Bred by her owner’s Juddmonte Farms, Passage Of Time progressed with each run as a juvenile to put herself firmly in the picture for this year’s Vodafone Oaks. Despite only running fifth on her debut over seven furlongs at Yarmouth in July, a slightly disappointing effort considering she was a well-backed favourite, Passage Of Time proved that she was far better than that first effort would have suggested when getting off the mark in a seven-furlong Newmarket fillies’ maiden on soft ground the following month, showing a pleasing attitude to hold off Fretwork by a head.

Returning to Newmarket in October for the Listed Montrose Fillies’ Stakes over the Rowley Mile, Passage Of Time easily handled the rise in class and confirmed her liking for a soft surface when storming to a five-length success over Sue’s Surprise. Pitted against the colts in the Group One Criterium de Saint-Cloud over 10 furlongs on her final outing of 2006 on November 12, Passage Of Time displayed a fine turn of foot to secure a three-quarter length victory over the highly-regarded Soldier Of Fortune, who was successful in Group Two company at Longchamp on April 8.

Race Record: Starts: 4; 1st: 3; 2nd: 0; 3rd: 0: Win & Place Prize Money: £116,394

Khalid Abdulla
Prince Khalid Abdulla, who prefers to be known as Mr Abdulla on the racecard, is a first cousin to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. He owns extensive racing and breeding interests in America, Britain and Ireland under the Juddmonte Farms banner. A businessman presiding over a huge international combine known as “Mawared”, he developed a love for British racing during the 1960s when renting a house in London and, with the help of former trainer Humphrey Cottrill, had his first winner on May 14, 1979, when Charming Native scored at Windsor. Born in Taif, Saudi Arabia, in 1937, Abdulla has been one of the most successful owner-breeders in Europe in the past 25 years and is the only current owner to have owned and bred the winners of all five British classics - his winners being Vodafone Derby (1990 Quest For Fame, 1993 Commander In Chief), Vodafone Oaks (1997 Reams Of Verse), Stan James 2000 Guineas (1980 Known Fact, 1986 Dancing Brave, 1993 Zafonic), Stan James 1000 Guineas (1999 Wince) and St Leger (1991 Toulon). He has won most of the other major European races such as the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe with Rainbow Quest (1985), Dancing Brave (1986) and Rail Link (2006), and also races with great success in the United States, where under the Juddmonte Farms banner he won a first classic in 2003 with Empire Maker in the Belmont Stakes. Star sprinter Oasis Dream flew the Abdulla flag in Europe in 2003, winning the July Cup at Newmarket and the Nunthorpe Stakes at York, while American Post was triumphant in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere (Grand Criterium) at Longchamp and collected the French 2000 Guineas the following year. The champion owner in both Britain and France in 2003, Abdulla also managed third in the USA owners’ championship. Abdulla is an honorary Jockey Club member and his daughter was married to the late Prince Fahd Salman, who won the 1991 Derby with Generous. Last season Abdulla had his first ever runners in Ireland with Dermot Weld. He landed his third Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe with Rail Link, and also took the Criterium de Saint Cloud with Passage Of Time and the Man O’War Stakes in the US with Cacique. He has retained jockey Richard Hughes since 2001. Up to the end of 2006, Juddmonte bred 68 individual Group/Grade One winners of 121 races.

Vodafone Oaks Wins: 1997 REAMS OF VERSE

Henry Cecil
Born in Aberdeen on January 11, 1943, Henry Cecil has achieved just about everything he could have dreamed of in a training career spanning more than 30 years. If classic success is a measure of achievement on the Flat, the 10-time champion trainer is second to none among current trainers having won every domestic classic at least twice and amassed a total of 23 in all. The Lord Howard de Walden-owned Slip Anchor, partnered by Steve Cauthen, brought Cecil the first of his four Vodafone Derby triumphs in 1985 with an emphatic victory. Reference Point, also ridden by Cauthen, won the 1987 Derby holding off the challenge of Most Welcome while Commander In Chief, Cecil’s supposedly second string behind Tenby in the 1993 Vodafone Derby, and Oath in 1999 - partnered by Cecil’s then stable jockey Kieren Fallon - provided his third and fourth successes. Cecil has also landed the Vodafone Oaks seven times, the 2000 Guineas twice, the 1000 Guineas six times and the St Leger on four occasions. Having sent out 100 winners during the 1998 season, Cecil’s yearly tally dropped every year until 2006, when his 25 victories included Passage Of Times’ Group One success in the Criterium de Saint Cloud - the stable’s first Group One success since Beat Hollow in the 2000 Grand Prix de Paris. His passion for the turf was nurtured by his stepfather, Sir Cecil Boyd-Rochfort, with whom a young Cecil served as assistant trainer between 1964 and 1968, before taking out his own licence to train in 1969. It was not long before he staked his claim among the ranks of the leading trainers with a victory by Wolver Hollow in the Eclipse Stakes of that year. On the retirement of Sir Noel Murless, father of his first wife Julie, in 1976, Cecil took over Warren Place Stables in Newmarket where he has remained. He has a string of 78 horses in training for 2007.

Vodafone Oaks Wins: 1985 OH SO SHARP, 1988 DIMINUENDO, 1989 SNOW BRIDE, 1996 LADY CARLA, 1997 REAMS OF VERSE, 1999 RAMRUMA, 2000 LOVE DIVINE