The curtain falls on the Boodles May Festival with Friday’s City Day, and once again a stacked card of seven races will give punters and spectators plenty to cheer about.
The standout feature races come in the middle of the afternoon: the former Group 3 (but now listed) Betdaq Dee Stakes (2:40pm), and the current Group 3 status Boodles Diamond Ormonde Stakes (3:10pm).
Betdaq Dee Stakes
Given that his charges have triumphed in three of the last four renewals of this race, it is no surprise to see Aidan O’Brien once again dominating the field here.
Alongside Idaho, who has also been shortlisted for the Chester Vase on Thursday, O’Brien has the top two ranked horses in the contest – Beacon Rock and Shogun, plus the talented Claudio Monteverdi.
Beacon Rock has never finished outside the places since his debut, and with his best performances coming on good-to-soft ground he should enjoy himself at Chester. A third in the strong Ballysax Stakes last time out is a good indicator of progress.
Competition is likely to come from David Elsworth’s Sea of Flames, while Linguistic – another earmarked for the Chester Vase – could go close if John Gosden opts for Friday’s renewal instead.
Boodles Diamond Ormonde Stakes
Punters can expect a thrilling renewal here, with many in the field possessing chances to make a name for themselves in a race famous for producing contenders for the Coronoation Cup.
To that end, Aidan O’Brien will surely be pointing his steed Father Christmas towards the June meeting at Epsom. For now, victory here would be a real statement of intent, and this four-year-old, with a win to his name in four starts, must be considered despite not running for the best part of a year.
The stats point towards a four or five-year-old winner here – that age range has triumphed in 16 of the last 20 renewals – and there is a pair of crackers in that bracket to watch out for this time around.
Cymro won over 12f last time out at Thirsk, and with four wins in twelve starts is clearly a horse destined for big things. With the popular Tom Dascombe overseeing proceedings, and a past victory at Chester to call on, Cymro is certainly one to keep an eye on.
And what about Dartmouth, who has delivered five wins from ten starts by royal appointment of the Queen. Sir Michael Stoute has produced a real contender here, and an impressive resume over the 12f/13f mark is only adding fuel to the flames.
The last of the races on Friday to really whet the appetite is the Betway E.B.F Stallions Handicap Stakes, and the Mark Johnston trained Rah Rah could take some beating. Winning on her return in March, the three-year-old has triumphed in three of four starts over 5f, won on good-to-soft and entered the winners’ circle at Chester on her only previous start here.
