The Chester May meeting will always be one of my favourite festivals of the flat racing season. The tight track always provides thrilling racing along with more than its fair share of hard luck stories. This was the venue for Shergar’s stunning victory which set him on course for the Epsom Derby and his place in history. We will be previewing each day’s racing in detail as the classic trials unfold but the feature race of the week is still the Chester Cup.
A maximum of seventeen runners will embark on the two and a quarter mile trip with the usual mixture of seasoned campaigners and up-and-coming stayers. Last year’s finish was dominated by Dr Marwan Koukash with his horse’s finishing first and second. Jamie Spencer was guilty of playing his hand too soon on Angel Gabrial and was cut down close home by Ryan Moore on Suegioo.
Consolation came in the Northumberland Plate for the runner-up and he has been tried in a higher grade since. He is not a particularly big horse and I can’t see him shouldering his big weight successfully this year. He is 15lbs higher in the handicap while Suegioo enjoys a 10lbs pull for three and half lengths from Newcastle. I certainly wouldn’t rule out Marco Botti’s charge after a gentle warm-up race at Ripon.
The one that catches the eye is Quick Jack, trained by Tony Martin in Ireland. He has been favourite for a string of big handicaps on the flat and over jumps over the past 18 months. His trainer has chosen very carefully and has been rewarded with a victory at Galway and two fine placed efforts at Newmarket and Cheltenham.
He was unlucky not to win the Cesarewitch when beaten only three-quarters of a length into third behind Big Easy. Richard Hughes was on board that day and hit the front with a furlong to run. Don’t expect to see him until very late on here and much will depend on whether Hughes can weave his way through the field. There is a lot of rain forecast over the next couple of days and connections will be hoping that some of it falls on the Roodeye.
Mubaraza was favourite last year but failed to quicken in the home straight and finished fourth. Ed Dunlop also runs Trip To Paris who is on a hat-trick under Graham Lee. He stepped up to two miles for the first time at Ripon and beat Gabrial’s King decisively. The runner-up did not get a clear run up the straight but would not have beaten Trip To Paris. If the going stays on the quick side, he could be worth a saver.
Quick Jack 3.10 Chester Wednesday @6-1 Stan James
