Light shines for Cecil on road to Oaks

Henry Cecil, without a Classic winner since Love Divine won the Oaks in 2000, could be double-handed in that race on June 1 following the decisive victory of Light Shift in the Cheshire

Oaks at Chester on Wednesday.

Cecil also trains Oaks

favourite Passage of Time, who is due

to make her seasonal debut in the

Musidora Stakes at York next week.

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His fillies are in different ownership

and Light Shift

vies for second

favouritism at

8-1 (Ladbrokes).

Ted Durcan held

up Light Shift

on Wednesday and

his mount had

plenty to do

entering the

short straight.

However, she

showed a fine

turn of foot to

overhaul Aidan

O’Brien’s giant

filly All My

Loving and

Fashion Statement to win by three

quarters of a length and a neck.

Alan Cooper, racing manager for the

Niarchos family who own the winner,

said: "We’re very happy with that.

There is plenty of staying blood in the

family. Henry has always thought she

was a good filly and it’s his call to go

for the Oaks."

The runner-up’s owner Richard

Henry has not ruled out the Oaks for

his imposing filly who found the

twists and turns of Chester difficult in

only her second race.

He said: "Mick

Kinane was very excited by her. The

penny only dropped late on and we’ll

let Aidan decide about Epsom."

Greenwich Meantime, an unlucky

third in the Chester Cup last year,

took the valuable prize this time,

mowing down Arkle Chase runner-up

Fair Along in the final furlong.