Chester | Horse Racing Free Tips

Racing At Chester Ended After Four Races Due to Unsafe Ground

Saturday's card at Chester was abandoned after four races due to safety concerns entering the final bend. Humanitarian (Noble Mission {GB}), with Luke Cotton aboard, slipped on that turn during the meet's fourth race, the ICM Stellar Sport H. An inspection with course officials and jockeys was subsequently conducted, and the meeting was called due to unsafe ground. Chester joins Haydock and Beverley as the third track that was abandoned mid-card in the UK in the past four days, with those courses cancelling on Friday and Wednesday, respectively.

Clerk of the Course Andrew Tulloch said, “It is deeply disappointing for all of us here, but the welfare of both horses and riders is paramount.

“The stewards followed the procedures in such instances, when they take a delegation of jockeys and trainers to inspect. They looked at the bend coming into the home straight, what we call the castle bend, and in the 3.45 there was a horse at the back of the field that sadly did lose his footing and that was the reason for the inspection.

“The stewards then heard from the jockeys and trainers and ourselves and their conclusion was that unfortunately we should abandon racing.

“We will go away, look at all the evidence and see if there is anything we can do to improve because none of us wants to see what has happened.

“It's really difficult, because plenty of jockeys came up to me and said it is beautiful ground, quite possibly the best ground we've raced on this season and then unfortunately you have an incident like this.”

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Thoughts of June A World Record 348th Stakes Winner For Galileo

Aptly-named Aidan O'Brien trainee Thoughts of June (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) finished behind Above The Curve (American Pharoah) tackling one mile at Leopardstown in her juvenile season closer last October and again when that reopposing rival attained TDN Rising Star status over the same course and distance last month. Sent postward at odds of 7-1 for Wednesday's Listed Weatherbys Bloodstock Pro Cheshire Oaks at Chester, she gained some measure of revenge to shed maiden status in game fashion. Thoughts of June was quickly into stride and led passing the judge first time, but required encouragement to remain in control with a half mile remaining. Under increased pressure thereafter, she dipped into plentiful reserves in the home straight and was driven out inside the final furlong to withstand the late threat of 5-4 favourite Above The Curve by a neck for a career high in this G1 Epsom Oaks trial. Thoughts of June's win thrust Galileo beyond Danehill, becoming a world-record 348th stakes winner for her sire.

Indeed, thoughts are of June, specifically Epsom's June 3 G1 Cazoo Oaks, and she now rates as a general 14-1 ante-post chance for that Classic. “I think we have to be thinking of Epsom,” Coolmore's Kevin Buckley confirmed. “Aidan [O'Brien] will have a chat with the owners, which include our partners Moyglare Stud, but I think on that performance we'd have to head to Epsom. Aidan always felt that stepping her up in trip would be to her liking, he thought she'd handle it round the bends here and Ryan [Moore] was very happy. We made plenty of use of her at Leopardstown last time and it was always the plan to do that today, but she's fairly versatile I would imagine. We'll have to see what else happens in the trials. We were very happy with Tuesday in the Guineas and she seems to have come out of it well. We're looking forward to June.”

The trainer concurred. “We've always liked her a lot and I loved her run the first day back at Leopardstown behind Joseph's filly [Above The Curve],” he added. “I thought she'd come forward from that and she clearly did. She got a great ride from Ryan and they are obviously two very good fillies as Joseph's ran a great race too. We'd been thinking of the Oaks for her and that was the reason for sending her to Chester, to see if she'd handle it and it was going to teach her plenty. I haven't had chance to speak to Ryan, but she seemed to handle the [soft] ground fine and seems versatile.”

Thoughts of June is the latest of three foals, all by Galileo (Ire), and second winner produced by GI Del Mar Oaks heroine and six-time elite-level placegetter Discreet Marq (Marquetry), herself kin to three black-type performers headed by dual stakes-winning full-brother Too Discreet, and who was acquired by the Moyglare operation for a whopping $2.4-million at Fasig-Tipton Kentucky's 2014 November fixture. The April-foaled grey's stakes-winning second dam To Marquet (Marquetry), who also ran second in the GIII Tempted S., is a daughter of three-time stakes victrix Pretty Momma (Concorde Bound). Pretty Momma, in turn, is a half-sister to MGSW sire Unreal Turn (Unreal Zeal) and Shananie's Boss (Shananie), who saluted four times at black-type level, and hails from the family of GI Oaklawn H. and GI Arlington Classic-winning sire Lost Code (Codex).

