Passage Of Time Heads 18 Still Engaged In Vodafone Oaks

Tuesday´s Tattersalls Musidora Stakes winner Passage Of Time heads 18 acceptors at the forfeit stage for the #375,000 Vodafone Oaks. There were 26 fillies still engaged in the premier fillies´ Classic at this stage last year and 16 in 2005.Click here for Entries

Passage Of Time is the clear favourite for the mile and a half contest, run at Epsom Downs on Vodafone Ladies´ Day, Friday, June 1. She is trained by Henry Cecil who has trained seven Vodafone Oaks winners, most recently with Love Divine (2000). The master of Warren Place also has another live contender going forward in Light Shift, the comfortable winner of the Listed Cheshire Oaks at Chester on May 9. Cecil´s other Vodafone Oaks winners were Oh So Sharp (1985), Diminuendo (1988), Snow Bride (1989), Lady Carla (1996), Reams Of Verse (1997) and Ramruma (1999).

Sweet Lilly, from the Mick Channon stable, finished just a neck behind Passage Of Time at York and could reoppose, as could the third from that race, Sues Surprise.

Dalvina, trained by Ed Dunlop, created a very favourable impression when winning the Listed Pretty Polly Stakes at Newmarket by six lengths on May 6, following the same path as the stable´s 2004 Vodafone Oaks heroine Ouija Board.

Aidan O´Brien, seeking his fourth Vodafone Oaks success following Shahtoush (1998), Imagine (2001) and Alexandrova (2006), has four fillies still engaged. They are Cheshire Oaks runner-up All My Loving, the regally-bred half-sister to the 2001 Vodafone Derby hero Galileo Cherry Hinton, Nell Gwyn and Peeping Fawn, the facile winner of a Naas maiden on Wednesday.

Further Irish interest is provided by the John Oxx-trained Four Sins. Owned by the Aga Khan, she comfortably defeated Cherry Hinton in the Group Three Blue Wind Stakes at Naas two days ago.

Godolphin has won three renewals of the Vodafone Oaks with Balanchine (1994), Moonshell (1995) and Kazzia (2002). This year the Maktoum family´s operation has two entries going forward in Measured Tempo, successful in the Listed Swettenham Stud Fillies´ Trial Stakes at Newbury this afternoon and Folk Opera, third in the Listed Oaks Trial at Lingfield last time out.

Sir Michael Stoute, successful with Fair Salinia (1978) and Unite (1987), has one remaining entry in Dance Of Light, a comfortable winner of a Salisbury maiden yesterday.

Simply Perfect, trained by Jeremy Noseda, ran well to be third behind Finsceal Beo in the Stan James 1000 Guineas at Newmarket. She won the Group One Meon Valley Stud Fillies´ Mile at Ascot last season. Other fillies that also ran in the Stan James 1000 Guineas to go forward are Satulagi (9th) and Darrfonah (16th). Michael Jarvis, successful with Eswarah in the 2005 Vodafone Oaks, could run Silkwood, the easy winner of a handicap at Sandown Park on April 27.

The list of acceptors is completed by Ransom Captive, third behind Measured Tempo at Newbury this afternoon and trained by Lambourn-based Swede Mikael Magnusson.

There is a #20,000 supplementary entry stage for the Vodafone Oaks at the six-day confirmation stage on May 26.