Jimmie, STAR Racing Writer

DERBY favourite ALI BABA has been made to bypass next Saturday's Lotto Classic for the Governor's Cup, instead entered for tomorrow's open allowance at 1820 metres. However, the colt's unbeaten run this season is set to be snapped by down-in-class COMMANDING CHIEF.

Dodging topweight 57.0 kilos in the Lotto Classic, ALI BABA has jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire. He has skipped overnight allowance to take on COMMANDING CHIEF, who's dropping from grade one, effectively a two-class difference between both horses.

COMMANDING CHIEF is among open allowance runners for one reason only. He hasn't beaten grade one horses since last August when he turned back PERFECT NEIGHBOUR and subsequent Superstakes winner, TYPEWRITER, in the 2000-metre Prime Minister's Stakes.

Having not beaten grade one since August is no stain on COMMANDING CHIEF. His battling win in August's Prime Minister's Stakes completed a hat-trick against the best horses in the land after beating TYPEWRITER in June's Viceroy Trophy.

He returned in October, attempting a four-timer, but lost the Governor General's Stakes, by a length and a half, to PERFECT NEIGHBOUR, allowing his younger rival 11lb.

That marked a run of four tough races, in six months, leaving COMMANDING CHIEF a spent force for November's Superstakes in which he finished down the track after racing prominently to the half mile.

Trainer Everal Francis pushed the envelope and entered the chestnut gelding in December's 12-furlong Harry Jackson Memorial. He turned the table on TYPEWRITER but had to settle for the runner-up spot behind PERFECT NEIGHBOUR, who he again allowed 11lb.

Rested by Francis, COMMANDING CHIEF has earned a well-deserved break and has been rewarded a drop in class for his absence, not a loss of form.

Ramping up his preparation since late April, the seven-year-old galloped five and a half furlongs in 1:07.3 and returned five days later, May 2, to clock 1:27.3 for seven furlongs, starting his workout from the one-furlong pole.

A week later, two Saturdays ago, he galloped a mile in 1:44.3, fitted with the visor in which he will face ALI BABA tomorrow.

Much is being made about ALI BABA's 1:27.0 the same morning COMMANDING CHIEF posted 1:27.3. However, ALI BABA had worked out of the mile chute, giving him a long backstretch to gather speed whereas COMMANDING CHIEF had negotiated three turns.

ALI BABA has, indeed, improved but he is too close in the scale, 53.0 kilos, to a horse who is rated two classes above him and reporting in great shape.