Sectional Debrief: 2016 Chester May Meeting

Classic trials are, traditionally, meant to provide clues and contenders for the classics themselves, but this year’s at Chester served to weaken claims rather than strengthen them on the whole.

The course’s on-the-turn track of only about a mile in length makes it unlike any other, but it has proved to be a good preparation for that other unique venue, Epsom, more than occasionally over the years.

Shergar, possibly the greatest Derby winner of all, won the Chester Vase in 1981. More recently, Ruler of The World took the race in 2013 before going onto a more prosaic success in The Derby.

This year’s MBNA-sponsored contest went the way of US Army Ranger, favourite for The Derby as the stalls opened but usurped by Midterm, a horse who was not even in action, after it.

It was a highly controversial affair, with Seamie Heffernan on the winner’s stable-companion, Port Douglas, seeming to allow Ryan Moore and US Army Ranger up his inner and then riding his mount more tenderly than that one but being beaten just a short head.

Port Douglas, who was conceding US Army Ranger 4 lb for good measure, looked as if he should have won, and my own view is that the stewards failed to deliver justice by “noting” explanations.

Be that as it may, the clock tells its own story about the Chester Vase, and it is not an entirely positive one.

The race tested speed more than stamina in relative terms, with the time from the six-furlong pole the fastest for a longer-distance race over the three days and that last-two-furlong time resulting in a finishing speed (speed in sectional compared to average speed for race overall) that was quicker than par for the principals.

But US Army Ranger’s overall time was unexceptional and even an upgrade of several pounds due to those sectionals prompts a figure of just 106. Derby winners usually need to be capable of running at least to 120 if required, and Midterm hinted that he can do that when winning a fast-time Classic Trial at Sandown.

Then again, it was not all good news for supporters of Midterm: High Grounds and Dwight D had been third and fifth respectively at Sandown but were beaten quite a bit further in this.

US Army Ranger has done well in a short space of time, and could yet prove as good as his reputation suggests he is. But “a short space of time” is all he has left to make another big step forward between now and the first Saturday in June.

Port Douglas comes into the reckoning for The Derby itself, also, but has a similar amount to find on the clock. His penalty came from winning a Group 2 as a juvenile, but that was a weak contest in which little more than a length covered the first six home.

How the Chester Vase stacks up against other races across the three days can be seen from “race sectionals” information: that is, the figures for the leaders at the various junctures and not for individual horses. Par sectionals vary by distance, and are also affected by rail movements, but are not far from 100% at Chester on the whole.

US Army Ranger’s figure suffers in comparison to Cannock Chase’s in the Betway Huxley Stakes on the same card, mostly down to a superior overall time by the latter but also helped by quite a sharp finish by the Sir Michael Stoute-trained five-year-old.

It also suffers slightly in comparison with the figure achieved by Viren’s Army in the Betdaq Dee Stakes on the Friday, despite that more truly-run race being won by just a short head and a head (second-placed Linguistic comes out marginally best on sectionals). Viren’s Army had previously been third to Oaks fancy So Mi Dar in a more muddling Derby Trial at Epsom.

Somehow’s win in Wednesday’s Arkle Finance Cheshire Oaks created only a ripple in the market for The Oaks itself, though what isn’t shown is that Somehow came from several lengths back to prevail and gets a bigger mark-up than her rivals.

Sectionals also underline just what a tactical affair was the Boodles Diamond Ormonde Stakes, won from the front by Dartmouth. The Queen’s colt has won some good races but not yet recorded a good overall time, and in sectional terms he comes out inferior to runner-up Wicklow Brave in this.

This year’s Chester May Meeting provided rich pickings for followers of Timeform’s Sectional Uplift Flags, with winners including Ian Fleming (12.50 BSP) and Kimberella (6.46 BSP).

Favourable mentions for the future among the supporting races can be made about: Fiery Character (went too fast before finishing fourth to Copper Knight in the meeting’s opener); Roudee and Blithe Spirit (paid for forcing the pace in Kimberella’s race, though the former did have the best draw); Red Verdon (did very well to run down Soldier In Action in a stop-start race); and American Artist (fastest of all in the closing sectional when a never-nearer fifth to Dark Red).

But the truth is that sectionals are unearthing positive and negative performances in the majority of races at the majority of meetings on every day of the week. The full story can be found only in Timeform’s Sectional Archive.