Chester horse racing best bets on day one of the Boodles May Festival
Bit of a Birthday celebration down at Triple G Towers tonight, Girdys Gee Gees being eight years old today. Saturday 8th May 2010 was the first day I ever blogged on the original blogspot site. Glad to report I have shown a profit every year bar one (2017) and so far in 2018 I sit +55.52 points to level stakes. Here’s to a winner or two this week.
For the next three days, it’s all about the Roodee for the Chester May meeting the Boodles May Festival. We all know about the draw bias so it’s not a week for betting too early but there is plenty to enjoy and hopefully a few bob to be nicked. They will start on ground described as good to soft-good in places with sunny intervals the forecast with the possibility of a shower late Wednesday.
If you have never been to Chester I thoroughly recommended a day up there as it is great fun. It’s a mad little track but a lovely place to watch horse racing and the town is a great place to spend those winnings afterwards in the plethora of bars and restaurants.
Day one up on the Roodee gets underway at 1.50 with the Lily Agnes Conditions Stakes but that is best watched with you notebook close to hand. My first bet isn’t until the Listed Cheshire Oaks at 2.25 over 1m3f won last year of course by Enable. Aidan O'Brien's recent record in this race is pretty good (won it five times since 2008) so anything he sends across the Irish Sea has to be considered and he has sent Magic Wand, Dramatically and Forever Together. Magic Wand is the choice of Ryan Moore (not always the best guide) and being by Galileo out of Prudenzia should be fine at the trip. Third on her three-year-old bow at Leopardstown in the mud last month she looked to me to tire in the going. She cost €1,400,000 so big things must be hoped for and she has all the group One entries you would expect. At 4-1 she is a tentative pick in a pretty open affair on paper.
I put up Spoof at Sandown on the 27th April when third and he goes again in the Boodles Diamond Handicap over the five here at 3.00. Charlie Hills said this should be his next point of call after that race and he has a great looking draw in stall three. He likes to be up the pointed end from the off and at 5-1 is well worth an investment.
The main event on day one is the Group Three MBNA Chester Vase Stakes over 1m4f at 3.35. That man Aidan O'Brien has a terrific record in this winning seven of the last ten, including the last five renewals. Add to that Wings Of Eagles was second last year behind stable mate Venice Beach before going on to win the Derby and you can see why anything they send from Ballydoyle has to be considered; that said they are priced accordingly. He has a three pronged attack this year with Hunting Horn, Flag Of Honour and Family Tree lining-up. I put up Ispolini when that colt was a short-head second in the Classic Trial at Sandown (10f, soft) on the same card as Spoof mentioned above. Hunting Horn was 1¼ lengths back in third and I can see no reason for the O’Brien colt to turn around the form. At 4-1 I am on the Appleby trained beast again as with a similar front-running effort here out of stall 3 he should take all the beating.
Be lucky