Cecil hopeful ahead of Minstrel bid Cecil Ross is under no illusions about the task facing his pride and joy Six Of Hearts if he takes his chance in Saturday's Minstrel Stakes at the Curragh. The seven-year-old quickened up smartly to claim top honours in a valuable handicap at the track at the end of last month and a rise in the weights has forced connections to step him back up to Pattern company. The son of Pivotal was victorious in Group Three company last year but with the likes of Pathfork in this weekend's likely line-up, Ross admits his charge needs to produce a career-best to record another victory. "He's held his form well. He's a seven-year-old now and seems as good as ever," Ross told At The Races. "He won a Group Three last year. It probably wasn't the strongest Group Three and a win at the Curragh would be way above that. "He's rated 109 no so he's in this level. We're going there more hopeful than confident. We don't know whether he'll be good enough to handle the best of them. "We're struggling to get him there because he got a knock the last day, but we're hoping that if he makes it he could get some place money."
