Lady Herries has had a quiet time as a trainer since the glory days of Celtic Swing, who won the French Derby in 1995.

These days, despite winners and placed horses in Australia, she is happy to have a reduced string of 25 or so horses on the family estate at Angmering, which overlooks Arundel and faces at the gallops of John Dunlop across the valley.

Lady Herries is in the business because she loves her horses and appreciates her loyal staff, who have been with her for years, but she shuns publicity in the style of Greta Garbo.

Yet she could be centre stage at Newmarket tomorrow after the running of the one-mile furlong £120,000 Tote Cambridgeshire Handicap.

Lady Herries trains the favourite, Zonergem, a four-year-old by Zafonic out of a mare by Sadlers Wells. By equine standards this is as aristocratic as the trainer.

Zonergem put up a performance that had to be seen to be believed when winning the final of the Mail On Sunday Series of races at Ascot last Sunday.

He scored by three-and-a-half lengths and all jockey Jamie Spencer had to do was guide him through the gaps that opened like the Red Sea in a 27-horse field.

Only five horses carried more weight, but shrewd punters who had seen Zonergem in the Warwick Qualifier for the final, backed him down to 6-1 favourite.

Now Zonergem is a best priced 5-1 favourite for the Cambridgeshire, which the trainer describes as "ridiculous".

There will be 30 runners and the field will probably split and the draw, as yet unknown, should play a vital part.

Lady Herries said: "Everything has to go your way to win a race like the Cambridgeshire and 8-1 or 10-1 would be a more realistic price."

Everything went the right way for Zonergem at Ascot. By design, he was last out of the stalls and still trailing at halfway.

To the horror of the trainer, he was on the stands rails, just where she had warned Spencer not to go.

She said: "I nearly had kittens when I saw him there but luckily everything worked out all right, because Zonergem has a tremendous turn of foot."

With Spencer under suspension, Richard Hughes, if avaialble, takes over at Newmarket.

Darryl Holland stands by for Hughes.

Lady Herries gives credit to jockey Michael Tebbutt, currently in hospital with multiple injuries after a bad fall at Nottingham two weeks ago, for finding the key to a quirky horse.

Zonergem was bought unraced from Prince Khalid Abdullah's dispersal for only three thousand guineas.

Lady Herries said: "Michael realised that Zonergem had to be held up and brought with a late run in his races and confirmed that he needs fast ground."

Zonergem is looked after at home by Andrea Oakley, who has been part of the Angmering team for nine years.

Andrea said: "I led him up at Ascot and went to watch the race from the lads' stand.

"There was always somebody in my line of view so I did not know he had won until the announcement on the public address."

Zonergem has provided two of the five winners for the Angmering stables this year.

Andrea said: "I have been riding him out every morning all season and I know he needs firm ground.

"I am sorry Michael or Jamie cannot ride him at Newmarket, but I am quite happy with Richard Hughes and he will have a good ride.

"He just needs some luck in running in a race where there are always plenty of hard-luck stories."

In eight outings, Zonergem has been unplaced only twice and that was on heavy ground he does not like.

Last Sunday he won a prize of £29,000. If he can repeat the performance there is double that in the pot for the taking tomorrow.

He is undoubtedly well handicapped and given the breaks he got last week, he will be very hard to beat.