Henry Cecil was in typically understated form after Love Divine maintained his astounding Vodafone Oaks record but jockey Richard Quinn summed it up for most when describing the Newmarket trainer as "a genius." Love Divine was a remarkable seventh Oaks winner for Cecil but a first for Quinn who quipped: "Henry's a genius. They have him down as a rose grower but he can't half train a racehorse!" Cecil took the plaudits with typical good grace but had a quip of his own to repulse those eager to pin down his Oaks secret.
"My late father-in-law Sir Noel Murless used to say good animals are dangerous in anyone's hands," Cecil smiled but no one was fooled. Twice before, in 1985 and last year, Cecil has completed the Oaks-Derby double and Beat Hollow is generally a 3 to 1 favourite to do the same today.
Scottish born Quinn, in his first full season as Cecil's stable rider after replacing Kieren Fallon, is sweet on his double chances and said: "I love Beat Hollow. I can't fault him and maybe he's one of those good ones that can handle anything thrown at him."
Love Divine certainly handled everything thrown at her yesterday and ran out a two length winner from Kalypso Katie with Melikah and the unlucky in running Petrushka filling the minor placings. "Love Divine was very ill about a month ago with that lung thing we've had and she has done very well to come back. She is a good filly - a very good filly,"
Cecil emphasised before nominating the Irish Oaks as a likely next start for Love Divine. There will probably be a faster pace there and although Quinn made the usual admirable noises about the victory, there is no question that he rode a wonderfully cool race.
"There was a sedate pace and it's important in a sprint finish to be in a positon to be the first one to go," said Quinn who did just that and kicked for home two and a half furlongs out.
In contrast Kieren Fallon didn't enjoy the best of runs on Petrushka who is being lined up for another crack at the winner at the Curragh. The champion jockey did have better luck however on the double Derby runner up Daliapour who opened his Group 1 account with a gutsy front running defeat of Fantastic Light and Border Arrow in the Coronation Cup.
"He's a really brave colt," complimented Daliapour's trainer Michael Stoute while Fallon commented: "He was doing nothing in front."
Chris McCarron, brought from America to ride Best Of The Bests in the Derby today, had a less happy time on Fantastic Light who had Border Arrow persistently leaning on him in the closing stages. Border Arrow's rider Jimmy Fortune got a four day ban, which rules him out of the first two days of Royal Ascot, because of that and Fallon was hardly optimistic about McCarron's task in adapting to Epsom.
"He faces a very hard task. It's something different to ride at Epsom. I'd hate to be in his shoes," Fallon said. Yesterday however the only shoes to be in were Henry Cecil's.
