Historic Chester Cup reaches 200 years and it looks as competitive as ever

As the town crier at Wednesday’s ceremonial draw made abundantly clear, the Chester Cup is a race worth shouting about from the rooftops.

The oldest horserace still in existence might be Yorkshire's Kiplingcotes Derby, first run in 1519, and the Carlisle Bell was inaugurated in 1599, but Chester is the oldest active racecourse in Britain with racing first recorded in 1539.

On Friday, the course with a richer history than any other celebrates a landmark anniversary of its oldest race as the Chester Cup turns 200 years old.