SAINT CECELIA with Shane Ellis aboard. - File

SAINT CECELIA is too classy and quick for her rivals to touch her in tomorrow's Gold Cup, even with 57.0 kilos, as she goes for back-to-back victories against the best horses in the land.

It isn't by chance that Spencer Chung's six-year-old mare has been unbeaten in her last 10 starts, from five furlongs straight to Gold Cup distance of 1400 metres, which she easily won last year with top-weight 57.0 kilos.

Of the small band of sprint and middle-distance Grade One runners at Caymanas Park, SAINT CECELIA has managed to remain the soundest of the lot for the last 14 months, reigning supreme at any distance under seven and a half furlongs.

She defied doubting Thomases in last year's Gold Cup, winning at odds of 2-1, beating COMMANDING CHIEF by a long-looking short head.

COMMANDING CHIEF returns for a shot at the speedy mare but his preparation leaves him with no chance of avenging that defeat as his handlers have bought into the belief that he runs better when not hard-trained for races.

After running his best race ever against MARK MY WORD in October's Governor General's Stakes, losing by a neck after being drilled at exercise, COMMANDING CHIEF's handlers eased off the throttle at exercise and he finished five lengths behind the Richard Azan-trained champion in the Superstakes a month later.

They've employed the same tactics for the Gold Cup, galloping COMMANDING CHIEF over six furlongs in 1:15.3, fitted in a visor, which he did not wear in last year's Gold Cup.

That six-furlong stroll was November 28, a week and a half ago, and has been COMMANDING CHIEF's only speed gallop since the Superstakes a month ago.

Facing the likes of SAINT CECELIA, who has been lighting up the exercise track, since romping the CTL Sprint on Superstakes Day, COMMANDING CHIEF won't get anywhere near her down the backstretch nor up the lane.

Similar to COMMANDING CHIEF's handlers, MARK MY WORD's trainer, Richard Azan, has all but shot himself in the foot by not declaring a claiming apprentice aboard his distance specialist.

Winston Griffiths might have guided the chestnut horse to a third consecutive Superstakes victory in November. However, loyalty counts for nothing with Horse of the Year title on the line and MARK MY WORD is too close in the handicaps at 55.0 kilos to reverse last year's 10 lengths.

MISMYRTLEBOYRICHIE's trainer, Lorne Kirlew, has called in apprentice Shamaree Muir to partner the once most-feared horse in racing to carry 51.0 kilos, getting 14lb from SAINT CECELIA.

MISMYRTLEBOYRICHIE carried 56.0 kilos and proved no match for SAINT CECELIA with 57.0 at 1200 metres on October 13. He returned as a 1-2 favourite on Superstakes Day in the Imported Mile and won, as expected, but had to work hard to keep Open Allowance runner REASONABLE PRESS at bay.

It doesn't appears as if MISMYRTLEBOYRICHIE is nowhere near his 2011 form, and not even being in receipt of 14lb will have him catch Chung's speedster when she turns on the afterburners coming off the turn.