Chester May Festival 2025 day one: Lambourn can win the Chester Vase

Yahoo

07-05-2025

-Credit:Niall Carson/PA
LAMBOURN can give Aidan O'Brien another victory in the Boodles Chester Vase Stakes (3.05pm) on day one of the 2025 Boodles Chester May Festival. And with success in the Group Three feature on the Roodee the three-year-old can book his ticket to next month's Betfred Derby at Epsom.
The Ballydoyle handler has won this race a record 10 times and several of his previous winners have gone on to contest the Derby, with Ruleroftheworld winning both races in 2013 and Treasure Beach finishing second at Epsom before taking the Irish Derby following his Vase victory two years earlier. 2017 Derby hero Wings of Eagles was also runner-up on the Roodee before his success in Flat racing's blue riband.
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Lambourn can at least give himself the chance of following some of those to Epsom on June 7 with victory in the extended 1m4f Group Three contest at Chester. The three-year-old son of O'Brien's 2014 Derby hero Australia won two of his three starts as a juvenile, scoring over a mile at Killarney on his debut last July before following up a month later in a Listed event at Craon in France. Lambourn lost his unbeaten start when fifth to Hotazhell when stepped up to Group Two company in the Beresford Stakes in September on the final start of his juvenile career.
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Lambourn was then second to stable-mate Delacroix on his seasonal return in the Group Three Beresford Stakes over 1m2f at the end of March. He will be stepping up in trip again and that should bring out more improvement. He looks a potentially smart middle distance performer and although he may not be O'Brien's number one for the Derby – The Lion Of Winter remains ante-post favourite – if he impresses on the Roodee he could at least be part of the team for the Colts' Classic at Epsom next month.
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The weekend was all about Godolphin with the 'Boys in Blue' landing the first two Classics – the Betfred 2,000 Guineas and 1,000 Guineas with Ruling Court and Desert Flower respectively – but their great rivals Coolmore can hit back in the trials for the Derby and Oaks this week and next.
Ballydoyle stable-mate MINNIE HAUK can also book her place at Epsom with victory, also under Ryan Moore, in the Listed Weatherbys ePassport Cheshire Oaks (Fillies) (2.35pm). The three-year-old daughter of Frankel will be making her third career start on the Roodee – a place the Ballydoyle handler likes to send his Epsom hopefuls as there are some similarities on the tight turning track. Minnie Hauk ran twice as a juvenile, finishing second on debut over a mile at Cork at the start of October before getting off the mark at the second attempt later that month, scoring by a neck over Subsonic in a Fillies' Maiden at Leopardstown. Both of those were over a mile but she promises to improve again stepped up to middle distances and she can give O'Brien a record-extending ninth victory in the Cheshire Oaks before a crack at the real thing at Epsom next month.
None of O'Brien's previous Cheshire Oaks winners have also triumphed at Epsom with the last to do the double being John Gosden's mighty mare Enable in 2017, although Ballydoyle's Forever Together scored in the Classic having been second on the Roodee the following year.
ALI SHUFFLE may be able to land a knockout blow in the opener, the CAA Stellar Lily Agnes EBF Conditions Stakes (GBB) (1.30pm). Karl Burke's two-year-old can bring up a hat-trick of victories and potentially book a trip to next month's Royal Ascot. The speedy daughter of A'Ali has won both her starts so far, being prominent before scoring by two lengths in a Novice Stakes at Redcar at the start of April before a similar success at Beverley later last month.
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Ali Shuffle looks an ideal type for this five-furlong contest and with the plum stall one on the Roodee, she can break well and score again.
In the other five-furlong sprint, the Ladbrokes Best Odds Guaranteed On Racing Handicap (2.05pm), another who has bagged a good draw in stall two, REDORANGE, can also use it well to triumph. Clive Cox's three-year-old has only won once, over six furlongs on his fourth juvenile start at Yarmouth last September, but he has run well in all his starts. He was gelded over the winter and returned with another good effort to be third to Queen All Star at Sandown last month. With that run under his belt and from an advantageous draw this prominent racer can land another success, this time over the minimum distance.
BOB MALI can win the Love Federal Capital Handicap (3.40pm). Charlie Hills' three-year-old was a course and distance winner last September and can triumph again on the Roodee. He is another who was gelded over the winter and the son of Sands Of Mali also made a pleasing return to action, when the three-time winner was second at Newmarket last month. With the cobwebs blown off Bob Mali can return to winning ways.
BILLYB can win the finale on day one at Chester, the Horseradish Catering & Events Handicap (4.45pm). Craig Lidster's six-year-old has not won since last June, when scoring over seven-and-a-half furlongs at Beverley. But he ran a couple of good races on the all-weather after that and on his seasonal return he too can get back to winnings ways.
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John and Thady Gosden's MARNIER can land a first victory in the Heineken Maiden Stakes (GBB/GBBPlus Race) (4.10pm). The three-year-old son of Saxon Warrior was unraced as a juvenile but he made a pleasing debut when third to Gethin at Newbury over 1m2f last month. He naturally showed his inexperience but having been slowly away and hanging to his left, he stayed on well enough to give hope he can do much better with racing. He can score ahead of Hugo Palmer's debutant Little Saver from the nearby Manor House Stables of former England and Liverpool FC forward Michael Owen.
Wright Ones
CHESTER MAY FESTIVAL 2025 (Day One)
1.30pm Ali Shuffle
2.05pm Redorange
2.35pm Minnie Hauk
3.05pm Lambourn (NAP)
3.40pm Bob Mali
4.10pm Marnier
4.45pm Billyb