Chester 15:05 8 May 2026
Class 2 8 May 2026

Friday 8 May Ladbrokes Chester Cup (Heritage Handicap) (GBBPlus Race)

Ladbrokes Chester Cup (Heritage Handicap) (GBBPlus Race) · 2m2f140y

1648-Hr decs

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  • 16 declared
  • 0 picked
  • 1 NR
Saturday Draw Join free to vote Updated 3 weeks, 3 days ago
No.
Horse
Form
Jockey / Trainer
OR
SR?
RPR
Age
Wgt
AI
Votes
Odds
Pick
Comment
?
Lips Freedom Non-Runner
Age 6 · 8-9
50/50-
TBA
Andrew Kinirons
101
6
8-9
SP
Three Flat wins when trained in Germany, in Italian 1m4f Listed race on last two occasions (August 2023 and 2024); slow to find his feet in Ireland but winning a 2m2f handicap hurdle on latest outing was a positive development in tongue-tie first time; he'd have had a much higher mark two years ago but others have more solid claims.
1
Chemistry silks
Chemistry
Age 5 · 11-8
1-
117
5
11-8
14/1
Useful handicapper on the Flat; made a winning hurdles debut at Sedgefield last month (2m1f, good), beating an odds-on shot who won next time, the pair well clear; penalised; the one to beat.
Spotlight

Useful handicapper on the Flat; made a winning hurdles debut at Sedgefield last month (2m1f, good), beating an odds-on shot who won next time, the pair well clear; penalised; the one to beat.

1
Aimeric
Age 7 · 9-12
2/275-
Darragh Keenan
Jennie Candlish
116
7
9-12
80/1
Won sole start here, a 2022 maiden; smart at 1m3f-1m6f for Roger Varian and Karl Burke but reappearance was easily the best of three runs last year and, after a 21,000gns sale in November, well beaten at 11-10 for hurdles/yard debut two weeks ago; that's not the most promising stepping stone to this.
Spotlight

Won sole start here, a 2022 maiden; smart at 1m3f-1m6f for Roger Varian and Karl Burke but reappearance was easily the best of three runs last year and, after a 21,000gns sale in November, well beaten at 11-10 for hurdles/yard debut two weeks ago; that's not the most promising stepping stone to this.

2
A Piece Of Heaven
Age 8 · 9-6
2/3-22
Dylan Browne McMonagle
Joseph Patrick O'Brien
110
8
9-6
8/1
One of three runners for the yard; lightly raced 8yo who was second in the 2m1f Irish Cesarewitch in 2024 and also in non-handicaps over 10.5f and 1m6f on his latest two starts this year; will probably be in good form but needs a career best.
Spotlight

One of three runners for the yard; lightly raced 8yo who was second in the 2m1f Irish Cesarewitch in 2024 and also in non-handicaps over 10.5f and 1m6f on his latest two starts this year; will probably be in good form but needs a career best.

3
Tashkhan silks
Tashkhan
Age 8 · 9-10
66070-
98
104
8
9-10
80/1
2-2 here on the Flat, albeit in 2021; very smart on Flat at his best but he's not scored in this sphere since 2023 and had a disappointing 2025; had a mixed hurdles campaign last season, last seen 11 weeks ago; all wins have been on soft or heavy ground.
Spotlight

2-2 here on the Flat, albeit in 2021; very smart on Flat at his best but he's not scored in this sphere since 2023 and had a disappointing 2025; had a mixed hurdles campaign last season, last seen 11 weeks ago; all wins have been on soft or heavy ground.

3
Maxi King
Age 6 · 9-5
/3434-
Toby Moore(7)
Kevin Philippart De Foy
113
6
9-5
16/1
Reliable sort with a good first-time-out record, and he looks well worth this first foray beyond 14.5f, but there is something to prove if the ground if firmer than good; promising 7lb claimer has his first ride at Chester.
Spotlight

Reliable sort with a good first-time-out record, and he looks well worth this first foray beyond 14.5f, but there is something to prove if the ground if firmer than good; promising 7lb claimer has his first ride at Chester.

