PASSAGE OF TIME ON COURSE FOR THE OAKS
Taken from the EBN
Passage of Time justified her position as Oaks favourite with a
brave victory in the Gr.3 Musidora Stakes. Despite suffering a
throat abscess, she saw off Sweet Lilly (Tobougg) in a battling
finish to provide her trainer Henry Cecil with his eighth victory
in the Classic trial.
It was a popular victory for the daughter of Juddmonte’s
DANSILI, who defeated Ballydoyle
Derby prospect Soldier of Fortune (Galileo) in last season’s
Gr.1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud. She will bid to give Cecil his
twenty-fourth British Classic victory, and his first Classic
success in seven years, in next month’s Oaks.
Oaks favourite Passage of Time duly obliged in her warm-up for
the Epsom Classic, but was made to work for her victory by the
persistent challenge of Sweet Lilly (Tobougg). Passage of Time took
up the lead from the early pace-setter Sues Surprise (Montjeu)
before the furlong marker. Her lead was gradually worn down by the
Mick Channon-trained filly, who went close but failed to get the
better of her rival in time for the line.
The winner hails from the third crop of Banstead Manor
Stud’s DANSILI, who is also the sire of the
Gr.1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and Gr.1 Grand Prix de Paris hero
Rail Link, the French Champion Juvenile Early March and the Gr.1
Poule d’Essai des Pouliches firstpast- the-post Price Tag, as well
as the Gr.2 July Stakes and Gr.2 Vintage Stakes ace Strategic
Prince, and Gr.3 Somerville Tattersall Stakes scorer Thousand
Words.
This was the fifth outing for Passage of Time, who has won every
time except on her two-year-old debut at Yarmouth. She made no
mistake next time out at Newmarket’s July Course, then adding the
Listed Montrose Fillies’ Stakes at the Newmarket Rowley Mile, which
she won by five lengths from Sues Surprise. Her juvenile season was
crowned by victory in the Gr.1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud, where she
defeated Aidan O’Brien’s Derby prospect Soldier of Fortune
(Galileo) by three-parts of a length. The latter has gone on to win
this season’s Gr.2 Prix Noailles and Gr.3 Chester Vase.
Passage of Time is the third foal and second winner out of
Clepsydra. By Sadler’s Wells out of the Listed scorer Quandary,
Clepsydra is a half-sister to the Lingfield Oaks Trial victrix
Double Crossed (Caerleon). By Blushing Groom, Quandary is one of
five Stakes winners produced by Lost Virtue (Cloudy Dawn). These
include All At Sea (Riverman), who defeated Brief Truce and Hatoof
in the Gr.1 Prix du Moulin, the dual Pattern-winning miler Over The
Ocean (Super Concorde) and the Listed winner Insinuate (Mr
Prospector), whose son Stronghold (by DANSILI’s sire Danehill) was
successful in last autumn’s Gr.3 Supreme Stakes. Moreover,
Lost Virtue is the third dam of the quintuple Gr.1 heroine
Banshee Breeze (Unbridled), whose victories in the Gr.1 CCA
Oaks, Gr.1 Spinster Stakes and Gr.1 Alabama Stakes earned her
the title of US Champion Three-Year-Old Filly of 1999.
Clepsydra’s, first foal, the dual-placed Gems of Araby
(Zafonic), was purchased by Lisbunny Bloodstock for E250,000 at
last year’s Tattersalls Ireland December Flat Sale. Her juvenile is
an Observatory colt named Timetable, her yearling, a full-brother
to Passage of Time, and she foaled a filly by ZAMINDAR this year.
Date:
17 May 2007