The first day of the Chester May Festival began as always with the Lily Agnes Conditions Stakes for two-year-olds and the Karl Burke trained Ali Shuffle brought up a quick hattrick of wins for owners Nick Bradley Racing 5 and jockey Sam James. The Listed Cheshire Oaks went to the Aidan Obrien and Ryan Moore team with Minnie Hauk who justified favouritism to beat Secret Of Love by a length. She is best priced 10/1 for the Epsom Oaks. The Derby trial and feature race the Group 3 Chester Vase was won by the same connections with Lambourn who needed every yard of this trip and won going away. It would appear Lambourn is down the Ballydoyle pecking order and is available at 25/1 for the Derby.
Day two saw the Listed Dee Stakes and the Group 3 Ormonde Stakes and it was a case of déjà vu with the same owners, trainer and jockey taking both events. Illinois took the Ormonde by a length and a quarter from Al Qareem with Absurde half a length back in third. Mount Kilimanjaro just held off High Stock trained by Andrew Balding and ridden by Oisin Murphy in the Dee Stakes.
Friday, the final day of the festival saw the Group 2 Huxley Stakes taken by the King Power owned The Foxes for trainer Andrew Balding and rider Oisin Murphy. On to the big betting race of the day and meeting the Chester Cup. Over the two miles and two furlongs trip the race went to the James Owen trained East India Dock owned by the Gredley family. This was some compensation after being beaten less than a length in the Triumph Hurdle went sent of the 5/4 favourite. Harry Davies did the steering and won from Caballo De Mar for a famous victory. Congratulations to all connections of the top races at the festival.