4
Moon Over Miami silks
Moon Over Miami
Age 5 · 8-13
461-50
92
104
5
8-13
11/1
Third turf win was a narrow one at Newbury (2m, good; rallying) in April on his final start last year; may have needed his 2026 reappearance and the unusual test of the Chester Cup might excuse his disappointing show next time, but a revival is needed.
Spotlight

Third turf win was a narrow one at Newbury (2m, good; rallying) in April on his final start last year; may have needed his 2026 reappearance and the unusual test of the Chester Cup might excuse his disappointing show next time, but a revival is needed.

5
Spirit Mixer
Age 8 · 9-1
5714-3
Rob Hornby
Andrew Balding
113
8
9-1
16/1
One of three for the yard; won the Northumberland Plate at Newcastle (2m, AW) last June and has a 4-7 record at Chester, although his two performances in this race were muted (from double-figure draws); reappearance six weeks ago matched his best 2025 form but a bit extra will be needed.
Spotlight

One of three for the yard; won the Northumberland Plate at Newcastle (2m, AW) last June and has a 4-7 record at Chester, although his two performances in this race were muted (from double-figure draws); reappearance six weeks ago matched his best 2025 form but a bit extra will be needed.

6
Berkshire Sundance
Age 6 · 9-1
81-011
Oisin Murphy
Andrew Balding
113
6
9-1
18/1
Missed most of last season but won on good/AW in four of his six starts since, the latest in clearcut fashion with first-time cheekpieces at Newcastle on AW Championships day; raised another 7lb, drawn wide and lacks any race experience at this track, but he's going from strength to strength.
Spotlight

Missed most of last season but won on good/AW in four of his six starts since, the latest in clearcut fashion with first-time cheekpieces at Newcastle on AW Championships day; raised another 7lb, drawn wide and lacks any race experience at this track, but he's going from strength to strength.

7
Duraji
Age 5 · 9-0
4940-6
Finley Marsh
Richard Hughes
113
5
9-0
40/1
Sole win (ten starts) for Dermot Weld was a maiden in 2024; has tried Group/Listed races but his most competitive show last year came when fourth of 14 in 1m6f handicap at Glorious Goodwood, off 3lb higher than today; tried a hood on AW debut at Lingfield in February and has since changed stables (same owners); has a bit to prove and such a wide draw is unlikely to help.
Spotlight

Sole win (ten starts) for Dermot Weld was a maiden in 2024; has tried Group/Listed races but his most competitive show last year came when fourth of 14 in 1m6f handicap at Glorious Goodwood, off 3lb higher than today; tried a hood on AW debut at Lingfield in February and has since changed stables (same owners); has a bit to prove and such a wide draw is unlikely to help.

8
Galileo Dame
Age 5 · 8-12
/000-2
Ryan Moore
Joseph Patrick O'Brien
110
5
8-12
6/1
Yard runs three; well beaten in Listed races last autumn but, fit from hurdling, made a good Flat return when second at Navan (1m6f, heavy) at the end of March; that was both her Flat handicap debut and the furthest she's been in this sphere, which opens up possibilities for her as a Flat stayer.
Spotlight

Yard runs three; well beaten in Listed races last autumn but, fit from hurdling, made a good Flat return when second at Navan (1m6f, heavy) at the end of March; that was both her Flat handicap debut and the furthest she's been in this sphere, which opens up possibilities for her as a Flat stayer.

