Thursday Chester May Festival Tips from Architect

It’s day two of the Boodles May Festival at Chester and the opener at 13.30pm is the five-furlong CAA Stellar Handicap, which looks devilishly competitive. However, trainer Andrew Balding could hold the aces with two runners and the most appealing contender on paper is top-weight KING’S LYNN (best price 6/1) in the famous silks under Ryan Moore. 

Undisputedly, this six-year-old is the class act in the field and his mark reflects that. He is rated eight pounds and upwards clear of these and should be all the better for his reappearance run in the Listed Pertemps Network Cammidge Trophy Stakes. This will be his first run in a handicap since finishing third of 21 in the Wokingham Stakes at Royal Ascot two years ago. 

This is transparently easier than the assignments he has been tasked with since his last effort in a handicap and incidentally, he has lots of quality form on soft ground, so conditions will suit. Moreover, this is his time of year, as his record in May reads 2121 from four starts. He was a one-length second to the race-fit Flaming Rib on his return last season over course-and-distance too. 

In an attempt to give the 111-rated winner nine-pounds, nothing was lost in defeat and this time on his return to Chester, he had a run under his belt and he won the Group 2 Temple Stakes last May on his second run back at Haydock. To add to this, his second-time-out record reads 121 and in 2021, he was second to soft-ground lover Vadream in a Group 3 on soft ground before winning a Listed race at Doncaster on soft as well. 

The winner has advertised the form since, winning twice this season, including the Group 3 Palace House Stakes last time and King’s Lynn was giving the winner four pounds when chasing that rival home at Ascot. Speaking of Ascot, he went onto finish a creditable seventh of 16 in the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes, faring well of just a couple who did well from a low draw. All in all, he has got a standout each-way chance. 

Simultaneously, Andrew Balding also has NYMPHADORA (best price 5/1), who like her stablemate, brings higher-class form to the table, courtesy of her Listed success in this month two years ago.

Her form in this month of the year reads a win and a second from two starts and she also has experience of the Roodee, as she chased home Live In The Dream over course-and-distance when second, beaten only two lengths having given the winner four pounds in weight. 

The winner has won twice already this year and recently ran a blinder to finish second in the Group 3 Place House Stakes when marginally touched off late in the piece by Vadream. This filly then went to Royal Ascot and finished an excellent second of 27 in the Palace Of Holyroodhouse Stakes, which came from only a pound lower mark than the one she is granted here. 

She looked in need of the run on her return in a Listed event at Bath and will get a lovely slot in stall 3 here with Oisin Murphy on her back. The only caveat would be soft ground but she could appreciate it and the evidence suggests this mark is within her compass. Her only previous run in a handicap was when second here last May and I am quite optimistic about her chances. 

The prospect of significant rain increases the likelihood of soft ground and despite being drawn less-than-ideal, THEORYOFEVERYTHING (best price 9/2) has an excellent chance in the Deepbridge Capital Handicap, the second race on the card. 

He created a striking impression when winning by six lengths on debut at Doncaster on heavy ground and then shaped very well when third in the Group 3 Greenham Stakes at Newbury in behind Isaac Shelby and Charyn. 

To a certain degree, he might have been slightly flattered by the finishing position due to Chaldean’s incident but that horse came out and won the 2000 Guineas over the weekend, the second acquitted himself well in the race in eighth and the winner holds three Group 1 entries. His form-lines are seriously strong.

An intriguing renewal of the Listed Boodles Dee Stakes. I was really impressed with the way Passenger got the job done in good style on his Newmarket debut over a mile but he is up in class, trip and conditions will be contrastingly different and he priced up on potential rather than the substance of form. 

Instead, I want to take the price about the Charlie Appleby-trained LOCAL DYNASTY (best price 4/1) who has hit the line strongly in each of his four starts and could be seen to even better effect over this longer distance with soft ground holding no fears. 

His only defeat came in the Group 3 Acomb Stakes when fifth behind Chaldean and Indestructible. He has won his other three starts, including on his final start last term when giving five pounds a beating to Caernarfon, who was well held in third.

