Racing:Henry Cecil's faith in Timepiece has been unshakeable but it was Aviate who flew past her stablemate in the Investec Oaks betting as she overcame a troubled passage to take the Tattersalls Musidora Stakes at York.
Cecil sent Timepiece down his familiar Lingfield Oaks Trial route, which he has farmed with the likes of Epsom winners Ramruma and Lady Carla, last weekend but the one-time Oaks favourite paid the penalty for chasing a frenetic pace when beaten into second.
That cleared the way for the fellow Khalid Abdullah-owned Aviate to jet along the rail on the Knavesmire and successfully step up to a mile and a quarter under Eddie Ahern — replacing the suspended Tom Queally.
The 11-4 winner scraped across the line with a head to spare over the hanging Gold Bubbles, with Michael Stoute’s Eleanora Duse a close-up third.