Horse-by-horse guide: Boodles Chester Vase Stakes

You never really know until after the event what type of Chester Vase we’re dealing with, but in this case the standard and significance can be set expectantly high, primarily due to the presence of Benvenuto Cellini who codes like Ballydoyle’s best middle-distance 3-y-o this season. But what draws all of the spotlight away from Benvenuto Cellini and adds intrigue to the race is a mystery box like Water To Wine who left Newbury with an aura about him.

Let’s look in detail at those and the others in an excellent edition of the Chester Vase, live on Sky Sports Racing.

Boodles Chester Vase Stakes (Group 3) - 1m4f63y

1. BENVENUTO CELLINI (5) 

J: Ryan Moore T: A P O'Brien

The numbers game of 30 runners and ten winners tells the tale of the importance of the race to Aidan O’Brien, but when he enters ‘Epsom’ into the classic SatNav the Chester Vase is normally the additional or alternative route that comes up as a bonus or a back-up, whereas this time he’s targeting it with his primary weapon, or so it seems. Benvenuto Cellini is flirting with favouritism for the Derby and has been for a long time, and his two-year-old campaign had him coded as ‘the chosen one’ for Epsom, mirroring Auguste Rodin for one, though he failed where that one succeeded in the Group 1 Futurity Trophy, with some mitigation.

The ground was heavy at Doncaster, blunting his brilliance, checking in only third behind two team-mates that were more compatible with conditions, nonetheless recording the fastest furlong in the race, tying in with his electric performance in the Champions Juvenile Stakes at Leopardstown on Irish Champions Weekend when he was the only horse all day to dip under 12 seconds for the final furlong. He’s a Frankel with gears but his sister Giselle contested last year’s Oaks and, in his Expert Analysis summary of the Futurity on attheraces.com, Simon Rowlands pointed to Benvenuto Cellini’s “relaxed and fluent stride of one who will be suited by 1¼m/1½m,” the trip a trigger rather than a worry, nor is the Group 2 penalty if he’s as good as signposted. With the star quality he’s flashed and as the stakes as they are, this feels like more than a mere trial for Benvenuto Cellini.

2. DEL MARO (2) 

J: William Buick T: Charlie Appleby

By Camelot and out of a German Oaks winner, in itself explaining how he cost €850,000 and why he’s bringing a Derby entry to a Derby trial. But that packaging in the Godolphin blue is more wondrous and weighty than what lies within, from what we know, and we know plenty after five runs. He signed off last season with a third to Benvenuto Cellini’s frenemy Pierre Bonnard in the Zetland, but even his reappearance win in a mere maiden at Yarmouth, at odds of 4/7, became a bit of a scramble in the end. Bred as he is, this trip will help him, but it needs to transform him.

3. MR COLONEL (6) 

J: Shane Gray T: Richard & Peter Fahey

Two places and 2¼ lengths behind Del Maro in the Zetland, which was flattering on him if anything having dictated, and he was all out to land a four-runner novice at Redcar on his return. His half-brother High Stock was second in the Dee last year, but he was an open book then, and Mr Colonel seems too exposed for a race like this (doesn’t have any bigger entries) even if the longer distance brings the best out of him.

4. MR VETTORI (3) 

J: Shane Foley T: Mrs John Harrington

Made his debut in the same race as Benvenuto Cellini, around 20lb between them then, as there is now, but Mr Vettori has made his own incremental improvements and chased home Futurity winner Hawk Mountain back at the Curragh before winning at Gowran. His reappearance raised the bar again, when splitting the well-entered pair Limestone and Port Ferdinand at Cork, but he’s not so sure as some in here to relish the 1½m trip. Entered in the Irish Derby.

5. PROPOSITION (7) 

J: Wayne Lordan T: A P O'Brien

Closely related by Frankel to multiple Group 1 winners Magical and Rhododendron, and brings with him all the right entries, after a second start as a juvenile which was far removed from the first, beating an odds-on stablemate with a next-time winner back in third. But you never quite know with the lightly-raced second strings whether they’re here for themselves or to service Benvenuto Cellini, but the first-time cheekpieces hints at a job to do.

6. ROYAL STANDARD 

(Non-runner)

It wouldn’t be like Andrew Balding to waste a mark of 80, which Royal Standard is in the market for doing here, missing several rungs of the ladder for this shot at the big time. He contested above-average maidens at two – won by Oxagon and Spyce – and won as he liked at Wolverhampton on his comeback in March, but that’s a world away from what he faces here. Tongue tied for the first time.

7. WATER TO WINE   

(Non-runner)

His debut at Newbury was about as good as it gets, forewarned by the betting, and the data was revealing about the mechanics within, recording the longest stride in the race and the highest finishing speed percentage of the day, with rapid closing splits of 11.59 sec and 11.70 sec on top of a truly-run race. The Gosdens, overflowing with 3-y-o budding talent, won a lesser Derby trial at Epsom with a once-raced colt (Saxon Street), and that one’s debut hadn’t been anything like to awesome as Water To Wine’s. He’s not in the Derby, but the stated aim after Newbury was the King Edward VII at Royal Ascot, for which this will be a valuable lesson, and it could very well be more than that given initial impressions of his power and potential. It’s not often you say this and actually mean it but he really could be anything.