Gm, Equinauts

Ah, Chester’s Roodee. Britain’s oldest racecourse we’ll have you know, with racing recorded there as far back as 1539… a time when King Henry VIII was large and in charge and chopping heads!

Today is day 1 of Chester’s famous May Festival and it continues to be a huge highlight of the flat racing calendar, not only offering the entertainment of brilliant racing today but also important clues for the future. Just look at horses who won here last year:

Set within the historic city walls of Chester, let’s just say the course is a little unique and really not far off a merry-go-round! Just over a mile in circumference, the idiosyncratic nature of the track places a premium on speed and draw - get stuck on the outside or out behind the main back, kiss your chances goodbye.

Let’s dive in.

HEADLINE ROUNDUP

 🔨BIDDING FOR BOLGERS

Jim Bolger is putting his historic Glebe House training centre up for sale, marking the end of an era for one of Irish racing’s most influential operations.

Located on the Kilkenny–Carlow border and dating back to 1760(!), the 150-acre property has been home to Bolger’s training success since 1982, producing nearly 3,000 winners, including 13 Classic victories and 57 at Group 1 level. The base developed champions such as NEW APPROACH, DAWN APPROACH, and POETIC FLARE, cementing its reputation as one of the elite training centres in the sport.

The property has been listed for €4 million as Bolger consolidates his breeding and training interests at his farm in Rathvilly, County Carlow, continuing a gradual scaling back of his operation. He has already reduced his broodmare band to around 30 and sold Redmondstown Stud last year, signalling a shift toward a more streamlined, homebred-focused model. Despite this, Bolger remains active, with recent runners still competing on track.

Glebe House is not only renowned for its facilities but also for shaping future stars of the industry. Leading figures such as Willie Mullins and Aidan O'Brien began their careers under Bolger, alongside top jockeys like AP ‘champ’ McCoy and it’s sale offers a rare opportunity for someone to purchase a fairly big piece of racing history.

🔍 EPSOM CLUES

It’s Chester Oaks and Vase day which Aidan O’Brien picked up easily with MINNIE HAUK and LAMBOURN who each went on to win the Oaks and Derby, respectively.

Will the same thing happen this year?

BENVENUTO CELLINI, the current favourite for the Epsom Derby, begins his three-year-old campaign in the Chester Vase, stepping up to a mile and a half for the first time.

The Chester Vase is seen less as a test of finished ability and more as a stepping stone toward Epsom, particularly for the Ballydoyle runners who often improve massively after this.

A son of the GOAT, FRANKEL, he showed high-class form at two, notably winning a Group 2 at the Curragh but was later a beaten third in the Futurity Stakes, with heavy ground cited as a possible excuse, but remains highly regarded within Ballydoyle as on of their leading Derby contender.

BENVENUTO CELLINI certainly appears to fit the mould today but we’d like to see him hit the line hard and fast as his dam side offers a little uncertainty as it whether he will stay the trip - it’s stacked with milers!

But it’s Ladies first today and the girls’ Chester Oaks nicely warms up proceedings in the 14.35.

Gosden’s I’M THE ONE is a slightly uneasy fave top of the market, albeit still relatively strong at even money. She will be a lot of punters banker today after her she looked very good on debut at Newbury:

Why is the market trying to take her on? Well, she’s apparently quite hard to train and get ‘straight’.

Aidan landed the Oaks and Vase double last year with MINNIE HAUK and his dart this year is AMELIA EARHEART. A daughter of Derby winner CAMELOT, she’s out of a mare who produced Chester Cup winner CLEVELAND, also by CAMELOT making her a full sister to AMELIA EARHEART. On that basis, you’d think stamina is assured and anything she did over shorter as a 2yo is only a bonus owed to the fact she should improve for the step up in trip now.

Eye’s on for the Epsom clues!

💷100K PLACEPOT!

There is a £100k (MINIMUM) Placepot on offer for all three days of Chester’s May Festival.

Of all the meetings to get involved in, this could be a good one, as the draw bias means some short-priced favourites drawn poorly may be vulnerable to bigger-priced runners in better positions.

On that basis, we imagine there will be some big dividend pay-outs this week and you can play if for just £1.

Enter and post your picks here to enter our Day 1 Comp:

Sign up here: Tote | Offers

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