3 minute read

St Leger second Arrest will be looking to make a winning start to his four-year-old campaign in Saturday’s Surprise Stakes at Newbury.

Successful in the Chester Vase as a three-year-old, Arrest started favourite for the Epsom Derby with Frankie Dettori aboard but became unbalanced in the closing stages and faded to tenth behind Auguste Rodin. He returned to the winner's enclosure in the Group 3 Geoffrey Freer Stakes at Newbury and ran credibly behind Continuous in the St Leger.

"He's a very talented horse, he ran great last year and was second in a Classic," said joint-trainer Thady Gosden.

"He's developed very well over the winter and is a horse of great size and quality and he's really filled into his frame and has been really pleasing leading into this race.

"He doesn't mind getting his toe in at all and the track and trip should suit."

Arrest will face nine other rivals including the experienced Hamish from the William Haggas yard, who is currently second-favourite in the betting. The now-eight-year-old recorded a fourth straight success when taking the Group 3 St Simon Stakes at Newmarket on heavy ground in early November and is a very solid performer at this level.

Karl Burke's Al Qareem finished second behind Hamish at Newmarket and is likely to appreciate the return to a sounder surface – the going at Newbury is currently good to soft.

"I'm looking forward to seeing him run and he's been ready to run for the last month," said Burke.

"He's working well, a mile and a half is his minimum trip, but on this ground I'm happy to start him off there.

"He'll step up and be a good one-mile-six and two-mile horse later in the year. It'll be a tough race, but I think he'll run really well.

"We were lucky to keep him and he got travel sickness coming back (from Dubai). He's hard work at home, Danielle Mooney rides him every day and he pulls her arms out every day, but he's a lovely horse to have."