Chester’s May Meeting will take centre stage this week in front of the ITV Racing cameras. Our resident tipster Matthew Sutcliffe is here throughout the action on the Roodee and provides his best bets.
Check out his three selections for day one of the fixture, which takes place on Wednesday 6 May.
Chester Racing Tips (Wednesday 6 May)
A seven race card takes place on day one of the May Meeting, with the action getting under way at 1.30pm. The feature race is the Group 3 Chester Vase at 3.05pm.
1:30 Chester – CAA Stellar Lily Agnes EBF Conditions Stakes (GBB Race) (Class 2) (2yo) – Yahaira 33/1 0.5pt EW 3 places
Connections won this with a second time out winner in Seraphim Angel in 2024 and they had a 40/1 third with Italica from a wide draw last season who was well beaten on debut, so it’s plausible to suggest Yahaira is overpriced here despite needing to markedly improve on her debut at Bath.
The Minzaal filly was unsupported in the market, but she showed good early speed to sit towards the far-side rail being leaders from her wide draw. She was eased down once beaten, but the top two were four lengths clear of the field with the winner going close in a conditions stakes on Sunday and the second won a valuable maiden at Musselburgh next time out.
She certainly needs to step up, but I like the fact she’s already had the experience of racing in between rivals in a big field whereas the majority of these had made all to win in smaller fields this time. As a result, she may be more streetwise this time from stall two and she’s bred to be sharp at this stage given her dam was a dual winner at two, and she’s a half sister to two-year-old winners including the 2015 Chesham winner Sunny Way I.
2:05 Chester – Join Ladbrokes Bet 5 Get 30 Earl Grosvenor Handicap (Class 2) (4yo+ 0-105) – Divine Libra 15/2 1pt EW 4 places
Divine Libra last three second time up runs after a break have come at Chester with form figures of 115, and he fared best of those to race in rear when fifth in this contest off a pound higher last season.
With overall form figures of 5131254 here, rarely ever far away in defeat, this race will likely have been his early season target so we can draw a line through his distant eighth at Newmarket on reappearance when behind the runaway subsequent winner Double Rush.
His latest effort here came when beaten a length in listed company over six furlongs in August, close up behind a subsequent group three winner with the subsequent Nunthorpe second Ain’t Nobody back in sixth.
The yard are yet to quite get going this season, but he has the benefit of a recent run here and the
return to his favoured track in what isn’t the deepest of 0-105’s can see him fare well.
3:05 Chester – Boodles Chester Vase Stakes (Group 3) (Colts & Geldings) (Class 1) (3yo) – Water To Wine 9/4 1pt WIN
Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore have won this five times in the last ten years, but all of those had the benefit of a recent run and given several of the yards fancied runners of late have seemingly needed their first outings, it may pay to take Derby favourite Benvenuto Cellini on with Water To Wine, who created a very smart impression when a four length winner at Newbury on debut.
Kingman’s wouldn’t be the most obvious candidates to makes their debut over 1m3f, but this colt looked a fair imposing sort and visually it wasn’t a surprise to see him make his debut as a three-year-old over the trip, but he certainly looked to be above average having recorded an RPR of only 3lbs less when Hidden Law won the race in 2024, who later went on to take the Chester Vase.
His dam was a three time winner over 1m4f including in Group 2 company, and she’s a half sister
to the 2013 Group 1 Hong Kong Vase winner so there is certainly plenty of class at this trip in the
pedigree. The yard won this with Arrest in 2023, and given he is such an imposing sort who took a while to come to hand, it’s interesting they back him up just under three weeks later and this extra furlong
will suit this promising son of Kingman
Matty Sutcliffe’s Chester May Meeting Day 1 Tips for Wednesday 6 May
1:30 Chester – CAA Stellar Lily Agnes EBF Conditions Stakes (GBB Race) (Class 2) (2yo) – Yahaira 33/1 0.5pt EW 3 places
2:05 Chester – Join Ladbrokes Bet 5 Get 30 Earl Grosvenor Handicap (Class 2) (4yo+ 0-105) – Divine Libra 15/2 1pt EW 4 places
3:05 Chester – Boodles Chester Vase Stakes (Group 3) (Colts & Geldings) (Class 1) (3yo) – Water To Wine 9/4 1pt WIN
Matthew Sutcliffe’s Best Bets – Wednesday 6 May
FAQs
What are today’s racing tips?
Matthew Sutcliffe provides his best bets for Day 1 of Chester’s May Meeting, which takes place on Wednesday 6 May.
When were Matthew Sutcliffe’s tips published?
Matty Sutcliffe’s racing tips were published at 10.30am on Wednesday 6 May.
Who is Matthew Sutcliffe?
Matthew Sutcliffe is GGs newest contributor, often providing a value angle for his tips. He writes weekly columns for the weekend’s racing, as well as taking aim at ante-post markets at the Cheltenham Festival. Follow him on X: @MattySutcliffe
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