Weekend Winners - Chester May Meeting

Last weekend’s Guineas Festival at Newmarket gave us a brilliant start to the Flat season and there is no doubt we could be looking at some very smart three year olds once again this year. Saturday’s 2000 Guineas saw Bow Echo announce himself on the biggest stage with a stunning performance for George Boughey and Billy Loughnane. Sunday then belonged to Aidan O’Brien and True Love in the 1000 Guineas, with the Ballydoyle filly proving a class above her rivals under Wayne Lordan. She travelled beautifully throughout and when asked to pick up, she showed a really smart turn of foot to settle matters in impressive fashion. With the first Classics now behind us and the Derby and Oaks pictures slowly beginning to take shape, attention now turns to Chester’s May Festival where several exciting middle distance horses are back in action.

Thursday

2.35 Chester - Boodles Raindance Dee Stakes (Listed Race)

There has been incredible prize money on offer at Chester this week and they have certainly been rewarded with the horses that have turned out. Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore have a prolific record in the race having landed the last four renewals together and they are represented by CONSTITUTION RIVER who drops down in Grade on his seasonal reappearance. When we saw the market leader last time out on the course, he made all to win the Group 2 Futurity Stakes and you would expect him to stay this extra distance. He does have to concede race-fitness to his main market rival in Morshdi, who arrives here on the back of a win at Newmarket last time out. He certainly looked like the type who has improved dramatically from two to three, so it will be interesting to see if he can improve further. Golden Story can finish best of the rest for Clifford Lee and Karl Burke who you would expect to relish this extra distance following his soft ground Maiden success.

3.05 Chester - Ladbrokes Ormonde Stakes (Group 3)

Last year’s winner ILLINOIS makes his seasonal reappearance back at the scene of his gutsy success 12 months ago. Although he didn’t win after that race, he still showed a fair level of form when runner up behind Scandinavia in July who later went on to win the St Leger that season. A summer break will have surely done him no harm and he can overturn his short-priced stablemate Jan Brueghel who also returns to the track. Undoubtedly, his form is the best in the race but it’s his first trip to Chester and if there is a time to take him on, it is probably today. Al Qareem can put it up to all of them if he puts his best foot forward as he usually does. He was Clifford Lee’s first winner back since his awful injury over the winter period and has been a stable star for Karl Burke’s team in years gone by. Although he is now a seven year old, it would be silly to write him off around a track that he has proven he loves.

Friday

2.35 Chester - Deepridge Huxley Stakes (Group 2)

This is becoming rather like the Aidan O’Brien show this week if you haven’t gathered already, and he is strong-handed in here once again with last year’s Epsom Derby winner Lambourn making his seasonal reappearance. He won the Chester Vase on his second start of 2025 before going on to win the feature race at Epsom and later took Irish Derby honours too. Cheekpieces go on which is an interesting move and he is a very short price on his comeback run. I’m going to give a chance to SKY SAFARI who comes into this in the form of her life and although it may be a surprise should she cross the line in front, it wouldn’t be a total shock to see her run well. Danny Muscutt knows her extremely well and having won the Winter Derby in quite convincing fashion, she gets the vote for me.