Chester Racecourse

Like Japan (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) on Thursday, Ballydoyle's Armory (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) also got his campaign off to a flyer on Chester's "Roodee" 24 hours later with a smooth success in the G2 Melodi Media Huxley S. Settled last of the four who tackled the extended 10-furlong contest, last year's G3 Royal Whip S. winner, G1 Cox Plate runner-up and G1 Irish Champion S. third swept around the outside to take over a furlong out en route to a three-length defeat of Sangarius (GB) (Kingman {GB}). "He is a very...

Chester hosts just the one black-type event on Friday, with the G2 Melodi Media Huxley S. over an extended 10 furlongs acting as the first port of call in 2021 for Ballydoyle's Armory (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Surprising a few judges when third at 66-1 and in front of Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) and Japan (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G1 Irish Champion S. in September, the bay went on to show that was no fluke when runner-up to Sir Dragonet (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) in Moonee Valley's G1 Cox Plate on...

First time over further than a mile-and-a-half facing a serious rival in Trueshan (Fr) (Planteur {Ire}) meant that Thursday's G3 Ormonde S. at Chester represented a tough ask for Japan (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), but in the end his class told as the Ballydoyle stalwart opened his 5-year-old campaign on the right note. Enjoying a perfect trip on the rail nestled behind the leading duo early, the 13-8 favourite was angled out by Ryan Moore to come around Trueshan on the home bend and began to assert from the furlong pole...

Bouncing back from a fourth in last month's Listed Feilden S. at Newmarket on seasonal comeback, Ahmad Al Shaikh's Youth Spirit (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) dented a number of Classic aspirations with a determined victory in Wednesday's G3 Chester Vase. He had bettered a debut fourth over seven furlongs at Haydock when annexing a hot Newmarket maiden tackling the same trip next time and hit the board contesting Goodwood's July 28 G2 Vintage S. in the last of three juvenile outings. The April-foaled bay was let go at 15-2 and settled...

A plan for a mass lateral flow COVID-19 testing programme was unveiled by Chester Race Company Ltd. on Monday. The course's goal is to test up to 5,000 attendees per day at the 2021 Boodles May Festival on May 5-7. There would be three separate testing sites, enabling 1,800 lateral flow tests per hour to take place at the racecourse, with all attendees assigned a specific testing site and allocated entry time. There would also be staggered exit times. Fully-socially distanced racing experiences are also in development, so that racing...