Chester Boodles May Festival day three Friday 10th May 2024

It is Boodles May Festival Chester Cup Day Friday up on the Roodee with a maximum field running in the handicap over 2m2½f. They also host the 2m2½f Chester Plate on the card and the jockeys and horses could be forgiven for being a bit dizzy going round the tight Chester track after those two races! In fact it is a day for the middle-distance and staying types with just one race on the Chester shorter than 1m2½f; there'll be a lot of turning left going on. There is a lot of horse racing on Friday but I am actually only having two bets on the day. 

Best bet for day three of the Chester Boodles May Festival

The first race of interest to me on Friday is the 2.05 the 1m4½f Boodles Darley "Confined" Maiden Stakes. It will have caught many an eye that William Buick is booked to ride Ephesus for Aidan O’Brien with Ryan Moore out of action on Friday. I mentioned in the post for Thursday's racing that the team from Ballydoyle appeared to be in a bit of a slump by their very high standards; they had only one winner on the board in May at the time - Capulet and Point Lonsdale both promptly won! A Galileo colt, this one looked as if in need of the experience when third of six on his debut at Dundalk last month over 1m2½f running on into third behind his short-priced and more experienced stablemate. You’d expect him to come on a fair bot for the run and this sort of trip to suit. He is short enough at 15-8 but I am on as I expect him to have too much up his sleeve for this field. There has been money for Mr Hampstead who was second on his two-year-old debut over 1¼m at Newcastle and then fourth over the same trip at Newbury on his seasonal reappearance. The step-up in trip looks likely to suit though this tight track is a very different test to Newcastle and Newbury. 

Best bet for the horse racing at Ascot 

Away from Chester I am having a bet at Ascot on one that went in the notebook recently. Miss Rascal caught the eye on debut in amaiden at Newmarket (5f, good to firm) and runs in the 5f  Juddmonte British EBF Restricted Maiden Fillies' Stakes at 2.20. My notes read ' Penny dropped with this only late on in the race. Hampered at the start she was perhaps a bit lit up and was green in out the back early but made good headway late on to take sixth'. Very likely to improve she is short but I am still on at 4-5. 

Be lucky