2023 Day 3 Chester Meeting Tips – DS
2023 Day 3 Chester May Meeting Preview
Another day, another blank. It has been a real struggle this week and we only have one more chance to put it right. Lose Your Wad ran ok but didn’t get home on the ground. Sunchart was badly hampered turning in but ran on well and he is one to watch next time out. Jean Baptiste used too much petrol to get to the front and faded out of contention. No NAP or NB purposely on Friday because of how they’ve been running, Dave’s 2023 Day 3 Chester May Meeting tips are below.
1.30 – CAA Stellar Handicap (Class 2)
This has the look of a proper burn up. Percy’s Lad (stall 13) and Gweedore (stall 8) both like to get on with things in front, as does a horse we backed last time, Wobwobwob. Adrian Keatley’s charge has landed the plum draw in stall 1 and Leigh Roche will be aiming to grab the rail and the early lead. If the two other potential front runners sweep around the outside, there is a chance they could set this up for a closer.
Boardman is the most likely beneficiary if they go a very strong gallop. He likes to sit just off the pace and he’ll be coming with his challenge late. Tim Easterby’s charge is just 4/1 though and he is probably best on quicker ground than this. Another one that would appreciate an end to end gallop at a bigger price is the 4yo, Heat Of The Moment.
G3 Form
By Bobby’s Kitten, this filly last won in a 6f Novice at Yarmouth on good to soft as a 2yo. She was highly tried as a 3yo, her best effort coming when beat 3L by Wild Beauty in a Newbury G3 (7f gd). Her best run since came when 5th of 13 off 95, 8L behind Bopedro in a Newmarket handicap (8f gd/sft) last time.
She has now been dropped to a mark of 93 and Ben Curtis comes in for the ride. Jane Chapple Hyam’s horses usually run well at Chester (6/33 10 Top 4s) and owner Kirsten Rausing has a decent record here too (7/27 11 Top 4s). At Newmarket she wasn’t far behind Dutch Decoy and Toshizou at the 1f pole before getting tired, solid form. On this easier track she should be finishing off stronger with that run under her belt. At 20/1, Heat Of The Moment is worth backing e/w.
2023 Day 3 Chester May Meeting Tip: Heat Of The Moment e/w @ 20/1 (4 places)
2.05 – Precision Facades Handicap (Class 2)
We backed Savvy Victory last time at Kempton where Richard Kingscote had a shocker. He found all sorts of trouble in that seven runner Listed race and with a clear run, he would have won. If the plan was a quiet run with a view to exploiting his mark here it didn’t work because the handicapper hiked him up 3lbs to 104. Ryan Moore now takes over and he has been drawn in stall 1, though that is not a big advantage for this hold up sort. If Moore can thread a clear passage, he won’t be far away.
To be honest, it is tough to make a case for the outsiders here. The only one that makes slight appeal is the seven time winner, Certain Lad. This horse was last in the winner’s enclosure in August 2020 when he won a York G3. He’s mostly been campaigned in stakes races since, bar a decent run at York in a 10f handicap in July 22 when beat 5.75L off 107.
A 3lb drop for that run was negated by a fine effort at Haydock in a G3 on his last start of the season which saw him raised back up to 107. A low key return at Longchamp in a Listed race should have left him spot on and he was a good 2nd to Solid Stone in the G3 Huxley at this meeting last year. He doesn’t mind a bit of cut in the ground, he’ll be suited by a strong pace and at odds of 14/1, Certain Lad is the e/w pick.
2023 Day 3 Chester May Meeting Tip: Certain Lad e/w @ 14/1
2.40 – Huxley Stakes (Group 2)
Lafayette returned to form last time and he’ll like the ground here. However, I’m not too sure this tight track will suit him. He usually takes a while to hit top gear and the short straight on the Roodee won’t play to his strengths.
Point Lonsdale beat Noel Meade’s charge by 8.5L when they met at the Curragh in April (10f hvy). Like Lafayette, all his form is on big galloping tracks and it remains to be seen if this test will suit him. Mujtaba has won here before so he has no worries on that front and he’ll handle conditions too. The bookies are taking no chances though so it makes sense to sit this one out. No bet.
2023 Day 3 Chester May Meeting Tip: No Bet
3.15 – Tote Chester Cup Handicap (Heritage)
I’ve already had a few quid on Emiyn for this race at 33s. After the rain came and he was drawn in stall 1 his price collapsed and he is probably chalked up about right now at 11/1. Declan Carroll’s front runner won over C&D last season, he loves soft ground and he looks sure to run a big race. If you fancy him, I wouldn’t put you off.
With soft ground firmly in his favour, maybe Euchen Glen has one more big day in him. Now a 10yo, he shaped very nicely on his comeback run behind Wise Eagle at Musselburgh last month. In that 14f (gd/sft) race he finished 4th of 14 and he was finishing off stronger than most.
Not Beaten Far
The assessor dropped him to 101 after that run so he is 4lbs lower than when beat 3L into 3rd at Haydock (14f gd/fm) last season. The son of Authorized has never won over this trip but he wasn’t beaten that far after being hampered in this race in 2018 and he has won over 16f on good to soft ground in the past.
He is now down to his last winning handicap mark and that Musselburgh run should leave him spot on for this from a fitness perspective. Euchen Glen seems to enjoy the rough and tumble of big field handicaps, though his tendency to find trouble can often cost him. However, if he can repeat the form he showed on any of his last four handicap starts (and he gets a bit of luck) he is more than capable of hitting the frame here at odds of 16/1.
