LAST YEAR’S WINNERS

The first day of this years Boodles May Festival 2023, City Day, includes the Weatherbys Digital Solutions Cheshire Oaks and the Chester Vase, sponsored by Boodles. The two feature contests allow contenders for next month’s Oaks and Derby to gain valuable experience before heading to Epsom.

Despite having shown plenty of potential in her juvenile campaign, Thoughts Of June was not as heavily fancied as some of her rivals going into the Weatherbys Digital Solutions Cheshire Oaks last year. This didn’t stop her from going all the way though and picking up the first win of her fledgling career in what was a classy performance for trainer Aidan O’Brien, under a great ride from Ryan Moore. Making her second start of the campaign, the previous being an impressive second in a Leopardstown maiden a month prior (behind rival here Above The Curve), she went off at a decent 7/1. This victory brought Aidan O’Brien his seventh victory in this race, equalling the record set by Barry Hills.

While Thoughts Of June was decently backed in the betting, it was last time out rival Above The Curve who took the lion’s share of the support. Joseph Patrick O’Brien’s filly was the clear pick on form after comfortably dispatching Thoughts Of June the month before, eventually going off at 5/4. Despite a confident ride from Shane Crosse, she was unable to catch her rival and Thoughts Of June held on well under some heavy late pressure to score by just a neck in a real edge of your seat finish.

It proved a great day for Aidan O’Brien, who was able to continue his dominance at this meeting as the O’Brien and Ryan Moore connection came up trumps again in the day’s other feature race, the Group 3 Boodles Chester Vase Stakes. Changingoftheguard had come into this meeting in fine fettle after wiping the floor with his rivals in a Dundalk maiden in April, but most probably wouldn’t have expected him to win as dominantly as he did here over a rival as strong as New London. Charlie Appleby’s colt had come into this contest having won both of his prior starts and this form was reflected in the betting as he was very short at 4/11 but he was just outpaced by the winner over the final two furlongs.

The Lily Agnes Conditions Stakes continues to be the traditional curtainraiser of the Boodles May Festival and last year’s renewal saw the David Loughnane trained Absolutelyflawless start the day off with a bang, the two-year-old proving too much for her rivals despite being hampered at the start, continuing her flawless record as she made it two wins from just two starts.

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Every Day Handicap saw Ryan Moore collect the first of his three winners of the day, as he rode favourite Live In The Dream to a comfortable two and a quarter lengths victory for trainer Adam West. Fellow favourite Ever Given took the fifth, the Deepbridge Handicap for Hugo Palmer after a fast start under an aggressive ride from Daniel Tudhope. He went clear just over a furlong out an won readily by four and three quarter lengths.

It was a Godolphin 1-2 in the Edinburgh Gin Maiden Stakes as the ever-impressive Charlie Appleby and William Buick duo scored the win with Secret State. The Gosden trained Honiton coming in second. The days finale then saw Ffion clutch the win for David Loughnane in the Stephen Wade Handicap. William Buick scoring for the second race in a row over Paws For Thought by just a short head.