John and Thady Gosden’s Arrest is vying to win the Ormonde Stakes and make a winning comeback to Chester.
At the meeting last year, the horse made a winning start to his three-year-old season by handily winning the Chester Vase on a course that was just over a mile and a half on soft ground.
Subsequently, he finished down in the King Edward VII at Royal Ascot and the Derby, but he returned to form in the Geoffrey Freer at Newbury and went on to finish second in the St Leger.
This time, Arrest started his season in the John Porter at Newbury, finishing seventh in a run connections expect him to come on from.
“We know he handles the course and distance and it seems a logical place for him,” said Barry Mahon of owners Juddmonte. “He’s going back up on the trip and we know that will be fine, he handles Chester, so the track will be fine, and I think he will come on plenty for his first run at Newbury. Obviously, we thought he was ready to run and he just caught us out a little bit with his fitness. He wasn’t as far on as we thought, but he’s improved plenty for the run and we look forward to seeing him again.”
Aidan O'Brien, who won the Group Two Huxley Stakes last term, is running Point Lonsdale in the competition.
Despite not winning again during the campaign, the five-year-old finished some decent races, most notably third in the Bahrain International Trophy and fourth in the Champion Stakes.
This year, he has made two more starts in the Middle East. In Doha, he participated in the Amir Trophy and finished last out of eleven, but at Meydan, he showed improvement to place sixth in the Sheema Classic.
Most of Point Lonsdale's runs have been ridden by Ryan Moore, who will do so once more in a field of seven for the Group Three Ormonde
He said via Betfair: “A smallish field but it has a fair bit of depth. I’d like to think my horse is just about the one to beat, though. He won the Huxley Stakes in testing grounds here last year but he has Group One form on a decent surface, courtesy of his runs in the Irish Champion Stakes (sixth), and in the Sheema Classic last time. The trip is obviously unknown.”