9
Peaky Blinder silks
Peaky Blinder
Age 4 · 8-10
391-10
89
113
4
8-10
13/2
Off the mark at Redcar (1m6f, good to soft) in October and won well again when reappearing at Southwell (slowly run 2m, AW; gelded) this April; raised substantially in class for the Chester Cup (2m2f, good; 7-1) 15 days ago, which saw him chase leaders to 4f out before dropping right out, but he was going places before that and could rebound.
Spotlight

Off the mark at Redcar (1m6f, good to soft) in October and won well again when reappearing at Southwell (slowly run 2m, AW; gelded) this April; raised substantially in class for the Chester Cup (2m2f, good; 7-1) 15 days ago, which saw him chase leaders to 4f out before dropping right out, but he was going places before that and could rebound.

10
Puturhandstogether
Age 5 · 8-11
17/31-
Billy Loughnane
Joseph Patrick O'Brien
107
5
8-11
11/2
One of three for Joseph O'Brien; won 4yo handicap hurdle at 2025 Cheltenham Festival and also took a huge prize for last September's Irish Cesarewitch on Flat at the Curragh (2m1f, yielding); underwhelming in his three handicap hurdles in November-April, which is a concern, as is today's widest stall, but his Curragh win (bursting clear 1f out) was delivered with considerably more authority than the winning margin suggests; respected.
Spotlight

One of three for Joseph O'Brien; won 4yo handicap hurdle at 2025 Cheltenham Festival and also took a huge prize for last September's Irish Cesarewitch on Flat at the Curragh (2m1f, yielding); underwhelming in his three handicap hurdles in November-April, which is a concern, as is today's widest stall, but his Curragh win (bursting clear 1f out) was delivered with considerably more authority than the winning margin suggests; respected.

11
Zanndabad
Age 7 · 8-10
/7049-
Clifford Lee
A J Martin
114
7
8-10
15/2
An unlucky, strong-finishing third in this race in 2024 (good to firm; his only run here) and has a 1lb lower mark today; flickers of that ability on occasions since, though had to have his sights lowered for two hurdle wins last autumn; tailed off at 40-1 in a Grade 1 novice hurdle four weeks ago, after a winter break, and could be more interesting this time.
Spotlight

An unlucky, strong-finishing third in this race in 2024 (good to firm; his only run here) and has a 1lb lower mark today; flickers of that ability on occasions since, though had to have his sights lowered for two hurdle wins last autumn; tailed off at 40-1 in a Grade 1 novice hurdle four weeks ago, after a winter break, and could be more interesting this time.

12
Team Player
Age 4 · 8-10
313-11
Greg Fairley
Ewan Whillans
111
4
8-10
16/1
Led on the post here for the first of two 1m4f wins last summer for Gemma Tutty and, with tongue-tie enlisted, hit major new heights for new yard this year with his wins from off the pace at Newcastle (2m, AW) and Musselburgh (1m6f, soft); raised another 9lb, which demands more, but those last two wins were delivered in some style and he has to be considered seriously.
Spotlight

Led on the post here for the first of two 1m4f wins last summer for Gemma Tutty and, with tongue-tie enlisted, hit major new heights for new yard this year with his wins from off the pace at Newcastle (2m, AW) and Musselburgh (1m6f, soft); raised another 9lb, which demands more, but those last two wins were delivered in some style and he has to be considered seriously.

15
Alphonse Le Grande
Age 7 · 8-9
8587-0
Jamie Powell
A J Martin
110
7
8-9
20/1
Held up; an excellent 2024 included wins in the Chester Plate on this card (his only run here) and the Cesarewitch at Newmarket; 2025 campaign was initially promising then frustrating, including with trouble in running, but ended up being disappointing; has a recent 1m2f run under his belt and would be competitive off this slightly reduced mark if back on song.
Spotlight

Held up; an excellent 2024 included wins in the Chester Plate on this card (his only run here) and the Cesarewitch at Newmarket; 2025 campaign was initially promising then frustrating, including with trouble in running, but ended up being disappointing; has a recent 1m2f run under his belt and would be competitive off this slightly reduced mark if back on song.

