The winner is trained in Ireland by Gerry Cusack, a former employee of Michael Stoute, and with a Listed-race victory to show for his first runner in Britain, his future appears bright.The success was rather less auspicious for the Oaks, however, as for the second day running a Classic trial was won by a runner without an entry for Epsom. In Tout A Coup's case, all is not lost with the supplementary stage for the Oaks still to come, a luxury denied to the connections of Tuesday's Chester Vase winner, High Baroque, who does not have a Derby entry.Cusack, though, insisted yesterday that his filly will not be added to the list. It is not that Quinn is in danger of falling out with Paul Cole, Merit's trainer, but his is the perennial problem of the lightweight. Merit will be asked to shoulder a more realistic burden in his next race - possibly the Ascot Stakes at the Royal meeting - and rather than fill the saddle with a stone and a half of lead, his connections may prefer to engage a heavier jockey.Daraydan, top weight with two stone more to carry than the winner, ran on well into second, with Corradini, Cecil's runner, a length away in third, a position which was commendable given that every one of the other 17 runners was ahead of him with a circuit to run. "He's a lovely horse, and he'd be a nice one to keep the ride on."The last comment was offered with a smile, but also a hint of resignation. When he takes his revenge in the ratings, it may be brutal. Jimmy Quinn, the fortunate jockey who pulled on Salman's dark green silks yesterday, has set himself a target of 1,000 rides this season, and if he rode 10,000 it is doubtful if he would find an easier winner. Merit was settled just off the pace throughout, was clearly going best with a circuit left, and strode clear two furlongs out."He travelled really sweetly and I haven't had an easier ride round here apart from Welshman," he said, recalling his victory in the same race four years ago.

While he was aware that Merit had started to improve rapidly at the end of last season, however, he could not have known that during the winter the process had not just continued, but also accelerated. If a man sporting dark glasses and an upturned collar was seen leaving by a side-exit as Merit was led back after his six-length victory, it was probably the handicapper, who will not look back on the 1996 Chester Cup as one of his finer pieces of work. "He was wondering why his horse had to carry 9st when ours had got in on 7st 10lb and he's won his last three races." After four minutes of very one-sided action around the Roodeye, Cecil was certainly not alone. "Henry Cecil was muttering before the race," Anthony Penfold, Fahd Salman's racing manager, said after the Chester Cup yesterday. But as the colt performed on 21 occasions last season it may safe to assume he is only now reaching fitness.The Wynn Handicap takes the prize as the greatest misnomer of the season, and is best left to a horse who will bolt out and avoid the inevitable scrums on the bends Chickawicka (next best 4.10) fits the bill.. The best methodology here apears to be to select a runner which has proved itself around the unique circuit.The five-furlong contest, therefore, is within the province of ZIGGY'S DANCER (nap 3.10), who has already run three times this year. The 10-year-old showed the bones were still holding up at Nottingham last month, but there are some dangerous young bucks lined up against him this time.

The race conditions seem to favour Minds Music (3.40), Classic Cliche's nearest pursuer in the St Leger last season.Chester would not be Chester without the complex handicaps which were probably the reason why the Romans left town. When you hear the word system in racing the best policy is usually to slip on the training shoes and head for the horizon. One plain method that appears to work, however, is to support Barry Hills's runners at the Roodeye. Followers of this plan have not received correspondence from their bank managers in recent years. When New Year dawns at the trainer's Lambourn yard his first determination appears to be to plot as many Chester winners as he can and specifically to identify a winner of the Dee Stakes.