Chester Racecourse: preview and tips for Saturday’s eight-race card

The penultimate meeting of the Flat season as Chester arrives on Saturday with a bumper eight-race card on offer for punters heading to the track.

Racing gets underway at 1.35pm with a maiden stakes in class two before rounding off at 5.55pm with a class four handicap to bring the card to a close.

Read below to discover the latest betting tips and a full meeting preview of Chester’s card on Saturday, courtesy of Betway.

The opening contest on the Chester card sees a field of nine head to the start for the maiden stakes in class two (1.35), with the two-year-old’s taking centre stage in the first race of the day. The Charlie Johnston-trained Sir Peter Fossick looks the one to beat here, second at Haydock last time out and this looks a good opportunity to go one better. Of his rivals, Rock Diva rates a big danger after an eye-catching third on debut at Wolverhampton last month.

Race two of the afternoon is the feature race of the day with the Listed Stand Cup Stakes (2.05), held over the one mile and four furlong distance and with a decent prize pot of £60,000 up for grabs. Preference in this one heads the way of Al Qareem for trainer Karl Burke, a smart performer who was a runner up in a Group 3 for the third time earlier this season and was the winner of this race 12 months ago so, on paper, looks very much the one to beat.

Thirteen runners will take on race three on the card, the one mile and seven furlong Watergate Cup (2.40). Irish raider Vera Verto, hailing from the Gavin Cromwell yard, sets the standard here having won off higher marks than her current one of 89 and looks ready to take on the longer trip she will face at Chester. Powerhouse Irish trainer Willie Mullins has one to note here too with Mr Escobar, but it is perhaps a watching brief with the six-year-old looking somewhat tricky to keep on a level.

A class four Nursery marks race four at Chester (3.20) and it is a competitive heat to boot, with the nod slightly edging towards Invincible Annice, who resumed winning ways at Hamilton ten days ago and returns to Nursery company. Recent Ripon scorer Invincible Strong rates as the chief threat, fourth on handicap debut but took a big leap forward when winning last time out three weeks ago.

Stressfree is taken to get the better of his rivals in race five of the afternoon (4.05) as he is lurking on a very attractive mark having finished third at Ayr on his last spin, while the sixth race of the day (4.40) can go the way of Pitney, narrowly beaten over course and distance in June who can bounce back to better form at a track he likes.

Grey Fable has made a fine start to life with the Karl Thornton team having landed back-to-back course and distance handicaps so rates as the main selection in the penultimate race on the card (5.15) and things come to a close with a ten-runner handicap at 5.55, with the nod heading the way of Night Breeze for trainer Ian Williams, who completed a hat trick at Windsor earlier this season and also bagged a second when stepping up in company when second in a Kempton handicap last week.

Chester selections – Saturday

1.35 – Sir Peter Fossick

2.05 – Al Qareem

2.40 – Verta Verto

3.20 – Invincible Annice

4.05 – Stressfree

4.40 – Pitney

5.15 – Grey Fable

5.55 – Night Breeze