Gosdens’ Betfred Derby/Oaks Hopefuls Gallop at Epsom Downs

Epsom Downs saw G1 Betfred Derby and Oaks hopefuls going through their paces Monday with Frankie Dettori partnering Juddmonte's Arrest (Ire), a homebred son of Frankel (GB), over just short of a mile at The Derby Festival Gallops Morning. Now in his final year in the saddle, Dettori likes his chances in the 244th running of the premier Classic over a mile and a half to be run on Saturday, June 3.

“I have been fortunate enough to win The Derby twice and it is still the most famous race in the world for us. When I started my career as a jockey, first of all you want to get a ride in it and then try to win it. I've had over 20 rides in it and this is my last go. At least I am going into my last Derby with a great chance,” said Dettori after the gallop. “This year is a lot of lasts. I went to Rome yesterday and it was my last Derby there. I saw the vice Prime Minister and he gave me a plaque congratulating me on my career. Now it's my last Derby here and I have a live chance, which is good.”

Co-trainer John Gosden was equally pleased, adding: “This horse can change gears, absolutely. He's a big boy and he proved he stayed the other day [in the May 10 G3 Chester Vase] when he handled the conditions. He doesn't need it to be like that.

“Stamina is a requirement in this race, the same for the GI Kentucky Derby going a mile and a quarter for the Americans, they see it as a marathon. He's got the stamina, no problem.”

Arrest visited the winner's enclosure twice in 2022 and was having his first run of the season in the Chester Vase.

Running Lion and Oisin Murphy in the irons on the gallop at Epson Downs | John Hoy/The Jockey Club

Not long behind her stablemate, Running Lion (GB) (Roaring Lion) worked just under a mile with three-time champion jockey Oisin Murphy in the irons, who is looking to continue his noteworthy return to the races after serving a 14-month ban for alcohol and Covid breaches. The grey won the Listed Howden Pretty Polly S. at Newmarket on her last start and appeared to handle the track well Monday before pulling clear of her lead horse.

“We were obviously delighted with Running Lion at Newmarket. She came out of the race well and today she went down very relaxed,” said Murphy afterwards. “Once I got her organised, although she didn't take too much organising, I let her go forward in the straight but I resisted the temptation to ask her for an effort because I thought the Pretty Polly with a little bit of dig in the ground wasn't long ago.”

Her rider does admit, however, that he has concerns regarding the stamina requirements for a contest of this calibre, ones echoed by the senior Gosden:

“Stamina-wise you never really know until you go a mile and a half. Everyone thinks it is a downhill track but it rises 150ft before you think about coming down hill and of course that last section where it climbs again at the finish can catch a lot of them out on stamina. Both the fillies have a lot of speed. It's hard to say until you know with the trip, they're both bred to be mile-and-a-quarter fillies and the last part is always the key, we don't know. You can't practice a race over a mile and a half at home, I don't think.”

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Dettori Masterclass Seals Chester Vase Win For Arrest

Juddmonte's €440,000 Goffs November foal Arrest (Ire) (Frankel {GB}–Nisriyna {Ire}, by Intikhab) closed his four-race juvenile campaign with a second in October's G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud and made a winning sophomore return under a Frankie Dettori masterclass in Wednesday's G3 Boodles Chester Vase.

Maintaining a three-wide passage off the rail and racing on fresher ground in second for most of this G1 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 (Ire) (Australia {GB}) by a geared-down 6 1/2 lengths. Hadrianus (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) 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. Enable raced until she was six.”

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 liked him as a 2-year-old, but he was very weak. He's strengthened up and 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.”

Pedigree Notes
Arrest is the seventh of nine foals and one of six scorers out of an unraced half to MGSW G1 Nassau S. and G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud placegetter Narniyn (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and multiple stakes winner Temerity (Ind) (Intense Focus). The April-foaled bay is a half-brother to GSW G1 Hong Kong Gold Cup third Dinozzo (Ire) (Lilbourne Lad {Ire}), Listed Rous S. third Spring Loaded (Ire) (Zebedee {GB}), a yearling filly by Wootton Bassett (GB) and a weanling colt by Dark Angel (Ire). Descendants of his third dam Noufiyla (Ire) (Top Ville {Ire}) include MGSW G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup runner-up Maiden Tower (GB) (Groom Dancer) and G1 Prix Marcel Boussac third Copperbeech (Ire) (Red Ransom).

Wednesday, Chester, Britain
BOODLES CHESTER VASE S.-G3, £120,000, Chester, 5-10, 3yo, c/g, 12f 63yT, 2:52.31, sf.
1–ARREST (IRE), 128, c, 3, by Frankel (GB)
1st Dam: Nisriyna (Ire), by Intikhab
2nd Dam: Narmina (Ire), by Alhaarth (Ire)
3rd Dam: Noufiyla (Ire), by Top Ville (Ire)
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. (€440,000 Wlg '20 GOFNOV). O-Juddmonte; B-Swordlestown Little (IRE); T-John & Thady Gosden; J-Lanfranco Dettori. £67,224. Lifetime Record: G1SP-Fr, 5-3-1-1, $157,353. *1/2 to Dinozzo (Ire) (Lilbourne Lad {Ire}), GSW & G1SP-HK, $1,509,980; and Spring Loaded (Ire) (Zebedee {GB}), SP-Eng, $300,332. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Adelaide River (Ire), 128, c, 3, Australia (GB)–Could It Be Love, by War Front. O-Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Westerberg; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. £25,596.
3–Hadrianus (Ire), 128, c, 3, Galileo (Ire)–Laugh Out Loud (GB), by Clodovil (Ire). 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (62,000gns Ylg '21 TADEY). O-Susan & John Waterworth; B-C O P Hanbury (IRE); T-Charlie Johnston. £12,816.
Margins: 6HF, 10, 97. Odds: 0.91, 2.25, 6.00.
Also Ran: Duke Of Oxford (GB), Galactic Jack (Ire).

 

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Auguste Rodin Heads Field Of Eight For Doncaster’s G1 Vertem Futurity Trophy

Aidan O'Brien has trimmed his overnight entry of eight down to two for Saturday's £200,000 G1 Vertem Futurity at Doncaster, Europe's final juvenile Group 1 contest of the season. TDN Rising Star and G2 Golden Fleece S. victor Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) is the mount of Ryan Moore and has been allocated stall six for the one-mile test. He is set to be joined by Navan maiden winner Salt Lake City (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who will depart from the eight box. The home defence is spearheaded by John and Thady Gosden's G3 Autumn S. runner-up Epictetus (Ire) (Kingman {GB}), another TDN Rising Star who has drawn post seven. Ballydoyle also sends a contingent of three for the two Group 1 contests at Saint-Cloud, with Espionage (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) set to tackle the one-mile G1 Criterium International earlier in the afternoon and Adelaide River (Ire) (Australia {GB}) and Covent Garden (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) declared for the 10-furlong G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud. TDN Rising Star and G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere third Breizh Sky (Fr) (Pedro The Great) leads the home defence in the former contest while just two French-trained runners–Strako (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}) and Sylphid (GB) (Zoffany {Ire})–line up against a seven-strong overseas challenge in the latter.

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