Sergeant Cecil finished for season

SERGEANT CECIL will not run again this season as he continues to recover from a lung infection.

The popular stayer scoped badly after finishing fifth in the Lonsdale Cup at York last month and was found to be not quite right in a follow-up examination.

The eight-year-old was missing from the final declarations for the GNER Doncaster Cup on Friday and will now go to Paradise Farm Stud at Blandford in Dorset for a well-earned rest.

“He didn’t scope right so we’ve decided to give him a break for the season,” said trainer Rod Millman.

“He didn’t scope well after the Lonsdale and unfortunately he hasn’t recovered sufficiently to let him take part this week.

“He’s going home to Neville Poole’s Paradise Farm Stud where he always goes for the winter and we’ll see how he is in January.

“He ran at York but he blew afterwards and we scoped him and found he wasn’t quite right. We treated it but it’s not been enough time to get him right for Doncaster.

“To be in the grade he’s in and over that distance he has to be spot on. His latest scope was better than it was at York but not really good enough to let him take his chance.

“It’s a shame, but we didn’t want to run him and risk damaging him.

“I don’t think he’d have done himself justice.

“He’s obviously going to be nine next year but old Persian Punch went on for a long time.”

Sergeant Cecil has been in the public’s affections since becoming the first horse to win the Northumberland Plate, Ebor and Cesarewitch in the same season in 2005. He successfully made the transition to Pattern races and won the Group One Prix du Cadran last October.

The King’s Signet gelding has won 10 of his 49 races and amassed £822,000 in prize money.

Meanwhile Richard Hills has come in for the mount on Celestial Halo, trained by his father Barry, in the Ladbrokes St Leger after Frankie Dettori was claimed by Godolphin to ride at Goodwood.

The Italian, who has ridden the last two winners of the world’s oldest Classic, was in line to partner the Jack Hanson-owned colt but is required for Blue Ksar in the Group Three Select Racing UK On Sky 432 Stakes on the Sussex Downs.