Chester
2.25 1m3f Cheshire Oaks Fillies Listed – Manuela De Vega 3/1
One of 3 in the field with an Oaks entry, she was very forward last season but has a pedigree that should progress well which looks very promising, she impressed highly on her first 2 winning starts, the first in a usual good maiden beating race fit rivals in a impressive time, she then took on her opposite sex in a Listed upped to a mile and impressed even more on softer ground, she was certainly green and a little outpaced but her class kept her in the race and dominated the race in the latter stages to win by nearly 3 lengths pushed out through the line. Today’s extra trip will be a huge plus on both pedigree and visually, she won’t mind any rain that comes and has a nice draw. Trainer Ralph Beckett is superb recent form with 7 wins in the last 2 weeks and 4 wins from 10 races with his 3yo’s in the same time. Harry Bentley takes the reins who won on the fillies back the last twice, he has a good record with his boss and a great record at the course. She’s currently 25/1 for the Oaks at present too which I suggest you get some as she’ll be around 8/1 at the end of the day if she wins how I think she will.
3.35 1m4f Group 3 Chester Vase – Norway 9/2
Yet to race on soft ground but out of Galileo who’s pedigree for me are better on a sounder surface but will still practically go on any surface and his dam who won with yielding in the description also recorded career bests when placing in a listed and group 3 contests with soft and heavy in the description, also a full brother to Rule The World who not only won this in 2013 before winning the Derby, but recorded a career best on soft ground in the Champion Stakes at Ascot, plenty of clues to say the testing ground should be fine today for Norway. He may not look as good as full brother Rule the World, but we didn’t see RTW as a 2yo so hard to make full comparisons yet, but Norway still brings in the strongest form from his Listed win at Newmarket and his 4th in a Group 1 in France which needs marking up for racing far too keenly in a strongly run race setting it up for closer, he still stayed on well considering. Today the cheek pieces are applied for the first time which should be a big plus after his 2yo displays plus RTW won this with cheek pieces fitted for the first time. Trainer Aiden O’Brien is having his usual May frenzy winning the Group 1 Guineas double and a Group 3 & 2 with Happen and Magical all over the bank holiday weekend, Aiden’s won this race 8 times in the past and has won it 6 times in the last 8 years with usual farming partner Ryan Moore whose chosen this horse over O’Brien’s other 2 which is another big plus.
5.05 7f Class 4 Handicap – Air Raid 11/2
Won fresh on both his season starts over 7 furlongs on soft ground and was rated as high as 95 this time last year, since then he hasn’t ran so well in 5 races, but 3 races were on the AW all over different trips and the other 2 on turf was in tough class 2 0-105 contests, so fair to say he has excuses. As a result his handily dropped down to mark of 84, 11lbs under last years mark, he drops into a much easier class 4 0-85, ground is in favour, he runs well fresh, trainer Jedd O’Keefe is having a brilliant season and is still in great form and sends just the one to Chester where he doesn’t really travel to often.
Russell Blair
