Chester’s May meeting survived a lengthy ground inspection this afternoon before Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore turned the resumed card into another statement performance, landing the Dee Stakes with Constitution River and the Ormonde Stakes with Jan Brueghel.
Chester’s second day began in uncertainty after the opening five-furlong handicap prompted concern from jockeys and trainers over horses slipping on bends around the Roodee.
Racing was delayed for more than an hour while officials, riders and trainers inspected the track, with remedial work carried out before the meeting was allowed to continue.
Roman Dragon, a proven Chester specialist, had won the opener for Hugo Palmer and Oisin Murphy before the stoppage. But of greater significance in the afternoon was once the feature races finally went ahead, as O’Brien and Moore extended their grip on the meeting with victories in the Dee Stakes and Ormonde Stakes.
Constitution River Strengthens Derby Profile
Constitution River produced the most striking performance of the day in the Listed Dee Stakes. Ryan Moore settled the son of Wootton Bassett in a handy position before asking him to go through a gap on the rail, and the response was immediate. He surged clear to beat Generic by seven lengths, with Golden Story another two and three-quarter lengths away in third.
The race had lost one of its principal contenders when William Haggas withdrew Morshdi during the delay on ground-suitability grounds, but Constitution River still delivered in a style that mattered. The colt delivered performance that was both smooth and straightforward, with pundits agreeing it is big, strong horse with a good future.
The result gave O’Brien a 13th Dee Stakes success and kept the Ballydoyle stable’s Chester momentum rolling after Wednesday’s Chester Vase and Cheshire Oaks wins.
Jan Brueghel Follows Up in Ormonde Stakes
The pattern continued half an hour later when Jan Brueghel won the Group 3 Ormonde Stakes. Illinois, last year’s winner, made the running for the same stable, but Moore tracked the pace on Jan Brueghel before bringing him through to lead over a furlong from home.
Jan Brueghel went on to beat Mount Atlas by two-and-a-half lengths, with Illinois fading into third. Rahiebb, another intended runner with a live chance on paper, had also been withdrawn during the earlier delay.
Jan Brueghel was helped by an even pace and used his long stride well around Chester, while Coolmore’s Paul Smith indicated the Coronation Cup at Epsom is their next target.
Big Test for Chester Racecourse
Today’s Chester card was already one of the more important Derby, Oaks and older-horse checkpoints of the week, but it became more significant because it tested both its racecourse operations and its equine safety decision-making in real time.
The highlight of tomorrow’s card is the Chester Cup (3:05pm).
