It’s day one of Chester’s May Meeting on Wednesday 7th May, 2025 and there’s some hugely competitive racing taking place on the Roodee. Our in-house tipster Steve Chambers previews all the action and picks out his three best bets across the card…
2:05pm Chester – Ladbrokes Best Odds Guaranteed On Racing Handicap
Clive Cox’s REDORANGE took four races to break his maiden tag, but he did so with aplomb last September when claiming a Yarmouth nursery off a mark of 79. Last seen finishing third at Sandown off a mark of 85, the Mehmas gelding certainly improved again for his first start of the season and he’s sure to kick on again after that April outing.
He’s been given a minimal 1lb rise by the handicapper for that Sandown run, so takes his chance off 86 here, but has been given a really favourable draw in stall 2 and can duly land his second career win here. Ruby’s Profit was an impressive winner last time out at Wolverhampton, but the likely market rival comes out of stall 6 here, so Redorange has the chance to gain a much more positive position and can storm home under Rossa Ryan.
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3:05pm Chester – Boodles Chester Vase Stakes
With ten wins in the race, Aidan O’Brien is the man to follow in the Chester Vase and he can often unleash a future Classic contender in this contest. He will saddle a brace of runners in the 2025 contest at 3:05pm with LAMBOURN and Thrice lining up for the master of Ballydoyle. It’s the former that is the selection of Ryan Moore and if the son of former Derby winner Australia continue his improvement then he could prove a cut above his rivals.
A 66/1 chance for the Derby, at the time of writing, Lambourn could be significantly shorter after this contest if he can build on his second placed finish in the Ballysax Stakes at Leopardstown in March. Second to stablemate Delacroix, Lambourn shaped like that ten furlongs was a little on the short side, so a step up to a mile-and-a-half here should bring on notable improvement. The draw in seven isn’t ideal, but Moore can find a decent position in behind the leaders and duly quicken up at the cutaway to land the Ballydoyle handler a record-extending 11th win in the race.
3:40pm Chester – Love Federal Capital Handicap
Kevin Ryan’s Hammer The Hammer heads into the 3:40pm at Chester in sensational form having won his last two outings and he’s entitled to be well fancied to land the hat-trick in the final race that will be shown on ITV Racing. However, another last-time-out winner can claim the victory and that’s Clive Cox’s DILIGENTLY, who can make the most of stall 1 and storm to victory.
He seemed to really find his way on his last outing when landing a valuable sales race at York’s Ebor Festival at 20/1 and he could have the potential to kick on again. Given a notable 9lbs rise for that win, Saffie Osborne will need to get her mount away and on the pace from the inside stall, but if he can maintain a positive position from the outset then he could well down the aforementioned Ryan charge.
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