After being transferred to the Devon stable of Rod Millman in late summer he showed some improvement without managing to win a race as he ran second four times and third once in his remaining five starts of the season.
[7][8][9] In 2003 the gelding made steady progress and recorded his first success at his fourteenth attempt when he took a minor handicap race over one and three quarter miles at Sandown Park on 27 May.
In a repeat of the tactics employed at Newcastle, he came from well of the pace, squeezed though a narrow gap in the straight and won by a length from the top weight Carte Diamond.
On his final run of the year, the gelding carried top weight of 134 pounds in the Cesarewitch over two and a quarter miles at Newmarket Racecourse on 15 October and started at 10/1 against 33 opponents.
He gained the advantage in the final strides and won by a length from King Revo,[15] becoming the first horse to win the Northumberland Plate, Ebor and Cesarewitch in the same year.
He began his campaign by coming home fourth behind Mubtaker in the John Porter Stakes at Newbury in April and then ran second to Percussionist in the Yorkshire Cup in May.
In the Ascot Gold Cup in June he came home fourth behind Yeats and was then dropped in class for the Listed Esher Stakes at Sandown in July, a race in which he started the 5/6 favourite but was beaten a neck by Land 'n Stars.
After racing towards the rear of the field, Sergeant Cecil produced his customary late run, gained the advantage in the last hundred yards, and won by half a length from Franklins Gardens.
Sergeant Cecil turned into the straight in sixth place and overcame trouble in running before overhauling the leader Shamdala in the last 200 metres and winning by three-quarters of a length.
[21] Three weeks later Sergeant Cecil returned to Longchamp for the Prix Royal Oak and finished strongly to take third place behind the four-year-olds Montare and Bellamy Cay.
[22] As in the previous year, Sergeant Cecil began his 2007 campaign in April by finishing fourth in the John Porter Stakes before contesting the Yorkshire Cup in May.
He was ridden by Jimmy Fortune at York and started the 100/30 favourite in a ten-runner field which included Munsef (King George V Stakes), The Last Drop (runner-up in the St Leger), Allegretto, Geordieland (Grand Prix de Chantilly) and Percussionist.
After racing towards the rear as usual, Sergeant Cecil came with a late rush, gained the advantage inside the final furlong and won by three quarters of a length from Geordieland.
[24] After his retirement from racing Sergeant Cecil was sent for re-training as a dressage horse and was then used as a mount for the trainee jockeys at a riding school but failed to settle in either task.