Juddmonte hope Cadogan Place can replicate Arrest with Vase success

‘He’s a nice colt, he’s improving a lot and is a well-bred colt, so we’re looking forward to a good run’.

Owners Juddmonte will seek back-to-back victories in the Boodles Chester Vase Stakes on Wednesday when Cadogan Place attempts to replicate Arrest’s triumph of 12 months ago.

Like Arrest, Andrew Balding’s colt is a smartly-bred son of Frankel, but whereas last year’s scorer brought Group form to the table, this year’s model is very much an unproven prospect as he steps up in class following a winning debut at Southwell.

Rolleston novice winners would not typically be fancied for Classic trials on their next start, but this particular 11-furlong event had a strong look to it with Cadogan Place narrowly getting the better of a Charlie Appleby Betfred Derby entrant, the reopposing Hidden Law.

“He’s a nice colt who has just taken a bit of time – which is why he started so late, he’s a big horse,” said Barry Mahon, Juddmonte’s European racing manager.

“He won his novice from Charlie’s horse who has since gone on and franked the form with an impressive win at Newbury. They reoppose each other again and it will be interesting to see how it plays out.

“He’s a nice colt, he’s improving a lot and is a well-bred colt, so we’re looking forward to a good run.”

Arrest would go on from Chester to subsequently be sent off favourite for the Derby on his next start.

Cadogan Place does not currently hold an entry ticket to the Premier Classic, but a trip to Epsom is not completely off the table, with connections keen to learn plenty about their colt who will be partnered by Oisin Murphy on the Roodee.

“I suppose we’re going to find out what we have and we didn’t have the Derby on our minds, simply as in he didn’t make it to the track at two,” continued Mahon.

“He’s not an exuberant work horse at home, so we didn’t have Epsom on our mind.

“He won his novice in nice fashion, but there hasn’t been a whole lot of options to run him back in a novice. This is a nice option and it tells us where we will go from here.

“He’s a fine, big, well-bred horse and very nice physically. He’s taken his time to mature, but he passed his first test and we’re stepping up to the next level and if he passes that then there’s all the conversations to be had. And if he doesn’t we can then make alternative plans.”

The aforementioned Hidden Law built on his short-head Southwell defeat to Cadogan Place when blitzing the opposition in impressive fashion at Newbury on his second start.

His trainer already houses the ante-post Derby favourite at his Moulton Paddocks base, but Hidden Law is as short as 16-1 himself for Classic honours on June 1 and is given the chance to throw his hat into the Godolphin reckoning.

“We were delighted with Hidden Law at Newbury, when he showed a big improvement from his first start,” Appleby told www.godolphin.com.

“We know this is a fair step up in class, but he looked to run to a decent level when winning his maiden. This will hopefully give us a clearer picture of his summer programme.”

Also preparing to test his mettle in deep waters is John and Thady Gosden’s Wolverhampton winner Pappano, who like Hidden Law will be out to justify his Derby entry.

He represents last year’s winning team, but may need to raise his game in this company to provide Clarehaven with consecutive Vase victories.

“He won well at Wolverhampton first time out this year and has come forward for that run,” said Thady Gosden.

“He is stepping up in grade significantly, but he is a horse we have always liked. He is obviously still inexperienced and he’s stepping into a solid race where Grosvenor Square sets the standard off 109, but the race looks a good fit for him.”

Grosvenor Square finished his two-year-old season with a taking victory
Grosvenor Square finished his two-year-old season by taking victory (Damien Eagers/PA)

Aidan O’Brien’s record in this race is exemplary and the Ballydoyle handler saddles two in search of a record-extending 11th success in the Group Three event.

O’Brien sent out Ruler Of The World to win this in 2013 before going on to strike at Epsom, while Wings Of Eagles was runner-up in 2017 before going one better on the Surrey Downs later that summer.

This time around his main hopes lie with Grosvenor Square, who ran out a comfortable winner of the Eyrefield Stakes on his final start at two. He is the mount of Ryan Moore, while Dylan Browne McMonagle will partner stablemate Agenda.

Moore told Betfair: “He looks the clear form choice on his form at two. I didn’t ride him in any of his three starts last year, but he followed up a good third in the Beresford when an impressive winner of a Group Three at Leopardstown on deep ground.

“He promises to be well suited to this trip and there is no reason to think he won’t be as least as effective on a decent surface. In fact, he will probably improve for it.

“He’s a good prospect, but our other Galileo colt, Agenda, is far from out of this, either.”

Karl Burke’s Golden West showed a decent level of form in two outings as a juvenile and completes the line-up, expected to improve for his recent Longchamp return.

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