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Lady Cecil will be fulfilling one final ambition for the season if Tiger Cliff can secure his second major handicap in Saturday's Betfred Cesarewitch at Newmarket.
Henry Ponsonby's consistent four-year-old went through the motions on a bleak Warren Hill on Thursday morning as he continued his preparations for the two-and-a-quarter-mile battle just a short hop away on the Rowley Mile, for which he is the sponsors' 7-1 co-favourite.
It will be Tiger Cliff's first start since his emotional victory in the Ebor at York, on a course Cecil's late husband Sir Henry was very fond of.
As she watched Tiger Cliff pass by under work rider Luis Villarroel, Lady Cecil said: "It's a very open race and plenty of good horses in there, like the Irish horse (Domination) and those from Sir Mark Prescott (Pallasator) and Nicky Henderson (Lieutenant Miller and Earth Amber). It will be very competitive.
"Henry won it once, and we'd settle for winning it once as well. We've been very lucky having good winners at Ascot, Goodwood and York, but to have a win at home would be fantastic.
"He has done all his work now. Michael Prosser (Newmarket clerk of the course) has said there is some rain forecast, and that would be appreciated."
While Lady Cecil is a reluctant interviewee, she finds enough positive aspects of her job to have decided to continue training from Warren Place next season.
"It helps having such a good group of people around you, and it's enjoyable," she said.
"I really enjoy being out with the horses, but it's rather different weather at this stage of the season."
Tiger Cliff, who will start from stall 30 under Tom Queally, is one of two major contenders for Ponsonby.
The owner's red and white colours will also be carried by the Henderson-trained Lieutenant Miller, who will be partnered by Ryan Moore and is also drawn high in stall 32.
Henderson also saddles the Richard Hughes-ridden Earth Amber (stall five) as he searches his third Cesarewitch success following the previous wins of Landing Light (2003) and Caracciola (2008).
Prescott has never won the Cesarewitch and has endured more than his fair share of disappointments in the race, such as the gambled-on favourites Hasten To Add and Alleluia.
Pallasator won all three of his starts last season but did not reappear until last month's Old Borough Cup at Haydock, where he stayed on for third.
"He is fourth favourite and he has definitely got enough class to win the Cesarewitch, but he is not easy and not straight-forward and whether he will stay two and a quarter miles is very much in doubt," said the master of Heath House.
"The dangers are the horses like Lady Cecil's, and as a Flat trainer I strongly disapprove of these National Hunt horses, usually skilfully trained by Nicky Henderson, but I hope his class sees him through."
The Charles Byrnes-trained Domination is another towards the head of the betting in the 34-runner field, despite being significantly higher in the weights than when winning the Cesarewitch Trial over the course and distance last September.
A dual winner over hurdles at Cork in August, the six-year-old is drawn down the middle in stall 16 and will be partnered by Fran Berry.
Mikel Delzangles' French raider Smoky Hill (14) has been heavily supported, while other major contenders include Oriental Fox (20), Big Easy (36) and Platinum (21).
The two reserves are Capellanus (29) and Aleksandar (10).
