Ryan Moore: my rides at Chester this week

Jockey Ryan Moore knows his way around Chester and backing all of his mounts since 2003 at the Roodee would have actually earned you a level stakes profit (30 per cent, 50 per cent win and place, +£10.33, 1.2 A/E).

The rider's statistics make for even more eye-catching reading when just considering his mounts for trainer Aidan O'Brien at the May meeting (60 per cent from 47 rides, +£36.99, 1.61 A/E) and has five such rides on Wednesday and Thursday at this year's fixture.

Speaking to Betfair - for whom he is an ambassador - Moore runs through his chances of all his declared rides on the opening two days of the Boodles May Festival. 

There is little to split Port Fairy and Rubies Are Red on their two efforts to date, and I ride the former.  I have been on board both for their runs this year, and Port Fairy showed a good attitude to win at Dundalk, where she probably did it a bit snugly. Rubies Are Red is a sister to Found among others and I think she probably finished second to a very good filly in Galileo Dame, who she meets again here. Improvement is needed from both but of course the potential is there after just the two starts.

He looks the clear form choice on his form at two. I didn’t ride him in any of his three starts last year but he followed up a good third in the Beresford when an impressive winner of a Group 3 at Leopardstown on deep ground. Grosvenor Square promises to be well suited to this trip and there is no reason to think he won’t be as least as effective on a decent surface. In fact, he will probably improve for it. He’s a good prospect but our other Galileo colt Agenda is far from out of this, either.

His form is probably a match for any in here – though some have a similar level of ability going into the race - and hopefully this beautifully-bred Frankel colt will improve for the step up in trip. Gallantly shaped that way when I rode him to finish second over 1m at Leopardstown last month, and the winner has gone to win well under a penalty at Gowran Park, so maybe he bumped into a decent one there. He has an obvious chance.

I haven’t ridden Never So Brave in any of his three starts but he clearly got unlucky in bumping into two subsequent Group 1 winners in Ancient Wisdom and Vandeek last season. This well-related No Nay Never colt made no mistake when winning at Thirsk on his return, so hopefully he has the class to defy a mark of 94 here. It is not overly-generous on his bare form, but he should at least be competitive off it. His draw in three could have been worse.

This race has cut up to just five runners but they all have their chance. Clearly, Harper’s Ferry has it all to do on the book but he is a Lope De Vega out of an Oaks winner, so who knows what ability is still to come. Capulet probably didn’t run up to his best on his return behind Bracken’s Laugh at Chelmsford City but hopefully he will have sharpened up for that run, this 1m2f trip will suit, and he can return to his 2yo form. I was impressed by Jayarebe at Newmarket but, like a lot of those who impressed when being up with the pace at that meeting, I’d like to see them do it again under different conditions.

Again, a smallish field but it has a fair bit of depth. I’d like to think Point Lonsdale is just about the one to beat, though. He won the Huxley Stakes in testing ground here last year but he has Group 1 form on a decent surface, courtesy of his runs in the Irish Champion Stakes, and in the Sheema Classic last time. The trip is the obvious unknown.

Stall one looks good on paper but it doesn’t always work out like that in a maximum field around here. But you just ride your race. Crystal Mariner has been gelded and has had a wind op since we last saw him, and he has his chance off 84 on his Redcar third under a penalty. Trip and ground should suit.