The May Meeting at Chester continues on Thursday as we start to get a clearer picture for the next few classics and possible runners and riders at Royal Ascot next month. After a couple of places on Wednesday we’ll be hoping to go a bit better on Thursday.
There is some great action on over the course of the card on Thursday. We’ve had a good look through the race card and there is one bet which we fancy which comes right in the middle of the action.
3.10 Chester
Preview
The Group 3 Ormonde Stakes run over a trip just shy of a mile & three quarters is the main race on the 2nd day of the Chester May meeting. A field of 9 are expected to line up with the favourite being the classy Albaflora from the Ralph Beckett yard. She has finished 2nd on her last 2 outings in Group 1 company behind Eshaada in the Qipco Champions Fillies & Mares and Snowfall in the Yorkshire Oaks. Whilst she will relish the ground & does go well fresh, I’m not convinced she’ll like the tight turns so, at the price, am happy to look elsewhere. Believe In Love is another who’ll like the ground & is Group 1 placed but the big negative for me is that she was stone last on reappearance last term in a race that should have suited (right trip & ground). Hamish is a likeable & lightly raced sort but is a bit too inconsistent for my liking whilst Alounak’s poor strike rate is offputting. John Leeper went off well fancied for the Derby after winning a Listed contest at Newmarket 12 months ago but disappointed there & didn’t really improve much thereafter.
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Betting
At the prices, I’m keen on the chances of Thunderous. He’s a 5 year old with just 10 starts to his name, of which he’s landed 4 of them including all 3 as a 2 year old. At 3, he won the Group 2 Dante but was then off the track for almost a year before failing to win in 4 starts last year. That said, he put in some good efforts in defeat, most notably in finishing 3rd in the Jockey Club, 2nd in the Aston Park & perhaps his best performance, when 4th in the Hardwicke Stakes at Ascot where the horses in front are all rated 116+ & he came home half a length in front of today’s favourite Albaflora (who is rated 113). Interestingly, that run came on soft ground & the only other times he’s encountered soft, he won a Listed race at 2, a Group 2 at 3 & was 2nd to Al Aasy (rated 117) in a Group 3. In that Ascot race in which Albaflora was behind, he sported first time blinkers & they are refitted today. You can ignore his last run when 6th of 7 on reappearance as he generally needs his first start of the year (was last on reappearance 12 months ago & turned over as favourite the year before) & I’d expect him to be spot on for this. It’s his first time behind a mile and a half but given the way he rallies in his races & stays on after looking outpaced, I expect it to bring about improvement. In a small field & with 4 places available, he’s a super each way bet.
Tips
Back Thunderous (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 11.00 Skybet BOG (⅕ odds 1-4)
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