Chester Racecourse

Alex Eade has been named the successor to Charles Barnett as the next Secretary General of the Large Independent Racecourses. Barnett is due to retire after six years in the post. Eade begins his new role in the new year and has previously been General Manager at Goodwood Racecourse for five years (2015-2019). He also spent six years at Betfair, latterly as Director of Sporting Affairs. Eade is currently Group Commercial Director at Lloyd Webber Theatres, Ltd. Bridget Guerin, Chairman of York Racecourse, said, "Firstly, I would like to thank...

Saturday's card at Chester was abandoned after four races due to safety concerns entering the final bend. Humanitarian (Noble Mission {GB}), with Luke Cotton aboard, slipped on that turn during the meet's fourth race, the ICM Stellar Sport H. An inspection with course officials and jockeys was subsequently conducted, and the meeting was called due to unsafe ground. Chester joins Haydock and Beverley as the third track that was abandoned mid-card in the UK in the past four days, with those courses cancelling on Friday and Wednesday, respectively. Clerk of...

Chester's May meeting, day two, status quo. Fresh off a day for the ages, Galileo extended his record tally of stakes winners to 350 when Aidan O'Brien trainee Star of India (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}--Shermeen {Ire}, by Desert Style {Ire}) displayed all the battling traits of his sire by finding plenty in the latter stages of Thursday's Listed Homeserve Dee S. to claim a first black-type rosette in ultimately impressive style. Star of India became a 'TDN Rising Star' with a taking score over seven furlongs in his debut at Leopardstown...

Westerberg and Coolmore's Changingoftheguard (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) may have face markings in the form of a question mark, but there was no doubting his class in Wednesday's G3 Boodles Chester Vase as the 10-3 chance bounded to an impressive 6 1/2-length triumph and extended sire Galileo's world-record tally of stakes winners to 349 in the day's extended 12-furlong feature. He had previously graduated by six lengths in an April Fools' Day maiden at Dundalk in his fourth start on seasonal return. Ryan Moore, who had made all aboard Ballydoyle's Thoughts...

British fine jeweler Boodles will sponsor the G3 Chester Vase, which is set to take place on May 4. Boodles has been the title sponsor of the Boodles May Festival at Chester Racecourse since 2013. Louise Stewart, chief executive at Chester Race Company Ltd, said, "We are very grateful to Boodles, an iconic British brand founded locally in Liverpool, for their continued commitment to Chester Racecourse. The Boodles Chester Vase is a highlight of the Boodles May Festival, and we are hugely looking forward to this year's renewal which will...

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...