Arrest moved up to be joint-favourite for the Derby after Frankie Dettori steered the Classic contender to a comfortable victory in the Chester Vase on the jockey’s final ride at the track.
Sent off as 10/11 favourite on the Roodee, the John and Thady Gosden-trained colt travelled keenly in the early stages, with Dettori eager not to stride too far forward on his only ride of the three-day meeting.
Hadrianus made the early running but by the three-furlong pole could no longer keep the pace up as Dettori peered around to check on his main rival Ryan Moore aboard Aidan O’Brien’s Adelaide River.
Eager to keep Moore in his rear-view, Dettori sent his mount on and soon cut a lone figure rounding the home bend, going on to win by six-and-a-half lengths.
Sky Bet reacted to the victory by moving Arrest to 5/1 for the Epsom Classic, alongside O’Brien’s Auguste Rodin, but Dettori says his appearance will be ground dependent.
He told Sky Sports Racing: “I rode him in work last week and he’s strengthened up a lot. The ground and the distance was no problem.
Dettori poses with the Chester Vase trophy
“The race fell apart three furlongs out so I had to make my own way home and he couldn’t have won any easier.
“If it was good to firm at Epsom he might find it a bit of a challenge but we had a soft ground Derby last year.
“We know he stays well and he doesn’t lack pace so he ticks a lot of boxes. He could be my Derby ride.
Arrest comes home to win the Chester Vase comfortably
“To win on my final ride at Chester is great and now I can dream a little bit of a Derby ride.”
John Gosden added: “We’re obviously thrilled with that. You learn a lot for Epsom by coming around here and he handled it well.
“There’s every reason now to point towards Epsom but if we get into the drought of last summer that could be different.”