Race type - Flat
Chester
Course details
No racecourse in England is older than Chester, which has history going back to 1539. There are 15 meetings in the summer season at Chester, which is also the shortest course in the country, at just one mile. The course is tucked between Chester’s old city walls and the Dee River, and the biggest events take place during the May Festival, which includes the Dee Stakes, Chester Cup, Chester Oaks and Chester Vase.
GUIDE - For Racecourse
Left-handed, almost circular track of just over a 1m
The Romans loved Chester so much they built a garrison here and who can blame them as a visit never fails to get the pulse racing, whether it be from watching the racing action or sampling the local night-life (highly recommended). History (and geography) lovers will be interested to know that the racecourse is built on an island, which was formed over several centuries by silt from the River Dee. The Saxons then proceeded to build a stone cross on it (as you do) and 'The Rodeee', as Chester is known by the locals, is actually a mix of Norse and Saxon languages meaning 'The Island of the Cross'. Several more centuries later - in 1512 to be exact - the first horse race was staged and this became an annual event in 1539, making it the oldest continuous racecourse in Britain. Vast crowds necessitated the building of a grandstand in 1817 and they've been coming back in droves since with the average attendance in the region of 20,000, with a fair few more watching for free from the old Roman wall that circumnavigates the whole town. Clever Romans!
Track / Draw Bias
It's common knowledge that low numbers are favoured at all distances, even in the 2m2f Chester Cup as the horses are constantly on the turn and those drawn wide (high) have further to travel. Bookmakers aren't stupid of course and factor this into their prices, although it is still possible to find value in sprint handicaps with those runners drawn 1-3 winning more races than they are entitled to. Soft ground often accentuates this bias, especially in the early races on the card before the ground on the inside gets chewed up.
Principal Races
While there are a few Listed races staged later in the season, the jewel in Chester's crown is the three-day May Meeting, which features four Group 3 contests, including the Ormonde Stakes and Chester Vase, which are recognised trials for the Derby and Oaks respectively. However, the race that is truly synonymous with the track is the Chester Cup, which is a handicap for three-year-olds and upwards over 2m2f. Due to the extreme distance, trainers are often tempted to switch code with their top hurdlers and the list of past champions includes such dual purpose greats as Sea Pigeon, who won it back-to-back in 1977-78, and more recently Overturn, who made every single yard of the running in 2011.
Course Characteristics
The racecourse itself is the smallest in the country measuring just over a mile in circumference and that means horses are on the turn anti-clockwise throughout. There is no straight as such so even races over the minimum distance of 5f take place round a bend, with the run-in to the winning post being a mere 239 yards. That combined with the tightness of the track make it imperative for the runners to be up with the pace throughout if they are to stand any chance and horses frequently make all. The big galloping types who like to stretch out on long straights may as well stop at home.
Top Trainers
In terms of sheer numbers, it's the Middleham-based Mark Johnston that leads the way over the past five seasons with 24 winners at a strike rate of 17%. Due to the competitive nature of the racing at the track, you would have made a level stakes profit of over £20 (£1 stake) by backing all his runners. Richard Fahey is next best with 20 winners, most of which coming in handicaps at decent prices. Both Kevin Ryan and Mark Brisbourne are regularly on the scoresheet here, although they do send out plenty of losers too. Champion Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien loves to target the Group races at the May Meeting and all four of his runners in 2011 were successful, albeit at short prices.
Top Jockeys
Northern-based lightweight Franny Norton rides this track better than most - 21 winners in the past five seasons - and he's often used by local owner Dr Marwan Koukash, who loves to have a winner here for obvious reasons. Paul Hanagan rides the majority of Richard Fahey's runners at the track, which explains his good record (12 winners / 26%), with Tony Hamilton a more than able deputy on the stable's second strings. Ryan Moore's strike rate of 26% is the best of the lot although most of his winners tend to come in non-handicaps at short prices.