Chester Races 2016 Day 1 Tips – Niall Cronin

I have never been to the May meeting at Chester but it’s certainly on the bucket list and from speaking to people who have attended, it doesn’t disappoint.

Trip To Chester
On Wednesday the Chester Cup is the feature race and trainer Tony Martin sends over two of the three Irish challengers for the race. Last year’s runner up Quick Jack is back to try and go one better and he is an 8/1 shot with BoyleSports.

In finishing second last season, Quick Jack had to give his best to Trip To Paris who went on to finish fourth in the Melbourne Cup and with Ryan Moore on his back and running off just a 6lbs higher mark this season, maybe the Galway Hurdle winner will prove to be a blot on the handicap on this occasion.

Being drawn out in 16 is far from ideal for Quick Jack’s chances however and maybe we should be concentrating on Martin’s other runner, Heartbreak City. Owned by the aptly named ‘Here For The Craic Syndicate’, Heartbreak City was a winner of a £50,000 handicap at York last season over two-miles and appeared to bounce right back to form when winning over 1m2f at Cork last time.

Heartbreak City’s 12-length win came at a cost though as the handicapper put the six-year-old up 15lbs.

Martin has booked Donnacha O’Brien to claim off 5lbs of that hike and the fact that he could win over the shorter distance as well as two-miles and the ground should be ideal is all a positive,

and at 14/1 he makes plenty of appeal.

Favourite Somehow
The last two winning favourites of the Cheshire Oaks were both trained by Aidan O’Brien with Diamondsandrubies obliging last season and Wonder Of Wonders back in 2011 and the race actually had an Irish-trained runner sent off as market leader for the three runnings in between.

Tomorrow it will be Somehow that goes off favourite following her Leopardstown maiden win last month and the Dermot Weld-trained runner-up Shamreen coming out and winning since.

Somehow’s form from last season has also gotten a boost with stable companion Pretty Perfect coming out and winning a listed contest so it’s hard to argue with her solid claims but the experience of Mark Johnston’s Dessertoflife is a plus around Chester and that filly looks overpriced as a Group 3 winner.

Dessertoflife has to give away 5lbs but is a filly that looks overpriced at 10/1. That said, Somehow represents an O’Brien team that has made a good start to the season and it would be a surprise if Somehow (8/11) didn’t manage to keep that going on the opening day of the Chester May meeting.

Recommended Bets:
Somehow – 2.40 Chester (8/11)
Heartbreak City – 3:10 (14/1)