Racing Chat- Friday 10th May

[The Brigadier]

Chester 1.30

The day’s terrestrial action kicks off with a 7 1/2F class 2 handicap with a field of thirteen. There are plenty of course specialists on show with last year’s comfortable 3L winner Revich back to defend his title off of a mark 3lb higher now. He’s shown very little in two starts this season but more can be expected here. Another course specialist is Boardman who like Revich has won three of his 9 starts here but is drawn out wide today which is hardly ideal. William Buick’s mount Dancing Magic is another with claims although he remains a maiden after twelve starts. There may be an outsider who looks value here in the Ruth Carr trained Fools Rush In. He was having his first run for Carr, having joined from Jim Goldie and also since a wind operation when finishing a tailed last of thirteen on very heavy ground at Ripon over 6F on his re-appearance. If we can forget that run, for which he’s been dropped 2lb we have a horse who’s won three of his 9 starts here , is well drawn in box 4 and can race off the lowest handicap mark of his career some 16lb, 18lb and 9lb lower than his three victories at the Roodee. At a big price he can be backed each way with an additional place.

 

FOOLS RUSH IN 1 point each way @ 16/1 bet365 1/5th 1234

 

Ascot 1.50

ITV show the opener from Ascot which is a competitive 7F three year old handicap with six going to post, all of whom have chances. Anyone watching the bottom weight American Bay’s last run at Newbury will want to be with Harry Charlton’s chestnut who was in a pocket and flew when extricated to finish a 2L fourth to Teraabb. Off of the same mark he can run a big race whilst the Andrew Balding handicap debutant Arctic Thunder is also worth a saver. His latest run which came at Kempton in February has been subsequently boosted by the winner and runner up Notable Speech and Cuban Tiger winning in good company since. That pair are now rated 121 and 98 respectively so the initial mark for Balding’s runner of 87 could be on the light side.

 

AMERICAN BAY 1 point win @ 5/1 bet365

ARCTIC THUNDER 1 point win @ 7/1 bet365

 

Chester 2.05

Seven line up for this 1M 4 1/2F three year old maiden. Aidan O’Brien saddles his Ephesus, a King Edward VII Stakes entry at Royal Ascot who showed up well when third at Dundalk (beaten 2 3/4L) on his debut when the O’Brien second string. I’m not really sure that he deserves to be favourite here with the Roger Varian trained Mr Hampstead having shown more in his two starts including at Newbury in April when fourth of ten in a Newbury novice stakes (fifth Sam Hawkins has won since) beaten 2 1/4L. This Amo Racing owned colt also has some fancy entries including the English and Irish Derby and he can open his account at the third time of asking under David Egan.

 

MR HAMPSTEAD 1 point win @ 5/2 bet365

 

Chester 2.35

A 1M 2 1/2f class 2 handicap is next up with a field of nine. The two Sheikh Obaid runners Bolster, trained by Karl Burke and Botanical, trained by Roger Varian are handicappers very much on the upgrade but both may prefer more juice in the ground and for that reason I’m siding with the William Buick ridden Box To Box. Hugo Palmer’s five year old has an excellent record here which reads 116121 and comes here fit from a winter campaign in Bahrain in which he was placed in three valuable handicaps. Drawn in stall 2 he can be prominent throughout and score.

 

BOX TO BOX 1 point each way @ 8/1 bet365 1/5th 123

 

Chester 3.05

Nine declarations run in the 1M 2 1/2F Group 2 Huxley Stakes. The highest rated in the field is the John & Thady Gosden trained Israr who will strip fitter for his third in the Gordon Richards Stakes at Sandown a fortnight ago and has to be a player here. The ground is surely too fast for the Karl Burke runner Royal Rhyme who was pulled out on a similar surface at Newmarket Craven meeting and he is easily dismissed. The most interesting runner is surely the Sir Michael Stoute trained Passenger who could be in for a fruitful season. A winner first time out last season in the Wood Ditton, he was an eye catcher in the Dante before flopping in the Epsom Derby. Maybe that was a race too soon in his development and following a break he looked good again when winning the Group 3 Winter Hill Stakes at Windsor last August. Stoute has a great knack with his class older horses and it would be no shock to see this Flaxman Stables owned colt take this under Richard Kingscote.

 

PASSENGER 1 point win @ 11/4 BetVictor

 

Chester 3.40

A maximum field of seventeen line up for the 2M 2 1/2F Chester Cup, the feature race of the day. As one would expect it’s a wide open renewal with luck and track position playing a major part. Andrew Balding saddles two interesting runners who can both play a part in the finish. Bottom weight Grand Providence is the usual mount for Hayley Turner and she again takes the ride breaking from stall 12. He’ll certainly strip fitter for his recant re-appearance third at Newbury. Balding’s other runner and the mount of Oisin Murphy is Aztec Empire who exits from stall 4 and has been gelded since last seen back in September. He was a leading fancy for this race a year ago but was pulled out on account of the soft ground that time and with conditions very much in his favour he’s my idea of the winner. If you fancy him then it makes sense to have a small stakes saver on Kevin Ryan’s Forza Orta who beat Aztec Empire by a neck in a 2M handicap on fast ground at the Ebor meeting and there is now a one pound swing in favour of the latter. Cases can be made for plenty of others but it’s Aztec Empire with a saver on Forza Orta for me.

 

AZTEC EMPIRE 1 point each way @ 7/1 bet365 1/5th 12345

FORZA ORTA 1/2 point each way @ 16/1 bet365 1/5th12345

[black rabbit]

Zanndadbad                                                        3 40 Chs/               1//40th of a pt ew   16/1       - 3rd

The Big Board                                                      3 30 Asc/                1/40th of a pt ew   16/1

The Smiling Wolf                                                 4 35 Asc/                1/40th of a pt ew    40/1

 

P/L  = +176.80pts

Edited May 11 by black rabbit