Doctor has right prescription
Khalid Abdullah unearthed a possible understudy to Vodafone Derby favourite Twice Over as Doctor Fremantle thrilled a sun-drenched crowd in the Bank Of America Chester Vase.
The Saudi Arabian prince will see Twice Over tested at York next week and should he fail the Michael Stoute-trained son of Sadler’s Wells could be added to the Classic field.
However, connections are more inclined to target the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby with the 11-8 favourite after he scored by half a length under stable jockey Ryan Moore.
The colt raced keenly in a race dominated by a stop-start pace, before finding a dream opening as the runners fanned off the final bend to hold the persistent challenge of St Leger-bound All The Aces.
Abdullah’s racing manager Teddy Grimthorpe said: “He missed the break slightly and it was a muddling race, but the split came nicely against the rail and he quickened well.
“He is not in the Derby, but he is in the King Edward VII and the Irish Derby and I think we’ll look at that route.
“We will bring him on and if he is good enough I imagine he will go for the Irish Derby.
“We would not be thinking of supplementing for Epsom at this stage and Twice Over is our main Derby contender at the moment.
“He will run in the Dante next week and is in good form.”
Maraahel was just worried out of a fourth consecutive victory in the Grant Thornton Huxley Stakes as Championship Point made virtually all to capture the Group Three prize.
Stoute’s seven-year-old has become a standing dish on the Roodee and touched 1-8 in-running on Betfair as Richard Hills narrowly shaded the advantage entering the final furlong aboard the 5-2 chance.
But Championship Point (12-1) had a little more left in the locker and pulled out extra to provide Mick Channon with a welcome change of fortune after narrow defeats in the 1000 Guineas and Chester Cup.
Short-priced favourite Multidimensional was disappointing.
Channon said: “We needed a change of luck and we have got that today.
“When I saw the ground drying out I knew we had to go again and it is great he has managed to win a Group race.”
Owner Hamdan Al Maktoum’s racing manager Angus Gold added of Maraahel: “It was a good effort. He gave it his best and it is great to see he is still in good shape.
“I’ve not discussed plans with Sir Michael, but I guess we will follow a similar route to last year.”
Winning jockey Darryll Holland picked up a one-day ban (May 22) for careless riding soon after the start.
