The three-day Chester May Festival concludes on Friday with a competitive finale centered on the Chester Cup.
3.05 Chester — Blindedbythelights and Galileo Dame head a 17-strong Chester Cup
Seventeen runners are declared for the feature race and the market is led by Blindedbythelights and Galileo Dame, representing Sir Mark Prescott and Joseph O’Brien respectively. Blindedbythelights arrives off a solid prep at Kempton in March and has finished second in each of his last four starts; he also benefits from a handy draw in stall four.
Galileo Dame is one of six Irish raiders, three of them trained by O’Brien, and comes here after a useful comeback at Navan in March. O’Brien also saddles veteran stayer A Piece Of Heaven and the wide-drawn Puturhandstogether, the latter due to be partnered by Billy Loughnane.
Andrew Balding’s Berkshire Sundance, winner of last month’s Easter Plate, could be a major player if he reproduces his all-weather form on turf.
2.35 Chester — Derby winner Lambourn returns in the Group Two Huxley Stakes
Derby hero Lambourn heads to Chester to contest the Huxley Stakes against eight rivals, including Group One winner Bay City Roller. Lambourn, victorious in last year’s Chester Vase, produced a convincing Derby win at Epsom under Wayne Lordan. Although his form dipped later in the season, the drop back in trip and the return to a track where he performed well suggest he merits favoritism.
Bay City Roller ended a memorable campaign for George Scott by dominating the Grosser Allianz Preis von Bayern (Group One) and has to concede 5lb to Lambourn for that victory — a weight penalty that could prove significant.
4.10 Chester — Kingstonian leads a competitive Chester Plate field
Kingstonian makes his debut for Joseph O’Brien and tops a lively Chester Plate lineup. Transferred from Mrs John Harrington in November, the gelding remains relatively unexposed and will be expected to progress for a shrewd operation.
Tony Martin runs Hamsiyann, who was seen finishing some way back at Aintree last month and is booked to be ridden by Oisin Murphy.