By Callum Close
Britain’s oldest racecourse will host its seasonal opener this week as the three-day Boodles May Festival gets underway at Chester.
Racing fans will gather in the North West of England to witness horses hailing from Britain and Ireland’s top yards showcase their talent.
The final day of the Festival is Chester Cup day, in which its namesake is the showpiece race.
Horses aged four and older will battle over two miles and two furlongs, of Chester’s iconic turf, for prize money worth £170,000.
This year’s Chester Cup will see trainer Hugo Palmer look to become the first back-to-back winner of the race since Donald McCain – who won it in 2011 and 2012.
Zoffee is a leading chance
According to the ante-post market, his leading chance is last year’s winner Zoffee (14/1), who is sure to attract interest given his connection to former Premier League footballer Michael Owen – owner of Manor House stables.
The nine-year-old gelding was runner-up to the Harry Fry-trained Metier in 2023, before going one better last year.
He has been heavily beaten in all but one of his runs since that win, with the anomaly coming at this course when he finished fourth in the Watergate Cup – on his penultimate run of last year.
Though this may not be cause for concern for punters, as he arrived last year in similarly poor form.
East India Dock tops the betting
However, at the top of the betting is the horse that went off favourite for the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival – East India Dock.
It will be his first run on the flat since leaving James Fanshawe for whom he won a Goodwood handicap in September and finished fourth in the Mallard at Doncaster.
His trainer James Owen said: “It has been the plan since the Triumph Hurdle. He has had a little break and his work has been good.
“It will be dry old ground with the way the forecast is looking and his best form on the flat is with a little bit of cut.
“Off his hurdle mark he is potentially well handicapped and it is a nice pot to go for. If Chester goes well then we will look at Royal Ascot.”
He currently trades at 5/1.
In good form
Wonder Legend is second in the betting at ‘sixes’ and he will arrive in Cheshire in good form for trainer James Ferguson.
Having been campaigned on all-weather surfaces over the winter, his form figures read 231211.
His latest win came at Newcastle, in the Class 2 Marathon Handicap, at the All-Weather Championships meeting.
He also holds an entry into the Ascot Gold Cup, for which he trades at 33/1 – in the ante-post market.
Next in the betting is Who’s Glen (7/1) for trainer Andrew Balding, who is looking for his second win in the race since Montaly, in 2017.
The four-year old is among the less-experienced of the field but has course winning form from September, when he won a Class 4 contest.
He has since placed fifth in a Class 2 at York, and he reappeared this season with a second at Kempton.
“It would be lovely to win it again if we can, Who’s Glen looks a very obvious type,” said Balding.
“He ran well in the Queen’s Prize, he has won at Chester and he looks a very obvious one for the Chester Cup.”
Other leading fancies
Other leading fancies in the ante-post market include Hot Fuss (12/1), who finished second behind East India Dock, over hurdles, in October.
Tom Dascombe-trained gelding also placed fourth behind JP McManus’ Puturhandstogehter at the Cheltenham Festival.
McManus himself may see one of his horses line up in the field, with Dawn Rising the higher-priced of two fancied runners for trainer Joseph O’Brien.
The other is Leinster, an unexposed Irish raider having his first run on British soil. He won his comeback run at Curragh, in March, after being off the track since July.
The former trades at 14/1, whilst the latter is 10/1.
The race will commence at 3:05pm UK time, on Friday, May 9.
It is the fourth of seven races on the card and will be shown live and for free on terrestrial TV, via ITV 4, and on Sky Sports Racing (channel 415) for Sky Sports subscribers.
