's Gamut, runner-up two years ago, and The Whistling Teal from Geoff Wragg's stable.

Paddy Power make Vinnie Roe a 2 to 1 favourite to continue his amazing Leger streak but Victor Chandler have installed Yeats as their 3 to 1 market leader.

The ground on the round course at the Curragh is currently "good" with the straight track given a "good to yielding" description.

"There is a band of rain forecast for the middle of the week so we will see what comes of that before deciding on any watering," said the Curragh manager Paul Hensey.

"I'm conscious that many of the Leger horses like a little dig so we will try and provide safe ground."

The Group One Sunday highlight at the Curragh will be the National Stakes which is expected to be dominated by Aidan O'Brien who is seeking a sixth victory in the race.

"George Washington is in it and is a possible but we also have Horatio Nelson. We will decide later in the week," he said yesterday.

In other news Horse Racing Ireland have announced an increase in the minimum required rating for horses in 2006.

The minimum rating for two- year-olds will increase from 45 to 50. The three-year-old minimum goes from 40 to 45 and four-year-olds and older go to 40 from 36. Hurdlers with a rating less than 74 will be the first eliminated from races.

"These are measures designed to encourage the removal of the worst horses from the system," a HRI spokesman said.

BETTING: (Paddy Power): 2 Vinnie Roe, 100-30 Shalapour, 4 Yeats, 7 Gamut, 8 Cherry Mix, 10 Songlark, 14 Franklins Gardens, 16 Collier Hill and Mkuzi, 25 Bar.

IRISH FIELD ST LEGER: (five-day stage): Acropolis, Akarem, Cherry Mix, Cloone River, Collier Hill, Cutting Crew, Franklins Gardens, Gamut, Hippodrome, Holy Orders, Liss Ard, Mkuzi, Shalapour, Songlark, The Whistling Teal, Vinnie Roe, Yeats (17).