Dr Sharp for Chester Cup
29/04/05

Tate confirms that recent Doncaster scorer and previous Chester winner Dr Sharp is on target for historic contest while Hobbs plans to run Unleash

A total of 38 stayers have today been confirmed at the five-day stage for the £120,000 totesport Chester Cup (2.30pm) over an extended two mile two furlongs on the first day of Chester's May Festival, Wednesday, May 4, including the Tom Tate-trained Dr Sharp.

The five-year-old, who has been allotted a weight of 8st 3lb and was a 12/1 chance with the sponsor yesterday, stayed on strongly under a brilliant Robert Winston ride to win on his last start in a handicap over a similar distance at Doncaster by three lengths on April 1.

"Dr Sharp is most certainly going to go to Chester to run in the totesport Chester Cup," revealed Tate today.

Asked what he thought of the weight his charge had been given, the Yorkshire-based trainer replied: "The lighter, the better and he is fine after the Doncaster race.

"He was staying on well at Town Moor and if he does that again, he should give a good account of himself."
Dr Sharp won on his only previous appearance at Chester in the Blue Square Games Handicap in August last year when pushed out by the same rider to deny Master Wells by a length and a quarter.

Tate continued: "It's definitely a good thing that he's already won at Chester and we're going there hopeful next week."
There were 22 runners going forward at this stage last year while the maximum field is 18.

Other possibles for the great handicap include last year's winner Anak Pekan and the Mark Johnston-trained trio of Swift Sailor, Contact Dancer, the 2004 totesport Cesarewitch hero, and Mana d'Argent. Swift Sailor is a lightly-raced four-year-old, having won on two of his three starts, including when successful a 14-furlong handicap at Musselburgh last month, while Mana d'Argent, an Ascot specialist, was fifth last year in the totesport Chester Cup.

Cold Turkey, the Queen's Prize winner at Kempton last month, may represent Gary Moore and fellow Sussex-based trainer Amanda Perrett is hoping for another big run from Big Moment, who was third last year and second in 2003. The 2004 fourth Distant Prospect is also there.

Ireland's champion trainer Aidan O'Brien has four-year-old Contact Dancer going forward for the very valuable race while Philip Hobbs will run Unleash, second over hurdles at Cheltenham on April 13, if the going is suitable.

Hobbs, based near Minehead in Somerset, said today: "The plan is to run Unleash in the totesport Chester Cup providing the ground is good or faster.
"He is fine after his recent outing over hurdles at Cheltenham which hopefully will have put him right as he had not run for over a year before that.

"I think he did need the Cheltenham run but the fact that he has not appeared on the Flat for a long time should not be a problem."
Unleash, who has had just two runs over hurdles in the last two years, was a good handicap stayer on the Flat, last appearing on the level in October, 2003. He won the John Smith's Northumberland Plate at Newcastle earlier that year.

A look at Wednesday's other five contests shows that 12 three-year-old fillies have been entered for the £50,000 Listed Weatherbys Bank Cheshire Oaks (2pm) over an extended one mile and three furlongs.
This year the race is being run for the Robert Sangster Cup, which honours the late Robert Sangster who grew up locally, had his Swettenham Stud close by and made no secret of the fact that Chester's May Festival was his favourite meeting. He was also a steward at Chester for many years.

This year's dozen hopefuls include the Lucy Sangster-owned Faint Heart, who won a fillies' maiden at Tralee in August and has been subsequently placed in three Listed and Group events including the Salsabil Stakes at Navan on her last start on April 16, when finding just Allexina three and a half lengths too good.

Mrs Sangster is the wife of Ben Sangster, one of Robert's sons, and there would be no more poignant moment than if the Sadler's Wells filly, who was bred by Ben and Robert, could take this one-off Robert Sangster Cup.

Faint Heart could face opposition from the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Seven Magicians, who was fourth over an inadequate seven furlongs on her only previous start in a maiden fillies' event at Kempton in September, and the Barry Hills-trained/Khalid Abdulla-owned pair of Alumni and Heart Stopping. The former found only Eswarah two and a half lengths too strong in another maiden fillies' event at Newbury earlier in the month, while Heart Stopping was seventh in a similar event at Newmarket in October
The opening £20,000-added Joseph Heler Lily Agnes Conditions Stakes (1.30pm) over five furlongs has attracted 18 two-year-olds including Don't Tell Sue, also trained by Hills, who made a winning racecourse bow at Newbury this month when exhibiting blistering speed to overhaul Johnny Alpha in the final strides by a head.

The Richard Hannon-trained Gamble In Gold also made a winning debut at Windsor on April 25, running on well to master Give Me The Night by three and a half lengths, and Dusty City is another previous winner who just failed to gain a second success in a similar conditions event at Lingfield on Wednesday, going down by half a length to Azygous.
The £20,000-added Breitling Watches & Waltons Of Chester Handicap (3pm) for four-year-olds and upwards over an extended one mile and two furlongs has 20 possibles.

Among these are the Steve Gollings-trained King's Thought, who was successful in the bluesqpoker.com City & Suburban Handicap at Epsom on April 20, and Zonergem, trained by Lady Herries, the winner of the Mail On Sunday/totesport Mile Final Handicap at Ascot in 2002.

Other protagonists could be Blue Monday, who did not run last year but won his two previous starts, and Nashaab, who could make his first 2005 appearance in Britain after three starts in Dubai.

Wednesday's exciting programme is completed by the £15,000-added Walker Smith Way Handicap (3.35pm) over an extended one mile and four furlongs which has attracted 15 possibles - among them is the Favourites Racing VII-owned Quizzene who won at Sandown earlier this month and one of the syndicate which owns the three-year-old is Rishi Persad, a member of the BBC's racing team - and the £12,000-added Cheshire Regiment EBF Maiden Stakes (4.10pm) over five furlongs which has drawn 29 entries including the Aidan O'Brien-trained pair of Marcus Andronicus and Rol'over Beethoven,
Entries for the second and third days of Chester's May Festival, Thursday, May 5, and Friday, May 6, close tomorrow, Saturday, April 30.

Clerk of the course Ed Gretton today reports the going as Good. There are showers forecast tomorrow, Monday and Tuesday but otherwise it will be dry and getting warmer.