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Updated: 30th April 2011 - GG.com

May's High Days

Chester's prestigious three-day meeting follows hot on the heels of Newmarket's Guineas weekend and the action slips quickly into top gear on May 4 with the Chester Cup where once again the vagaries of the draw and the idiosyncrasies of the Roodee's spinning bowl will doubtless play a big part in determining the outcome.

Irish raider Dirar and Mount Athos will be among the more fancied contenders hoping for the rub of the green in running while Ed Dunlop's plucky stayer Red Cadeaux is another holding bright prospects in a typically open race. Over at Punchestown on the same day the evergreen Kauto Star should still be too good for several less accomplished rivals in the Guinness Gold Cup.

Quevega
© racing-images.co.uk

On May 5 Quevega should again set the seal on a light but lucrative season by landing the Ladbroke World Series Hurdle while a handful of select colts will attempt to put flesh on the bones of a potential Classic challenge in the Chester Vase. The following day it is the turn of the older horses to strut their stuff in the Ormonde Stakes where Willie Haggas may take the wraps off his smart colt, Harris Tweed.

Over at Punchestown on May 6 Hurricane Fly bids to cap a terrific season by landing back-back victories in the Rabobank Champion Hurdle where his main rival is likely to be Binocular. The latter ran an utterly dismal race at Aintre and is beginning to look like a horse to avoid at all costs for punters. Still, the drop back to two miles should suit Nicky Henderson's charge despite his trainer's mistaken assertion that he would be just as effective at two and a half miles at Aintree.

World Domination
© Racehorse Photos

The run of Classic trials continues at Lingfield on May 7 with the Lingfield Derby Trial and the similarly-titled Oaks Trial for fillies' on the same day. Henry Cecil's World Domination is likely to be a warm order for the former race and the once-raced and unbeaten colt is already plenty short enough for the Epsom Classic in June.

On the same Lingfield card Flambeau should go close in the Chartwell Fillies' Stakes while over at Ascot the Michael Bell-trained Horseradish looks a lively contender for the Victoria Cup and the same can be said of Red Merlin in the Swinton Hurdle, a top-class 2m handicap at Haydock. On May 8 Recital should be able to build on the high promise of his seasonal debut at Leopardstown the other day by taking the Derrinstown Derby Trial at the same course.

York's valuable and often influential three-day Dante meeting clicks into gear on May 11 with a handful of possible Oaks fillies going to war in the Musidora Stakes while in the Duke Of York Stakes, some of the older sprinters get the opportunity to set down a marker for bigger honours later in the season. The Dandy Nicholls-trained Redford has been trained with this race in mind and should be hard to beat.

Canford Cliffs
© racing-images.co.uk

On May 12 the Derby hopefuls take their place in the Dante Stakes, Midday returns to action in the Middleton Stakes and on May 13, the third and final day, the stayers take centre stage in the Yorkshire Cup. On May 14 the top milers go head-to-head in the Lockinge Stakes with Canford Cliffs seeming hard to beat at Newbury on his keenly-awaited return to action.

May's high-class action comes to a thrilling conclusion with the Irish 2,000 Guineas on May 21 followed by the 1,000 Guineas the next day. May's racing carousel ends on the 26th with the Henry 11 and Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown, with Afsare attempting to make up for a bitterly disappointing return at the same course on Bet 365 Gold Cup day.

Malcolm Heyhoe writes weekly horse racing articles for GG.COM-Horse racing betting, information, news, results and free daily tips

Archive April 2011