It’s Chester Cup day of the May Festival and Matt is keen on Glory Of The Seas in the 14:05.

Matt Chapman’s ITV Racing Tips

13:30 Chester – Respond
13:50 Ascot – Albaydaa
14:05 Chester – Glory Of The Seas
14:35 Chester – Lambourn
15:05 Chester – Zanndabad (each-way)
15:40 Chester – Jonny Concrete (each-way)

*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.

13:30 Chester – Respond

ITV Racing is back Friday with action from Chester and Ascot, starting here with a handicap for older horses over an extended 1m2f. RESPOND is very lightly raced on good to firm ground but it probably won’t be that fast with bits of rain around and should be open to improvement. Oisin Murphy’s ride has a perfect draw in stall 2 and is a strong stayer at this trip. He comes in here off 96, the same mark he was on when a decent third at Kempton last time. Judged on that effort this trip should be perfect. He has a decent second at Sandown in a maiden on this type of ground. Andrew Balding trains and is in fine form.

A handicap for three-year-old’s over 7f. I have no doubt ALBAYDAA will be hit hard in the betting as the sexy horse likely to improve for William Haggas and Tom Marquand. That all said, and despite the price not being tasty, the filly has every chance and she looked like a step up to 7f would bring out improvement when she was a little one-paced in third at Newmarket over 6f. Hard to beat.

Now a maiden for three-year-old’s over an extended 1m4f. GLORY OF THE SEAS didn’t quite get home over 1m3f in a decent event at Newbury last time but connections step him up in trip so clearly think of him as a strong stayer. He’s bred for this distance and once cost 550,000gns so clearly looks the part on paper. Has a chance to give the form of Water to Wine a boost after he missed Chester this week. William Buick rides for Charlie Appleby and the stable could do with a winner.

14:35 Chester – Lambourn

Up in class for the Group 2 Huxley Stakes over an extended 1m2f. Some decent animals in here, but there is no doubt the most talented is LAMBOURN and he gets 5lb from Bay City Roller which helps a lot. The 2025 Derby hero went on to win the Irish equivalent last year and ended up with a fourth in the St Leger. He should take a step forward again as a four-year-old as a big, strapping son of Australia. Ryan Moore rides with Aidan O’Brien training.

15:05 Chester – Zanndabad (each-way)

The big betting race of the week in the Chester Cup over an extended 2m2f. A wide open renewal. Five of the last ten winners have been drawn in stall 1-6, so clearly picking a horse in spot 9 is crazy. But that’s what I have done. The beast for me each-way is the enigmatic ZANNDABAD, who is quite capable of winning a race like this off a mark of 91. Clifford Lee rides the old boy for Tony Martin, and my selection was a fine third in the race (running on well as an eye-catcher) in third off 92. He ran well at Royal Ascot after that and was in good form over hurdles until finding a Grade 1 at Aintree too much to handle. Rated 137 that day so clearly his Flat rating is very lenient right now. It’s just he’s hard to predict!

15:40 Chester – Jonny Concrete (each-way)

A handicap for older horses over 6f. 16 declared – who wants to bet they don’t all run? I’ll take an each-way chance with JONNY CONCRETE who hopefully can swoop late and fast under Jason Hart for Iain Jardine. Last season off 82 he was a fine second at York in a big field where he closed in well. He returns off 79 and if he’s ready and on a going day, he has every chance of hitting the frame. He goes on any ground too.

So best of luck and pray for Yeeehaaas. You hear me Paddy?

Matt Chapman’s ITV Racing Tips

13:30 Chester – Respond
13:50 Ascot – Albaydaa
14:05 Chester – Glory Of The Seas
14:35 Chester – Lambourn
15:05 Chester – Zanndabad (each-way)
15:40 Chester – Jonny Concrete (each-way)

*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.

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