16
Blindedbythelights
Age 6 · 8-9
/222-2
Luke Morris
Sir Mark Prescott Bt
113
6
8-9
11/2
Versatile tactically; his only two wins were in 2023 but this highly reliable handicapper has been runner-up in six of his seven races since, including in useful company and also over 2m when he wore cheekpieces on last three occasions (hung right and lost out to a rallying rival last time); now tries blinkers and has each-way claims from low draw.
Spotlight

Versatile tactically; his only two wins were in 2023 but this highly reliable handicapper has been runner-up in six of his seven races since, including in useful company and also over 2m when he wore cheekpieces on last three occasions (hung right and lost out to a rallying rival last time); now tries blinkers and has each-way claims from low draw.

No bookmaker prices recorded yet for this race. Prices land after the first odds sync.

Chamber Verdict

Balanced lens

Peaky Blinder

Live signal

Peaky Blinder owns one of the strongest chamber scores in this field. The Balanced lens likes the blend of SR strength (63) and market confidence (70). The profile stays composed even after the chamber introduces race-day variance.

13/2 Andrew Balding Rob Hornby
67% Confidence
⚠ Danger Runner

Blindedbythelights

Nearest rival if the simulation drifts off the primary path.

11/2 · Sir Mark Prescott Bt
✓ Value Signal

Alphonse Le Grande

Strongest upside if you want a less obvious route through the field.

20/1 · A J Martin
◈ Chamber Memory

Balanced

Even weighting across form, market confidence and race-day volatility.

Change lens →
Chamber Signals

How the chamber read the race

Why this horse Live cards showing how the active lens weighted each signal for this outcome.
Speed rating Live signal
63 / 100
⚖ Weight 38% +23.9 pts

Base ability signal derived from the runner's best available speed figure.

Market confidence Live signal
70 / 100
⚖ Weight 22% +15.4 pts

Transforms live price respect into a confidence signal inside the chamber.

Pace profile Speculative
50 / 100
⚖ Weight 12% +4.9 pts

How cleanly the runner's engine fits the projected rhythm and pressure map.

Value edge Speculative
58 / 100
⚖ Weight 10% +5.8 pts

Shows whether the current price still leaves enough upside in the pick.

Chaos factor High conviction
61 / 100
⚖ Weight 10% +6.1 pts

Controlled volatility that keeps the simulation realistic and stress-tests the profile.

Favourite bias Speculative
49 / 100
⚖ Weight 8% +3.9 pts

Extra certainty applied when the active lens wants to trust the obvious market leader.

Top chamber signals Top 5 ranked by the active lens.
1 9. Peaky Blinder
62.0 13/2
2 16. Blindedbythelights
60.1 11/2
3 11. Zanndabad
58.2 15/2
4 10. Puturhandstogether
57.1 11/2
5 2. A Piece Of Heaven
56.7 8/1
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SR

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Proprietary ability score 0–200. How good the horse actually is — independent of market opinion.

Ability
🤖
★★★★★

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Community Signal

Market Movers Horses at 20/1 or shorter

10
Age 5 · 8-11
11/2
J: Billy Loughnane
T: Joseph Patrick O'Brien
🐾

One of three for Joseph O'Brien; won 4yo handicap hurdle at 2025 Cheltenham Festival and also took a huge prize for last September's Irish Cesarewitch on Flat at the Curragh (2m1f, yielding); underwhelming in his three handicap hurdles in November-April, which is a concern, as is today's widest stall, but his Curragh win (bursting clear 1f out) was delivered with considerably more authority than the winning margin suggests; respected.

16
Age 6 · 8-9
11/2
J: Luke Morris
T: Sir Mark Prescott Bt
🐾

Versatile tactically; his only two wins were in 2023 but this highly reliable handicapper has been runner-up in six of his seven races since, including in useful company and also over 2m when he wore cheekpieces on last three occasions (hung right and lost out to a rallying rival last time); now tries blinkers and has each-way claims from low draw.

