Chester Tips Today: Three Selections Including 12/1 Cup Hope

The Chester May Festival concludes today with Chester Cup Day, live on ITV Racing. After the drama on Thursday with the ground related delays, water has been generously applied to the surface. Billy Grimshaw has once again been tasked with finding some winners or each-way money and has three selections, including one that has been well supported in the feature race; the 2026 Chester Cup.

14:05 Chester - Boodles Darley EBF Maiden Stakes

It is rare ITV Racing will broadcast a maiden, but with this race just two before the feature race of the whole week and attracting an intriguing field it's no bad thing and I can see the case for a few in this contest. Favourite Joulany sets the standard for Ralph Beckett on his three runs so far, although 6/4 looks short considering the pedigrees of some of the more lightly raced contenders further down the market. He has not set the bar so high none can hope of touching it and GALIYAN could well be the one to take that big step forward following what was clearly a very educational run on debut at Newmarket.

He looked like a newbie when stumbling out of the stalls and having a good few looks around under a patient Oisin Murphy ride, in a race in which he was eventually beaten seven lengths. On the face of it that will not win this race, however watching the finish back in particular the penny seems to have dropped for Andrew Balding's charge and with that experience under his belt, his trainer's usual style of his colts needing their first start and this step up in trip given how well he finished, I rate him a confident bet to beat the favourite and the rest of the contenders.

This is no two horse race and Glory Of The Seas has jockey of the moment Billy Loughnane in the plate for Roger Varian, which is a huge positive at the moment. He did not see out his race last time out and that would be a concern here, especially if they go quickly, but providing Loughnane holds onto him and conserves energy he is at least bred to stay this far so he could get involved in the finish, although hopefully it's behind Galiyan!

14:35 Chester - Huxley Stakes

Perhaps it is daft of me to be so keen to take on a dual Derby winner Lambourn in a lowly Chester Group 3, but there are enough stones to be thrown at last year's Classic generation - particularly over middle distance - to want to avoid 6/4 on this Australia colt's first start at four. I would probably have sided with Bay City Roller on the back of his two smart seconds in Longchamp Group 2s to wrap up last season, but the fact the ground is so much quicker than he has encountered when running to his best combined with his five pound penalty for a facile German Group 1 win, on soft again, leaves me reticent.

That's the top two in the market dismissed then (so get your reverse forecast bets loaded!) and I'll be chancing KING'S GAMBIT in the hope the horse that breezed by him in the Earl Of Sefton Damysus is out of the very top drawer, as that performance hinted. King's Gambit was no match for the winner but did stay on eye-catchingly and now steps back up in trip, which should suit. When all is said and done this season running Damysus to four lengths may comfortably be this Saxon Warrior gelding's career best and if he can repeat that run, perhaps getting going a fraction earlier now with race fitness on his side, he rates the most likely winner if as I suspect Lambourn is either in need of a first run or just not a great Derby winner.

Lambourn of course will be ridden prominently by the man with the best strike-rate around at Chester in Ryan Moore and it is a fool's errand attempting to take Moore on too often, but this does look a fantastic opportunity and King's Gambit is a brilliant price particularly each-way at around 7/1.

15:05 Chester - Chester Cup

This doesn't look the strongest Chester Cup we have ever seen, but it is certainly competitive. The potential fly - or flies - in the ointment could be Joseph O'Brien's well fancied squad of three who are all single figures, albeit the market leader is Blindedbythelights for Sir Mark Prescott. Joseph sends Galileo Dame as the presumed first string with Ryan Moore booked to ride, but she is unproven on both good ground and at this trip so it'll take the man with no peers at Chester all his nous and know-how to cajole her into this without burning through the petrol tank too quickly. I'd rather be with Dylan Browne McMonagle's ride A Piece Of Heaven from the plum draw in one considering he is a bona fide frontrunner, has good ground form and will stay longer than the mother-in-law. The Moore factor is being overplayed in the odds here, unless those at Joseph's know something the rest of us don't about Galileo Dame's stamina.

Back to the market leader Blindedbythelights, his claims are clear as day. He has been running well without winning and without being given too tough of a time, but now has the blinkers fitted and looks to have had his career mapped out working back from this race for some time. He also has a low draw so must be respected, but he makes no appeal at around 6/1 given my suspicion that he doesn't really like a battle. He'll need to have buckets in hand to win this without a battle, and I think it's too competitive for that.

Joseph's third string Puturhandstogether is not without a chance either for Billy Loughnane on his best form both on the flat and over obstacles, although his high draw is a sucker punch for connections. He is around 10/1 though, double the price of my fancy for this race CHEMISTRY. He was actually set to run in this race in 2025 until the eleventh hour when withdrawn off a 13lbs higher mark, although given his lacklustre performances all through last year he probably wouldn't have gone close.

No disrespect intended to Ivan Furtado, but to say he got no tune out of this ex-Ballydoyle horse would be putting it mildly and it was no surprise to see the horse switch stables after a fruitless AW campaign early this year. Now down nicely in the weights with a mark of just 89 to deal with, Jennie Candlish seemed to find the key to him at the first time of asking with an easy win on stable debut over hurdles at Sedgefield in early April.

He could be chucked in here on his best form and the draw in three is ideal. David Probert will hopefully sit midfield and let the race develop in front of him while keeping a good position before using this horse's latent speed to sweep up the inside rail and bag the feature race of the week. He has a belting chance so back him each-way as I'll be disappointed to see him out of the first four home.