188bet Chester Cup
Heritage Handicap 15:35
£120,000 added,
4yo plus,
2m 2f 140y, Class 2   
Wednesday 10th May 2017

1 Montaly 16/1
2 Yorkidding 9/1
3 Fun Mac 25/1
4 Who Dares Wins 5/1
17 ran Distances: nk, ¾l, ½l
Time: 4m 3.37s (slow by 2.37s)

Montaly wins convincingly for Andrew Balding and Oisin Murphy

Congrats to our man Oisin Murphy on a wonderfully-timed ride to land the Chester Cup aboard Montaly!
@ChampionsSeries

The winner got up in the shadow of the post to snatch victory in a tight finish.

Yorkidding led from her Mark Johnston-trained stablemate Watersmeet in the straight and looked like landing the spoils after being prominent throughout the extended two-and-a-quarter-mile test.

However, Montaly came from the clouds under Oisin Murphy to win by a neck and give trainer Andrew Balding top honours in the historic handicap prize.

Fun Mac was three-quarters of a length away in third, with Who Dares Wins a further half-length back in fourth.

Murphy said: "It's some job to get this horse to win this race today. You've got to remember he's been off the track a long time and he was on a career-high mark, so credit to Andrew and the team at home.

"When you're riding for Andrew Balding you learn to ride with your head and he puts no pressure on you. It's a very easy thing to do.

"You need the horses and as I've said before, fast horses make fast jockeys."

Balding was represented by his wife Anna Lisa, who said: "Oisin was brilliant again and he's such a special horse. 

"He's got a few issues and very nearly kicked me before the race and my phone got smashed. He's not straightforward, so this means even more. 

"I'm shocked, to be honest, as we thought the ground was going to be too quick for him, but it was absolutely perfect on the day."

188bet Chester Cup Heritage Handicap
£120,000 added, 4yo plus, 2m 2f 140y, Class 2
17 ran
Going: Good, Good to Firm in places

Pos Dr D Horse SP Jockey Weight Trainer Age
1st (2) Montaly 16/1 Oisin Murphy
9-6
A M Balding 6
2nd (3) nk Yorkidding 9/1 R Kingscote
9-3
M Johnston 5
3rd (13) ¾ Fun Mac (GER) 25/1 Jim Crowley
9-9
H Morrison 6
4th (7) ½ Who Dares Wins (IRE) 5/1 Tom Marquand
8-13
A King 5
5th (18) ¾ Magic Circle (IRE) 25/1 F M Berry
9-5
R M Beckett 5
6th (6) ½ Watersmeet 8/1 F Norton
9-8
M Johnston 6
7th (11) Sir Chauvelin 14/1 S H James
8-13
J S Goldie 5
8th (19) nse Angel Gabrial (IRE) 25/1 P Hanagan
9-3
R A Fahey 8
9th (16) hd Suegioo (FR) 40/1 Adam J McNamara (3)
9-9
R A Fahey 8
10th (10) Nakeeta 16/1 J P Spencer
9-10
I Jardine 6
11th (17) 1 First Mohican 33/1 Hollie Doyle (3)
9-7
A King 9
12th (1) nk Blakeney Point 4/1f Kieran Shoemark (3)
8-12
R Charlton 4
13th (15) ½ Duke Of Clarence (IRE) 50/1 James Doyle
9-4
Ian Williams 8
14th (12) s.h Golden Spear 10/1 R L Moore
9-1
A J Martin 6
15th (9) 1 Good Tradition (IRE) 50/1 P Mulrennan
9-0
D McCain Jnr 6
16th (8) The Cashel Man (IRE) 9/1 W Buick
8-13
D M Simcock 5
17th (14) 12 Sea Of Heaven (IRE) 9/1 L Morris
9-4
Sir Mark Prescott 5

Odds catcher