The final day of Chester’s May meeting is upon us on Friday, with a bumper eight-race card featuring one of the most competitive handicaps of the season in the form of the Chester Cup.
Our expert, Colm Doyle, has a trio of selections for the action at Chester, including a course specialist in the opener who looks ready to go well again at double figure odds and a pick in the big handicap.
Friday’s tips
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1.30 Chester – Boardman
The Chester Cup isn’t the only competitive handicap on Chester’s card this Friday. The opener on day three was won by Revich last year and he has claims again, but arrives on the back of two poor runs which wasn’t the case before winning last year’s contest.
At bigger odds, Boardman is arguably a more interesting contender. He ran okay on his reappearance outing at Haydock last month on ground that will have been softer than ideal for him and Tim Easterby’s runners nearly always come on a bundle for their first run of the campaign.
This is Boardman’s time of year, with seven of his eight wins coming in May (the other in April) and he’s 3lb lower than his course and distance success just under a year ago with this jockey (Phil Dennis) on board.
The gelding’s course form figures in the month of May read 15151 and he looks overpriced in his bid for a fourth course and distance success.
3.40 Chester – Forza Orta
The Chester Cup may have been the long-term target for Forza Orta after the son of Fastnet Rock won at York’s Ebor meeting last year.
He won the stayers’ handicap on day one of the meeting, seemingly relishing his first start at around two miles and he’s been campaigned at shorter trips in two runs since.
The handicapper only put him up 4lb for that win and he’s been dropped 1lb subsequently, so there’s certainly scope from a handicapping perspective and there’s every chance he’ll come on for his recent return at Thirsk when shaping like he needed the run over the insufficient 1m4f.
He travelled well for a long way in that contest and marathon distances this season could be the future for him given that he’s from a family that stays particularly well.
It’s a slight surprise to see him at double figure odds for this, particularly from his handy draw in stall three and he looks like a decent each-way proposition.
4.50 Chester – Glory Nights
The 5lb Ethan Jones can claim in apprentice rider races is a steal and he has a good ride in the penultimate race on the card.
Glory Nights showed his future might be over middle distances when narrowly denied at Wolverhampton in December and it’s worth forgiving his run in an amateur rider race subsequently.
Stepping back up in trip with Jones on board ought to see him produce much better and he looks very well treated when factoring in his rider’s claim.
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