SELDOM can a win in a recognised Derby Trial have been met with such an underwhelming response as US Army Ranger’s in the Chester Vase, with the odds-on favourite getting home in front by just a short-head from his less forcefully ridden stablemate Port Douglas, who was conceding him 4lb.
On the one hand, the colt remains unbeaten and took a significant step forward from his maiden win at the Curragh.
On the other, he still has quite some way to go to achieve usual Derby-winning standard, and not much time left in which to do it. He was ousted as favourite for the big race on the back of this.
US Army Ranger’s 97 timefigure was none too impressive, though against that his sectionals suggest he will be up to posting a genuine Group 3 time another day. The Chester Vase was a tactical affair and the principals ran the last 6f quickest of all the longer-distance races over Chester’s three days.
Port Douglas, the winner of a substandard Beresford Stakes in a blanket finish at two, ran just a 101 timefigure but may have earned a crack at the Derby in a year in which credible candidates are not exactly 10-a-penny.
Better efforts on the clock came in other trials from Viren’s Army (106 timefigure in the Dee Stakes at Chester), Humphrey Bogart (107 in the Derby Trial at Lingfield) and Moonlight Magic (99 in the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial at Leopardstown).
The last-named accounted for two other Aidan O’Brien-trained Derby hopefuls in Shogun (96) and Idaho (95), but the proximity in fifth of apparent no-hoper Saafarr cannot be explained away easily.
An altogether more interesting Derby candidate won the Group 2 Prix Greffulhe at Saint-Cloud on Sunday, though Godolphin’s Cloth Of Stars would need supplementing for Epsom.
Timeform does not publish timefigures in France, but applying universal standard times to the Saint-Cloud card strongly suggests that the Greffulhe was the standout time on the card, worth a figure of at least 112.
Cloth Of Stars had been beaten twice by the smart Robin Of Navan previously, but, looking a more settled individual here, turned the tables seemingly on merit. He now has four wins from six races to his name, and it is easy to see him figuring prominently at Epsom if that is the route connections take.