The feature race of the opening day of Chester‘s three day May meeting is the Chester Cup and the admirable 9-year-old Irish mare Shu Lewis has the plum draw in stall one and made a pleasing reappearance when runner up to Dermot Weld’s Windsor Park at Gowran Park last month. The forecast rain on Tuesday will certainly help her cause and she is a must for the short-list at 16/1 at the time of writing with BetVictor.
Dr Marwan Koukash has owned the winner of the race for the last two years and five of the 17 strong field will go to post in his famous silks including Gabrial’s King who ran a great prep race when runner up at Ripon last month behind Ed Dunlop’s Trip To Paris who carries a 3lbs penalty for the win. That was his first start for Richard Fahey and there may be more improvement to come.
The vote goes to Quick Jack (3.10) who finished third in the Cesarewitch back in the autumn and again finished third in a valuable handicap at the Cheltenham Festival in March. He is drawn in stall nine, which could have been better but obviously much worse, and will be ridden by Richard Hughes who steered Makmool home in this valuable handicap back in 2010. At 11/2 with BetVictor I will be disappointed if he didn’t make the frame.
The opening Lily Agnes Stakes can go to Rah Rah (2.10) who has an excellent draw in stall two and showed plenty of pace when winning at Kempton on debut. The Mark Johnston yard won the corresponding race 12 months ago with Mukhmal and have every chance of following up with their speedily bred filly.
The David Evans stable also like to have winners on the Roodeye (won this race back in 2009) and the Lily Ages was nominated as the early season target for Silver Wings after his impressive Windsor success; he has the plum draw in stall one and will take some catching.
The listed Cheshire Oaks can go to Diamondsandrubles (2.40) who was caught in a pocket and was never able to mount a challenge in a similar contest at Navan last month. Trained by Aidan O’Brien the filly is unlikely to be one of the stable’s main Oaks candidates but the yard have won the corresponding race three times in the last seven years and she must go close.
O’Brien will have the short price favourite in the 10f maiden with Sir Isaac Newton (4.20) who finished runner up to Zawraq on debut and that colt has subsequently won the Leopardstown Classic Trial and is 8/1 at BetVictor for the Oaks at Epsom next month. The selection cost 3.6million Guineas as a yearling and is my antepost Derby colt although the fact that he is running in a modest maiden is a slight concern; he is currently 14/1 for the classic but will need to win very well to make more than a ripple in the classic picture.
It will be interesting to see if the market speaks in favour of Hernandoshideaway in the concluding 12f handicap but John Gosden’s string remains in cracking form and the gelded Secateur (5.25) can follow up his recent Doncaster maiden success. The selection should confirm Goodwood juvenile form with Andrew Balding‘s Prince Of Cardamon although the latter will appreciate today’s better ground having looked ill at ease on fast ground at Windsor last time.
Robert Cowell saddles two in the sprint and he looks to have found an excellent opportunity for Normal Equilibrium from stall one but I am optimistic that Dutch Masterpiece (4.55) can improve on his recent Nottingham comeback after 12 months off and this course winner is reunited with Ryan Moore for his father Gary.
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