Alexandros seeks Dee glory

Godolphin bring out the first of their Vodafone Derby aspirants at Chester on Friday as the ex-French Alexandros tackles the Addleshaw Goddard Dee Stakes.

With Ibn Khaldun performing inexplicably badly in Saturday’s 2000 Guineas as the first of Sheikh Mohammed’s team to appear this season, there will be much expectation from runners in the trials over the next week.

Alexandros has stamina in his pedigree but produced his best efforts as a juvenile over six furlongs under the care of Andre Fabre, winning a Group Three at Deauville before following home Myboycharlie and Natagora in the Prix Morny.

Godolphin trainer Saeed bin Suroor is giving little away but anticipates a decent showing.

“Alexandros is doing well and I am happy with his preparation. He is fit and healthy,” he told www.godolphin.com.

“It will be a tough race to win but we are looking forward to a good performance from our colt on his first start this year.”

One of his chief opponents will be Unnefer, whose connections opted against the mile-and-a-half Bank Of America Chester Vase at this week’s meeting at the Roodee.

Henry Cecil’s last Derby winner Oath won the Dee Stakes nine years ago and the Newmarket trainer campaigned his colt fairly quietly as a two-year-old apart from one occasion at Ascot where he was no match for the top-class Raven’s Pass.

With a record of one win and three seconds from the juvenile season, Unnefer returned to win the same conditions race at Newbury as Light Shift did a year ago in the Niarchos silks.

Alan Cooper, racing manager to the family, said: “We decided to run in the mile-and-a-quarter race mainly because that was the trip he won over at Newbury and we decided to stick with it.

“This is a step up in class but he seems to be going well.”

Aidan O’Brien runs both Achill Island and Sligo. The former was second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf but both need to step up from their recent efforts in France.

Sir Michael Stoute’s Tajaweed is the other leading contender.