Coveted Vase

Now re-established as a significant Derby pointer, Thursday's G3 MBNA Chester Vase is high on the wishlist of Aidan O'Brien and he saddles a quartet as he bids for a fifth consecutive success and eighth in total. It is notable that Ryan Moore is on the least-proven of the stable's runners, but what the Apr. 20 Tipperary maiden scorer Venice Beach (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) lacks in form substance he more than makes up for on breeding as a half-brother to the Arc and King George heroine Danedream (Ger) (Lomitas {GB}). The Anvil (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who was runner-up in the G2 Royal Lodge S. at Newmarket in September, and the Apr. 28 G3 Sandown Classic Trial scorer Cunco (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) are the standard-bearers to aim at, while another unexposed maiden winner who promises much is Godolphin's Tamleek (Hard Spun). He was powerful in the finish of a 10-furlong contest at Newmarket on Apr. 20 and trainer Saeed bin Suroor is hopeful he can make into a Classic contender. “Tamleek won well at Newmarket and has been working nicely,” he said. “This is another step forward and will tell us which direction to take in the future with him.”