Chester Tips: Friday 8 May 2026

Chester Tips: Friday 8 May 2026

Chester's tight, turning circuit is one of the most unique tracks in Britain, and today's card serves up a Group 2 to get the pulse racing before a pair of stamina handicaps that are absolute minefields on paper. The going is good, which suits confirmed turf performers and penalises those who need cut. Three featured races, three selections. Here is where the money should go.

2:35 Deepbridge Huxley Stakes (Group 2, 1m2½f)

Ryan Moore is on board the market leader for a reason, but Lambourn at 11/8 is not the bet here. He flopped in France on his final start last term and the form around him needs unpicking carefully.

The selection is King's Gambit at 15/2 with Bet365 and William Hill, ridden by James Doyle for Harry Charlton. Yes, the yard is 0 from 8 in the last fortnight, but King's Gambit himself is a model of consistency at this level. His profile reads 22363522 in Group and Listed company, and that Earl of Sefton run at Newmarket last month, chasing home the smart Damysus over 1m1f on good ground, tells you the horse is in good order. Chester's turns will not inconvenience him. He does not need everything to fall right, he simply needs to run his race. At this price with a prep run under his belt, he represents the value in the field. Doyle is the right booking.

Starford at 9/1 is interesting for Joseph Patrick O'Brien, a recent Group 3 winner at the Curragh over course and distance trip, but his Spotlight note is honest: he could do with rain. Good ground is against him today. Swerve.

3:05 Ladbrokes Chester Cup (Heritage Handicap, 2m2½f)

Seventeen runners over Chester's unique stamina test. Draws matter, pace matters, and the form of horses fit from winter campaigns matters. This is a race to be in each-way.

Berkshire Sundance Each-Way is the selection at 12/1 with Bet365. Andrew Balding's six-year-old has won four of his last six starts, including a clearcut victory at Newcastle on AW Championships day with first-time cheekpieces. Those cheekpieces stay on and the horse is clearly in the form of his life. Yes, he has been raised 7lb for that success, he lacks Chester experience, and the draw is wide. But this is a horse going through the card, trained by a yard that has sent out 12 winners from 66 in the last fortnight. Oisin Murphy takes the ride, which is not a coincidence. At 12/1, five places paid, this is the each-way vehicle in the race. The wide draw is a genuine concern in a Chester staying handicap, but Murphy's ability to find cover and the horse's current momentum make this a risk worth taking at the price.

Galileo Dame for Joseph Patrick O'Brien at 11/2 is the obvious market rival, fit from hurdling and progressive as a Flat stayer. She is not without claims but the short price asks you to take a lot on trust for a mare stepping into a 17-runner handicap for the first time.

4:10 Chester Plate Handicap (2m2½f)

Another 17-runner staying test, another puzzle. Two horses stand out from the data.

Kingstonian for Joseph Patrick O'Brien at 7/2 with William Hill is the market's idea and it is hard to argue strongly against it. Bought for 90,000gns out of Jessica Harrington's yard, this four-year-old was progressive last season and remains unexposed at staying trips. The Tramore maiden win on heavy ground suggested he would get further, and he duly handled 1m6f next time. This is his first start for a new yard with a strong 14-day record and Dylan Browne McMonagle is a top booking. The price, though, is short for a horse who has not yet proven himself in this grade or at this distance.

The each-way play is Call My Bluff Each-Way at 16/1 with Bet365. This nine-year-old has form in the book at Chester that most of these cannot match: placed or thereabouts in all four appearances at the track, including the Cup itself in 2023. He was absent for over two years after that but has returned to something close to his best, winning at Newbury three weeks ago over the same trip, making all in what admittedly was a small field. He carries a 3lb penalty and draws wide, but he handles good ground, knows this track, and at 16/1 in a race with five places paid, the each-way terms are generous. J F Egan is a cool head to have aboard a front-runner who needs to dictate.

Today's NAP