Over 55,000 people attended the 2018 Chester May three-day festival and the 2019 addition begins on Wednesday on the famous tight and undulating Roodee course. The track is one of the most iconic on the British circuit and can make for some exciting racing. This week you can see the Aidan O’Brien team in full force, while in the Chester Cup, Ryan Moore and Willie Mullins could make a rare but devastating combination with Low Sun.
Here’s a look at the highlights for each of the three days at Chester this week.
WEDNESDAY
2.25 Arkle Finance Chester Oaks: Ralph Beckett’s unbeaten Manuela De Vega takes on John Gosden’s Mehdaayih Aidan O’Brien’s raider Secret Thoughts, whose fifth behind Lady Kaya looks much better after the 1000 Guineas.
Betting: 5-2 Mehdaayih, 3-1 Manuela De Vega, 7-2 Secret Thoughts, 13-2 Fanny Logan, 8-1 Grace And Danger, 12-1 Vivid Diamond, 33-1 Red Hot, 40-1 Love So Deep, 50-1 La Voix Magique, 66-1 Starlight Red, 150-1 Osmosis, Wanaasah.
3.35 MBNA Chester Vase Stakes: The home team are represented best by Martyn Meade’s Technician and King Ottokar from the Charlie Fellowes yard, while that man Aidan O’Brien has three of the eight runners, Norway, Sir Dragonet and Gentile Bellini.
Betting: 5-2 King Ottokar, 10-3 Tchnician, 9-2 Norway, 8-1 Sir Dragonet, 10-1 Dashing Willoughby, 11-1 Gentile Bellini, Kaloor, 14-1 Arthur Kitt.
THURSDAY
2.25 Homeserve Dee Stakes: Aidan O’Brien is double-handed for this Listed race over a 1m 2f, with Circus Maximus the favourite and Mohawk a dangerous second string. Andrew Balding’s Fox Chairman shaped well on debut and is an interesting contender.
Betting: 5-6 Circus Maximus, 3-1 Fox Chairman, 6-1 Mohawk, 8-1 Living Legend, 16-1 Allmankind, 20-1 Dark Jedi, 33-1 Mohtarrif.
3.35 Boodles Diamond Ormonde Stakes: Kew Gardens might have been in action last weekend but skipped the 2000 Guineas for this test. This looks a two against two match between Kew Gardens and the other O’Brien runner Cypress Creek and home hopes Morando (Andrew Balding) and Magic Circle (Ian Williams).
Betting: Evs Kew Gardens, 11-4 Magic Circle, 7-2 Morando, 15-2 Cypress Creek, 33-1 Dalgarno, Warnaq.
FRIDAY
2.25 Homeserve Huxley Stakes: Plenty of old favourites are among the 11 entries for this 1m 2y Group Two race including the now 10-year-old Gabrial from the Richard Fahey yard, who won a maiden at this meeting eight years ago.
3.35 SportPesa Chester Cup: The big race of the week and worth almost £100,000 to the winner. Ryan Moore teams up with Willie Mullins with Low Sun, while Austrian School is the ante-post favourite for Mark Johnston and won the Queen’s Cup at Musselburgh recently.
