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Friday ITV Racing Tips: Best bets for Chester and Market Rasen

The Chester Cup is one of six races being shown live on ITV on Friday May 5 and we've a tip for each.

Our outright selections are listed below along with the reasons behind them, while the highly informative race cards for Chester and Market Rasen are just a click away at Planet Sport's Racing Live Centre.

Selections:

Revich (13.30 Chester)

Royal Village (13.50 Market Rasen)

Mujtaba (14.05 Chester)

Solid Stone (14.40 Chester)

Cleveland (15.15 Chester)

Flaming Rib (15.45 Chester)

13.30 Chester - Revich

Boardman, one of three course and distance winners in the field, got back to winning ways at Haydock last time and is just 2lb higher today, with the softer ground also in his favour.
However, he's drawn wider than ideal in stall eight and Revich, who will break from the inside stall and is a three-time winner at the track (twice on good to soft), is preferred.
Representing the in-form Richard Spencer (2-5 in the last fortnight), he made all when drawn against the rail at a meeting here in August 2020 and ran well to finish third on his last visit behind the winner Fools Rush In, whom he meets on much better terms.
While he's 4lb higher than his last winning mark, he has the services of in-demand apprentice Harry Davies, who is excellent value for his 7lb claim and won on his only previous ride for the stable.

13.50 Market Rasen - Royal Village

Most of these are at the veterans stage and Alan King's Royal Pretender, who is the youngest in the field at six, is interesting on his chase debut and having been beaten a nose over hurdles at this track 18 days ago.
His handicap mark of 124 looks about right, though, and preference is for Micky Hammond's Royal Village, who is 5lb lower than when scoring at this track last summer and has now won three times over fences here.
As a good ground horse he was rested over the winter and returned to action at Carlisle in March to finish a creditable third before coming to grief at Fakenham last time, both times when ridden by a conditional.
Conor O'Farrell, who last won on him, takes the reigns this afternoon and we can also some encouragement from the form of his stable, with three winners already this month and five in the last fortnight.

14.05 Chester - Mujtaba

William Haggas' three-year-old proved a disappointing favourite on his return to action in the Lincoln, failing to pick up when asked and then fading late on to finish twelfth of the 22 runners.
However, his lack of experience perhaps told in that big-field handicap and he's worth another chance this afternoon back at the scene of his three wins last season.
This is first try over 1m2f, admittedly, but he stayed on really well to win over a mile at Redcar in October, when taking it up strongly over two furlongs out on the soft ground, and his dam was a champion in South Africa who stayed this far.
Unlike his more exposed rivals here, he still has the potential to prove himself better than a handicapper and today's assignment looks far easier than the one he faced at Doncaster.

14.40 Chester - Solid Stone

Megallan shaped really well on his first start since October, only finding Master Of The Seas too good in a Newmarket Group 3 run over 1m1f, and he's entitled to strip fitter for that run.
But we're being asked to take odds-on and the value lies with Sir Michael Stoute's Solid Stone, who wasn't beaten far into fourth behind Magellan when they met at Salisbury in August and re-opposes on 7lb better terms.
Like the favourite, he's had a prep run and could prove dangerous here if recapturing the form he showed when back-to-back Group 3s last autumn, starting quickly and making all on each occasion.

Ryan Moore will surely try and execute such tactics this afternoon and he won't be easy to pass in the straight as he's a tenacious sort who seems to find more when asked.

15.15 Chester - Cleveland

Dermot Weld's Falcon Eight overcame an awkward high draw and a slow start to win comfortably 12 months ago under Frankie Dettori, who is renewing the partnership, and he should put up a bold defence having had a prep run over hurdles last month.

But preference is for another Irish-trained runner in Aidan O'Brien's Cleveland, who is bidding to make up for lost time having missed all of last season through injury and should strip far fitter for his comeback run at Naas over an inadequate trip.
The son of Camelot was being talked up as a potential Derby horse after winning a maiden at the Curragh in November 2020, with his beaten rivals including stablemate and subsequent St Leger fourth Interpretation, and he has the potential to make up into a smart stayer this season.

His plethora of Group race entries later in the season include the Ascot Gold Cup, so he ought to be able to make his mark in this handicap off a mark of 98 under Ryan Moore, who has been in scintillating form at this meeting: six winners from just eight rides, including four for the same stable.

Solent Getaway, an easy winner over 2m here last August, and former Melrose winner Coltrane are others to consider in what is a typically strong renewal.

15.45 Chester - Flaming Rib

King's Lynn was a progressive sprinter last season and it wouldn't surprise to see him competing at the highest level this term, although he might prove vulnerable here on his first run back and with a penalty to shoulder.

We'll take a chance instead on the only three-year-old runner in the field, Hugo Palmer's Flaming Rib, who is getting the age allowance and is back sprinting having run below his best in last month's Greenham Stakes over 7f.
A speedy sort who won five times last season, including a 6f handicap here in September when making all from a low draw to score by over three lengths, he could prove hard to catch if similar tactics are deployed here.

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