Two of the top trainers in the business deserve to share the credit if Sadian wins the £320,000 Pertemps St Leger at Doncaster today. The record-books will state that the colt is trained by John Dunlop, but he has only had the horse six weeks.
And in that time, Sadian has won two races at Ascot and Salisbury to persuade connections that he was worth the £20,000 supplementary fee to take his place in the 222nd renewal of the world's oldest Classic.
But before that, the son of Shirley Heights had been in the care of Henry Cecil at Newmarket.
Winner of his only start as a two-year-old, he won a minor race in good style at Bath on his reappearance before booking his place at Epsom with an eye-catching performance in the Coloroll Derby Trial at Lingfield.
He ran subsequent Vodafone Derby winner High-Rise to a neck, and his rider, Kieren Fallon, was quoted as saying he confidently expected Sadian to reverse Lingfield form with Luca Cumani's charge at Epsom.
Fallon was wrong, as Sadian was beaten almost seven lengths in seventh place by the winner after racing prominently throughout and challenging for the lead until just over a furlong from home.
But that form was enough to send him off joint second favourite for the Irish Derby, but he was tailed-off last and found to be lame.
Sadian has no stamina doubts as his latest win came over a mile and three-quarters.
Prince Faisal's colt has obviously thrived since his move from Newmarket to Sussex and can give Dunlop his third Leger success after Moon Madness (1986) and Silver Patriarch (1997).
Nedawi, who represents the formidable Godolphin operation instead of Sea Wave, warrants respect, but a bigger danger to the selection is likely to come from the Barry Hills stable.
The Lambourn trainer has three of the nine runners, and two of them, The Glow-Worm and High And Low, can fill the minor places.
Hills can take the main supporting event, the Group Two Polypipe Plc Flying Childers Stakes, with Sheer Viking.
The Danehill colt has speed to burn and will relish the drop back to the minimum trip after unsuccessful attempts at six furlongs in the July Stakes and Gimcrack Stakes.
Sadian's trainer Dunlop and jockey Richard Quinn can also enjoy success with Right Wing in the Porcelanosa Rated Stakes.
