Light Shift's connections yesterday gambled a €50,000 supplementary fee on their filly overcoming the most testing ground conditions she has had to face to date and completing the English-Irish Oaks double at the Curragh on Sunday.
Three fillies in the last 10 years have brought off the classic double, including the Aidan O'Brien-trained Alexandrova last year and the 1999 winner, Ramruma, who like Light Shift was trained by Henry Cecil.
Light Shift completed an emotional return to Group One classic success for Cecil at Epsom and has been installed as short as 11 to 10 favourite to do the double for her legendary trainer. She is the sole cross-channel entry remaining among the 13 fillies left in the Oaks after yesterday's forfeit stage and will have to take on the might of some of Ireland's most powerful yards in order to win.
Aidan O'Brien will be triple-handed, with the Epsom runner-up, Peeping Fawn, attempting to bridge a half-length gap on Light Shift from last month. All My Loving, third at Epsom, will also take her chance.
John Oxx, a double Oaks winner in the past, could also have three runners led by Timarwa and said: "I'd imagine Mick (Kinane) would ride Timarwa although we won't decide until later in the week."
Dermot Weld will be represented by the easy Naas maiden winner Profound Beauty as he attempts to follow up his own pair of Irish Oaks wins with Dance Design (1996) and Blue Wind (1981). The unknown factor for many of the classic hopes, however, will be the state of the going at the Curragh, which is currently "soft" and is unlikely to improve on that.
"We're expecting sunshine and showers every day until Sunday so the indications are that it will be soft at least," said the Curragh manager Paul Hensey yesterday.
"We were perfectly raceable today and the good news is that these showers are not supposed to have the same intensity as the ones we have been having. So hopefully the ground situation won't disimprove, although I think it's unlikely to improve."
This will be a new test for Light Shift, who in six races to date has faced only the good-to-soft going at Epsom in the Oaks. Before that, her Cheshire Oaks defeat of All My Loving was on quick ground. Cecil was fearful of the going at Epsom but Light Shift's win there appears to have increased his confidence in the filly's ability to cope with this weekend's conditions.
As well as Ramruma, Cecil also won the Irish Oaks back-to-back with Alydaress in 1989 and Diminuendo, who dead-heated with Melodist in 1988.
Cashmans are betting that Aidan O'Brien's three entries give him a 25 to 1 chance of another classic 1-2-3 to emulate the Derby clean sweep.
O'Brien has four of the 12 remaining in the Group Three Anglesey Stakes on Sunday and the quartet include the star filly You'resothrilling, who has an engagement at Newmarket today, as well as the Railway Stakes runner-up, South Dakota.
A total of 16 are in line for Sunday's other Group Three, the Minstrel Stakes, which could see the highly rated Haatef make just his third start of the season.
