Great news from Racing post.....
Fawn and Alexandrova join forces for O'Brien Oaks bid
by David Lawrence and Tony O'Hehir
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AIDAN O'BRIEN plans to run both "Iron Lady" Peeping Fawn (pictured above) and last year's Oaks winner Alexandrova in the Yorkshire Oaks on Wednesday.
However, this year's Oaks winner Light Shift and her stablemate Passage Of Time are both set to miss the meeting and wait for targets later in the autumn.
Peeping Fawn was having her ninth race of the season when winning the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood last time, her third Group 1 win on the trot. In contrast stablemate Alexandrova will be making her belated seasonal debut in the Darley-sponsored Group 1.
O'Brien said on Wednesday: "We are planning to run Peeping Fawn and Alexandrova in the Yorkshire Oaks. Peeping Fawn came out of her win at Goodwood in good form but it will be Alexandrova's first run of the year and she is probably going to improve a lot for the run."
Passage Of Time demonstrated she is in good form when stretching out nicely on the Newmarket gallops on Wednesday, but the Musidora Stakes winner will not be returning to York next week.
The Henry Cecil-trained filly, who disappointed when sent off a short-priced favourite for the Oaks after suffering an abscess on her epiglottis during the build-up to Epsom, was alsonotable by her absence from Wednesday's confirmed entries for the Juddmonte International on Tuesday. Instead a trip to France next month now looks on the cards.
After watching the daughter of Dansili quicken past her lead under jockey Ted Durcan in aworkout on Racecourse Side, Cecil said: "Passage Of Time is coming along nicely, but I'm not thinking of York - it may just come a bit early for her."
He added: "It is far more likely that she'll go for the Prix Vermeille. The Breeders' Cup is a possibility."
Passage Of Time's stablemate Light Shift, who finished third on her latest outing behind Peeping Fawn and Mandesha in the Nassau Stakes, also misses York. The long term plan is the Prix de l'Opera on the Arc card on October 7.
The trainer told henrycecil.com: "Light Shift is just having a little break and there would be a chance of her running in the Prix de l'Opera."
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