Ladbrokes Chester Cup

BACKED into 9/4 favourite for the Ladbrokes Chester Cup, East India Dock (James Owen/Harry Davies) justified the support to outstay his rivals in a race where the betting told the story. At the home turn, another well-backed horse in Leinster held the lead from eventual second Caballo De Mar (George Scott/Callum Shepherd), but East India Dock kept finding for pressure to give Davies a second win in the Chester Cup having won 12 months ago on Zoffee, who this time ran on for third to gain the distinction of having made the frame for three successive years.East India Dock was last seen when third in a memorable JCB Triumph Hurdle behind Poniros and Lulamba, and he will be heading to Royal Ascot for the Ascot Stakes after this flat breakthrough.

James Owen told ITV Racing: “Unbelievable! This is the pinnacle of our training career so far. It’s lovely to get these horses. We missed out at Cheltenham with him - when he jumped the last in front, we thought ‘here we go’, but he just got collared on the line. What a lovely horse to come back and do it on an occasion like this, on the tightest track he’s ever run around. He had a little flat spot turning in, but he gunned them down late and could have gone around again. We’ll go to Royal Ascot now.”

FRIDAY’S Group 2 at Chester, run as the Ire-Incentive It Pays To Buy Irish Huxley Stakes, was won in commanding fashion by The Foxes (Andrew Balding/Oisin Murphy), who justified favouritism at 13/8 with a late dash to deny the always-prominent Cairo (Alice Haynes/Kieran O’Neill).

The winner was tucked in on the rail behind leader Bolster, and Murphy always looked to have plenty of horse under him, assuming he could find a way out, and when Certain Lad began to feel the strain entering the home straight, Murphy eased out from underneath that rival to launch his decisive challenge, passing the post a length and three-quarters ahead of Cairo, with Liberty Lane running on late for third.