Chester Vase win for Arrest

Frankel colt Arrest opened his three-year-old season with an emphatic six and a half-length win in the Gr.3 Chester Vase Stakes yesterday.

Taken from the  Thoroughbred Daily News, 11th May 2023, by Sean Cronin:

Arrest Frankel closed his four-race juvenile campaign with a second in October's Gr.1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud and made a winning return under a Frankie Dettori in the Gr.3 Chester Vase. Maintaining a three-wide passage off the rail and racing on fresher ground in second for most of this Gr.1 Derby trial, the 10-11 favourite was sent to the front leaving the half-mile pole behind and stayed on strongly thereafter, crossing the line underneath the stands' side rail, to easily account for Ballydoyle's Criterium third Adelaide River by a geared-down six and a half lengths. Hadrianus was the only one of three other rivals visible to the naked eye and finished 10 lengths further back in third.

"He handled conditions well and the trainer had him fitter than he thought he did," joked John Gosden after notching his first success in the race. "Frankie was anxious to stay on the fresh ground, so you'll notice he stayed a bit wide and in the straight he nearly took out the grandstand. He's a delightful colt, he's gone and won well over the trip. He's done nothing but mature and improve, it was the full mile-and-a-half today and we'll leave all options open for Epsom. I think he enjoyed the ground and if Epsom was fast I don't think he'd enjoy that sort of surface. We put him in the Arc on Tuesday and he's got the scope to train on at three, and four and five."

Dettori added: "He won very easily, but it's very hard to judge horses on this ground and to know the quality of the field. He can only win by a good margin, he's a good size and he's going places. We know he stays well and doesn't mind the ground. We knew the ground was no problem and the distance was no problem. The race fell apart three out, but he couldn't have won any easier."

Juddmonte's Barry Mahon continued: "That was great and we're over the moon. It was sort of Plan C [to come here], but at least it's worked out and he's won in good style. We'll wait and see how he comes out of this and see what the ground is like [at Epsom]. We're in a nice position, in that he's in everywhere, and he's won his trial and he's fit, so we can pick and choose where we want to go."