Wednesday, Chester, Britain
WEATHERBYS BLOODSTOCK PRO CHESHIRE OAKS (FOR THE ROBERT SANGSTER MEMORIAL CUP)-Listed, £87,500, Chester, 5-4, 3yo, f, 11f 75yT, 2:31.64, sf.
1–THOUGHTS OF JUNE (IRE), 128, f, 3, by Galileo (Ire)
1st Dam: Discreet Marq (GISW-US, $1,268,972), by Discreet Cat
2nd Dam: To Marquet, by Marquetry
3rd Dam: Pretty Momma, by Concorde Bound
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. O-Moyglare Stud Farm, Susan Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-Moyglare Stud Farm (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. £49,621. Lifetime Record: 4-1-2-0, $68,983 *348th stakes winner for sire.
2–Above The Curve, 128, f, 3, American Pharoah–Fabulous (Ire), by Galileo (Ire). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Westerberg; B-Orpendale, Chelston & Wynatt (KY); T-Joseph O'Brien. £18,813.
3–Typewriter (Ire), 128, f, 3, Gleneagles (Ire)–On Location, by Street Cry (Ire). (19,000gns Wlg '19 TATFOA; 26,000gns Ylg '20 TATOCT). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Mrs Fitri Hay; B-Castle Farm Stud (IRE); T-Andrew Balding. £9,415.
Margins: NK, 3 3/4, 2HF. Odds: 7.00, 1.25, 9.00.
Also Ran: Moon de Vega (GB), Hello Jumeirah (GB), Wynter Wildes (GB), Night Battle (Ire), Improvise (Fr), Morning Poem (GB). Scratched: Makinmedoit (Ire).

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Same Fight, New Arena

In the year of Appleby vs O'Brien, Chester's Roodeye is an apt setting for the latest gladiatorial encounter between racing's two superpowers with the G3 Boodles Chester Vase seeing another stand-off between Moulton Paddocks and Rosegreen. While the extended 12-furlong Derby trial is small potatoes in comparison with the epic clashes in the Classics and Royal Ascot, how Godolphin's exciting New London (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) deals with Changingoftheguard (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) will either continue or change the current conversation. The former, who hails from the family of Masked Marvel (GB) (Montjeu {Ire}) and Waldgeist (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), is priced in single figures for the Blue Riband at present and despite the obvious promise of his smooth win in a 10-furlong Newmarket novice Apr. 13, he will need to put on a show here to justify that kind of confidence. Changingoftheguard, who sports the increasingly-familiar Westerberg silks, will probably have to do more than his six-length maiden win at Dundalk at the start of last month but he has the perfect profile for the race that his trainer has won a record nine times including six times with a son of Galileo.

A Cut Above?
Joseph O'Brien's horses are striking form at present and the preceding Listed Weatherbys Bloodstock Pro Cheshire Oaks sees the stable's Above the Curve (American Pharoah) bid to justify favouritism and book a ticket to Epsom. Her 2 1/2-length defeat of Ballydoyle's re-opposing Thoughts of June (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in a 10-furlong Leopardstown maiden Apr. 6 earned her a place in the pantheon of TDN Rising Stars and the relative of Giant's Causeway and Gleneagles (IRE) and co has now to prove worthy. She takes on the likes of Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa's Apr. 6 Lingfield novice scorer Night Battle (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) and a clutch of other aspiring Epsom candidates in the first of several debutante's balls leading to the first Friday in June.

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Boodles To Sponsor Chester Vase

British fine jeweler Boodles will sponsor the G3 Chester Vase, which is set to take place on May 4. Boodles has been the title sponsor of the Boodles May Festival at Chester Racecourse since 2013.

Louise Stewart, chief executive at Chester Race Company Ltd, said, “We are very grateful to Boodles, an iconic British brand founded locally in Liverpool, for their continued commitment to Chester Racecourse. The Boodles Chester Vase is a highlight of the Boodles May Festival, and we are hugely looking forward to this year's renewal which will be run in front of crowds for the first time in two years.”

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