Day one Boodles May Festival at Chester best bets
It was a disastrous Guineas weekend at Triple G Towers, I really did get it all wrong – not that I know anyone that did patricianly well! No rest for the wicked as they say and we are on the Roodee for the May meeting at Chester this week and the Boodles May Festival.
This is one of the highlights of the Flat season, with three days of top-notch racing at the very unique track; I’ve said it before but if you get the chance to go do so, it is a great day out.
They get underway at 1.50 on Wednesday but my first bet is in the Listed Cheshire Oaks at 2.25 over 1m3f. Fanny Logan showed plenty of early zip on her two starts at two finishing second on debut before winning over 1m2f at Wetherby. You would expect Dettori to get a nice plot out of stall one and this daughter of Sea The Stars will love this trip on pedigree and could prove a level above this as the season progresses under the handling of John Gosden. She runs in those famous maroon and white silks now belonging to Sheikha Al Jalila Racing so won’t be hard to spot. I have the 6-1 with Hills.
The Group Three Chester Vase at 3.35 sees the colts go over the 1m4f trip. Norway is a full-brother of Ruler of The World who, of course, won this en route to Derby success and with the yard of Aidan O'Brien clearly in fine fettle the chestnut is fancied to get his 3yo campaign off to a winning start. His fourth in the G.1 Criterium De Saint-Cloud is probably the best form on show and though the draw might have been kinder at 11-4 he is expected to win this on his way to bigger targets in the summer.
Be lucky