Sporting Life
Chester - presents unique test
The draw can be all important around Chester's tight course

Timeform's Chester course guide and key stats including draw

By Timeform
Horse Racing
Sat May 13, 2023 · 2y ago

Timeform's guide to racing at Chester, featuring the key facts and figures ahead of the May meeting, including draw stats.

Chester course guide

Left handed, very sharp. A circular course that's only just over a mile round, it's on the turn almost throughout and has a run-in of under two furlongs, heavily favouring those that race to the fore as it's easy to find trouble with little time to recover. A high draw at Chester is a major disadvantage, even in middle-distance races, and particularly so in large fields.

Leading active trainers at Chester

Sorted by strike rate since the start of 2013 (minimum 25 runners)

  • Aidan O'Brien 41.82% (23-55)
  • Julie Camacho 29.03% (9-31)
  • William Haggas 27.38% (23-84)
  • Sir Michael Stoute 22.67% (17-75)
  • John & Thady Gosden* 22.4% (13-58)

* Also includes data for period when John Gosden was sole licence holder

Timeform's Flat Horses To Follow 2023 - out now!

Other points to consider

  • Backing Aidan O'Brien's runners at Chester in the last ten years would have returned a level-stake profit of £21.83.
  • The trainer with the greatest level-stake profit in the period is Andrew Balding. His 77 winners from 370 runners returned a level-stake profit of £49.61. Jennie Candlish (5-26 at 19.23%) has returned a level-stake profit of £47.75, while Julie Camacho (£30.50) has also fared well.
  • No trainer has had more winners at Chester in the last ten years than Richard Fahey (102), though no trainer has had more runners (858). Andrew Balding's tally of 77 winners is second highest on the list.
  • If removing the minimum runner criteria, Daniel and Claire Kubler (3-4 at 75%), John Ryan (5-15 at 33.33%) and Sir Mark Prescott (5-17 at 29.41%) are worth noting.

Leading active jockeys at Chester**

Sorted by strike rate since the start of 2013 (minimum 25 rides)

  • Ryan Moore 34.41% (32-93)
  • Luke Morris 20% (8-40)
  • Frankie Dettori 19.35% (6-31)
  • Kevin Stott 19.35% (12-62)
  • William Cox 19.23% (5-26)

**Only includes active jockeys currently based in Europe

Other points to consider

  • Backing Ryan Moore's mounts in the period in question would have returned a level-stake profit of £19.86. Kevin Stott (£31.34) is top when sorting by that metric.
  • No jockey has ridden more winners at Chester in the last ten years than Franny Norton (73), though his tally of 475 rides is also more than anyone else. His winners have come at a strike rate of 15.37%, which is better than his record elsewhere around the 13% mark. Richard Kingscote has had the second most winners and rides, with his 68 from 383 coming at a strike rate of 17.75%.
  • Jason Hart fares well across a number of metrics. His 22 winners from 125 rides have come at a strike rate of 17.6% for a level-stake profit of £15.94.

Impact of the draw

The below tables highlight the record of runners by draw over a variety of distances. The results have been adjusted to take into account non-runners. For example, a horse drawn three in a race in which stall two is a non-runner has been recorded as stall two.

More from Sporting Life

Safer gambling

We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.

If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.

Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org