8
Age 5 · 8-12
6/1
J: Ryan Moore
T: Joseph Patrick O'Brien
🐾

Yard runs three; well beaten in Listed races last autumn but, fit from hurdling, made a good Flat return when second at Navan (1m6f, heavy) at the end of March; that was both her Flat handicap debut and the furthest she's been in this sphere, which opens up possibilities for her as a Flat stayer.

9
Age 4 · 8-10
13/2
🐾

Off the mark at Redcar (1m6f, good to soft) in October and won well again when reappearing at Southwell (slowly run 2m, AW; gelded) this April; raised substantially in class for the Chester Cup (2m2f, good; 7-1) 15 days ago, which saw him chase leaders to 4f out before dropping right out, but he was going places before that and could rebound.

11
Age 7 · 8-10
15/2
J: Clifford Lee
T: A J Martin
🐾

An unlucky, strong-finishing third in this race in 2024 (good to firm; his only run here) and has a 1lb lower mark today; flickers of that ability on occasions since, though had to have his sights lowered for two hurdle wins last autumn; tailed off at 40-1 in a Grade 1 novice hurdle four weeks ago, after a winter break, and could be more interesting this time.

2
Age 8 · 9-6
8/1
J: Dylan Browne McMonagle
T: Joseph Patrick O'Brien
🐾

One of three runners for the yard; lightly raced 8yo who was second in the 2m1f Irish Cesarewitch in 2024 and also in non-handicaps over 10.5f and 1m6f on his latest two starts this year; will probably be in good form but needs a career best.

4
Age 5 · 8-13
11/1
🐾

Third turf win was a narrow one at Newbury (2m, good; rallying) in April on his final start last year; may have needed his 2026 reappearance and the unusual test of the Chester Cup might excuse his disappointing show next time, but a revival is needed.

1
Age 5 · 11-8
14/1
🐾

Useful handicapper on the Flat; made a winning hurdles debut at Sedgefield last month (2m1f, good), beating an odds-on shot who won next time, the pair well clear; penalised; the one to beat.

3
Age 6 · 9-5
16/1
J: Toby Moore(7)
T: Kevin Philippart De Foy
🐾

Reliable sort with a good first-time-out record, and he looks well worth this first foray beyond 14.5f, but there is something to prove if the ground if firmer than good; promising 7lb claimer has his first ride at Chester.

5
Age 8 · 9-1
16/1
J: Rob Hornby
T: Andrew Balding
🐾

One of three for the yard; won the Northumberland Plate at Newcastle (2m, AW) last June and has a 4-7 record at Chester, although his two performances in this race were muted (from double-figure draws); reappearance six weeks ago matched his best 2025 form but a bit extra will be needed.

12
Age 4 · 8-10
16/1
J: Greg Fairley
T: Ewan Whillans
🐾

Led on the post here for the first of two 1m4f wins last summer for Gemma Tutty and, with tongue-tie enlisted, hit major new heights for new yard this year with his wins from off the pace at Newcastle (2m, AW) and Musselburgh (1m6f, soft); raised another 9lb, which demands more, but those last two wins were delivered in some style and he has to be considered seriously.

6
Age 6 · 9-1
18/1
J: Oisin Murphy
T: Andrew Balding
🐾

Missed most of last season but won on good/AW in four of his six starts since, the latest in clearcut fashion with first-time cheekpieces at Newcastle on AW Championships day; raised another 7lb, drawn wide and lacks any race experience at this track, but he's going from strength to strength.

15
Age 7 · 8-9
20/1
J: Jamie Powell
T: A J Martin
🐾

Held up; an excellent 2024 included wins in the Chester Plate on this card (his only run here) and the Cesarewitch at Newmarket; 2025 campaign was initially promising then frustrating, including with trouble in running, but ended up being disappointing; has a recent 1m2f run under his belt and would be competitive off this slightly reduced mark if back on song.

🗺 The Course Class 2

2m2f140y Distance to cover
Good Expected going
16 Confirmed runners
Chester Track and setting
Class 2 Race grade