That form has been strongly advertised since as the third ran a blinder to finish fourth in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, so that is by far the best singular piece of form in the field. He is the only runner lacking a run but he merits a lot of respect and could be hard to beat. 

The feature race is the Group 3 Ormonde Stakes and while Lone Eagle should fare better than he did at Newbury on his return, I think this race is tailor-made for the returning CHANGINGTHEGUARD (best price 5/2) to win at the meeting for the second year in succession. 

Hamish is the highest rated in the field but the former has the course experience, will relish the ground and the form of his King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot reads well as the second Grand Alliance beat a few of these at Newbury when last seen. 

This four-year-old ran very well when fifth in last season’s Epsom Derby and defeated St Leger second New London very easily in the Chester Vase at this meeting twelve months ago. Ryan Moore and Aidan O’Brien have an exceptional record at this course and this proven course winner gets the vote on his reappearance. 

The TMT Group Handicap has a wide-open feel about it but David Loughnane has two runners who could be worth an interest from a betting stance. Firstly, DARK PINE (best price 16/1) who I know has yet to hit the ground running in two starts on the all-weather this year but his last win actually came over course-and-distance. 

If you go back and watch that race, he had no right to win after a slow start but once he hit top gear, he motored down the home straight to beat the 104-rated Fox Tal at the time and that success came in a class 2 race. This is a class 3, and connections have booked Rossa Ryan to ride. 

That win was off a mark of 93 and after two below-par efforts recently, he will return to the turf off a three pounds lower mark, 90. He is effectively drawn in stall 1 and this race has seemingly been the plan for quite sometime. He could be each-way value at a price with four places widely available. 

The most interesting runner at double-figure digits is GLORY NIGHTS (best price 28/1) who was making his stable debut after 11 months off when seventh in a minor race at Kempton just over three weeks ago. 

He never figured but was carrying a massive weight and the combination of a step up in trip on turf debut with Hayley Turner in the saddle does make him of interest here. He could have been found an easier opportunity elsewhere. 

His three previous runs, make him look well-handicapped off 75 here as he was in behind Lincoln second Awaal (rated 105) at Wolverhampton when fourth and was then second to Big Meeting (rated 94) at Chelmsford with Assessment back in third, who has since won off 85. 

He has to tackle soft ground on his turf debut but he is drawn well in stall 6 and he has the chance to establish himself as a horse who is ahead of the handicapper. He is worth an each-way investment with four places widely available. 

I tend to steer clear of maiden stakes events but trainer George Boughey has his team firing on all cylinders in recent weeks with an impressive 24% strike-rate the last fortnight and has a 20% strike-date to boot at this course. 

He could have a smart two-year-old on his hands in the shape of BIG TIME RASCAL (best price 4/1), an expensive yearling, who is a son of top-class sprinter Blue Point and is ideally drawn in stall 3 as well. 

The fact that connections have appointed William Buck to do the steering must suggest a decent run is anticipated here. This race is littered with potentially smart pattern-class performers and hopefully this well-bred debutant can justify his price tag with a bold showing. 

The final race on the card is the Halliwell Jones Handicap and while Charlie Johnston has a leading chance in the form of Demilion, his stablemate STRUTH (best price 11/1) looks like one of the more appealing contenders at chunky odds on handicap debut. 

An impressive winner on debut at Nottingham last August, this son of Derby winner Australia ran well when third in a valuable conditions race at Epsom next time over 1m2f. He sweated up badly pre-race but made a bold effort from the front, as he stuck to the task well once headed to take third. 

The form has a nice look to it as well, as the fourth has won twice since, the runner-up ran well at the same venue in the Blue Riband Trial and the winner wasn’t disgraced in Group 1 company next time. He failed to match that form next time at Newmarket but he travelled well and that was a hot race for the grade. 

Given he won first-time-out last year, it makes sense to see connections have deliberately kept him fresh for this and it’s interesting to see Joe Fanning opt to ride him over Johnston’s other runner. Top-weight off a mark of 86 can hopefully prove no object as a reproduction of his Epsom run, with more to come tackling this longer trip, would put him in with a good each-way chance.