Friday tips: best bets on Chester Cup day

Ralph Beckett’s thrice-raced colt should take all the beating in this extended mile and a half maiden.

The son of Sea The Stars is a full-brother to strong stayers Al Aasy and Align The Stars, as well as a talented maiden filly named Sea Karats, who looked highly promising for William Haggas before suffering a career-ending injury.

So far, Joulany has finished second at Kempton and fourth behind the talented Morshdi at Yarmouth. Those runs over seven furlongs and a mile respectively were creditable efforts over trips well short of his optimum, and he ran a clear career-best when beaten half a length over ten furlongs at Newbury on his seasonal reappearance last time.

This step up in trip again can see him break his maiden tag and his racecourse experience may well stand him in good stead. He is currently available at a shade of odds-against and should take all the beating.

Last year’s Chester Vase and dual Derby hero can make a winning return to action here in first-time cheekpieces.

The son of Australia is well-treated at the weights, avoiding a penalty for not having won since the Irish Derby and gets 5lb from Bay City Roller, who is officially rated 2lb inferior.

I believe he failed to stay in the St Leger last time (his dam was second in the Queen Mary) and is better judged on his earlier efforts, and even his fifth in the Great Voltigeur can be upgraded given they went no pace and he was carrying a Group One penalty.

If he is back to the form we saw in the late spring and early summer, he should prove hard to beat at this trip from a good draw in stall two. He took well to Chester at this meeting 12 months ago and may get first run on his rivals under Ryan Moore, who ride the Roodee better than anyone.

It is easy to see why Blindedbythelights is vying for favouritism for the Chester Cup as he looks well-handicapped and has a good draw in stall four.

However, it has been almost two years since he won a race and I would rather side with a horse that finished behind him last time but meets him on better terms back at his favourite track.

The horse in question is Spirit Mixer, who has a length and a quarter to find with Sir Mark Prescott’s gelding, but is 2lb better off and crucially is back at Chester, where he has won four times.

Stall ten is not a disaster and Rob Hornby knows the son of Frankel well having ridden him to victory here last year. Although he was only seventh last year, he has gone close off higher marks before and his third last time was an encouraging return to action after a 184-day break.

Andrew Balding has won this race with a horse at similar odds in the past decade and this consistent eight-year-old looks a good each-way bet at 14-1, with some firms offering six places.