Chester is the tightest flat track in Britain, a left-handed circuit barely a mile round with very sharp bends. Low draws have a well-documented advantage at most distances. The May meeting is one of the oldest and most popular fixtures on the flat calendar.
Course Profile
| Direction | Left-handed |
| Surface | Turf |
| Racing | Flat (1064) |
| Total races (dataset) | 1,064 |
Top Trainers
| Trainer | Runs | Wins | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|
| A M Balding | 465 | 92 | 19.8% |
| R A Fahey | 825 | 89 | 10.8% |
| Tom Dascombe | 515 | 62 | 12.0% |
| M Johnston | 332 | 48 | 14.5% |
| Hugo Palmer | 269 | 44 | 16.4% |
| T D Easterby | 367 | 43 | 11.7% |
| R M Beckett | 168 | 32 | 19.0% |
| A P O’Brien | 69 | 29 | 42.0% |
| Ian Williams | 427 | 27 | 6.3% |
| W J Haggas | 102 | 25 | 24.5% |
| Richard Hannon | 162 | 22 | 13.6% |
| P D Evans | 225 | 19 | 8.4% |
| Roger Varian | 103 | 19 | 18.4% |
| Sir Michael Stoute | 74 | 17 | 23.0% |
| K A Ryan | 124 | 15 | 12.1% |
Top Jockeys
| Jockey | Runs | Wins | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|
| F Norton | 528 | 70 | 13.3% |
| R Kingscote | 407 | 60 | 14.7% |
| R L Moore | 102 | 37 | 36.3% |
| David Probert | 260 | 36 | 13.8% |
| Jason Hart | 203 | 26 | 12.8% |
| Rob Hornby | 132 | 20 | 15.2% |
| P Hanagan | 159 | 20 | 12.6% |
| J Fanning | 111 | 18 | 16.2% |
| J F Egan | 197 | 18 | 9.1% |
| S De Sousa | 134 | 17 | 12.7% |
| Hayley Turner | 106 | 17 | 16.0% |
| Jason Watson | 106 | 16 | 15.1% |
| B A Curtis | 101 | 16 | 15.8% |
| Harry Bentley | 54 | 15 | 27.8% |
| P Mathers | 117 | 13 | 11.1% |
Favourite Performance
Across 1,159 races in the dataset, the market favourite won 352 times — a strike rate of 30.4%.
Broadly in line with the national average (~32%).
Going Distribution
| Going | Races | % |
|---|---|---|
| Good | 492 | 46.2% |
| Good to Soft | 245 | 23.0% |
| Soft | 165 | 15.5% |
| Good to Firm | 103 | 9.7% |
| Heavy | 59 | 5.5% |
The most common going description is Good, accounting for 46.2% of races.
Betting Angles
- A M Balding has a strong record here with 92 wins from 465 runs (19.8%). Worth noting when they have a runner.
- A P O’Brien has the highest win rate in the top 10 at 42.0% (29 from 69 runs), often sending runners with a good chance.
- R L Moore rides this course well: 36.3% win rate from 102 rides.