Our Andrew McLaren picks out three horses from Chester who could be worth keeping on side in the coming weeks.
Clarets shows plenty of Dash
After a couple of runs on heavy ground to blow away the cobwebs last month, VINTAGE CLARETS showed much more zip back on a sounder surface in the opener at Chester on Thursday which should tee him up nicely for a shot at ‘The Dash’ at Epsom on Derby weekend.
A tad slowly away from stall five, he soon found himself towards the rear with just two horses behind him as they turned for home, never ideal around Chester, before quickening up well once the cutaway appeared to finish a close third, and the two that finished ahead of him were drawn lower (four and two) and ridden much closer to the pace, so I think he deserves extra credit to get as close as he did.
In his start-of-season stable tour, Richard Fahey said: “I’d love to aim him at the Dash at Epsom. It’s a race I’ve never won”, and he has some unfinished business there having been one of the unlucky few to suffer from the faulty stalls last year.
Don’t give up on Arrest
Being beat in a pair of Group 3 races might seem an underwhelming start to the season for a horse who was sent off favourite for the Derby and St Leger last year but I’ve seen enough from ARREST to think there’s still a big day or two in this strapping son of Frankel given the right circumstances. A lot of the Gosden horses were needing the run when he made his reappearance and a second to Point Lonsdale at Chester was a significant step up from Newbury.
He made a sweeping move around the outside as they entered the home straight where he was forced three-wide under Kieran Shoemark and that big effort seemed to take its toll in the straight, where he also looked a bit uneasy on the sound surface.
He is completely unexposed as a stayer but seems sure to relish a proper stamina test so he’ll be of interest when tackling trips of two miles and further with some cut in the ground.
On the John Smiths Cup radar
He’s finished 10th and 9th on his last two starts but that doesn’t tell the full story for AL RUFAA who again ran into traffic at a crucial time in the Precision Facades Handicap after pulling hard early (again).
He’s been unsuited by muddling races around the tight turns of Lingfield and Chester the last twice and although his keen-going style and usual hold-up tactics mean he’s always going to be a hostage to fortune, a well-run race should help him settle and a wide, galloping track like York will give him more chance to open up and show what he can really do.
It would be no surprise if the excellent Daniel & Claire Kubler team have had the John Smiths Cup in mind for this son of Kingman for a while, a race they finished a narrow second in last year with another new recruit in Astro King before he went on to win the Cambridgeshire, and he should sneak in towards the bottom of the weights from his current mark.
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