Formidable Kitt can take advantage of lenient mark

Lihou
1.50 Chester

Winners of the Lily Agnes Stakes have tended to be pretty streetwise as the 5f track at Chester can be a pretty daunting experience for two-year-olds.

Kinks has the best form in the race and trainer Mick Channon has started the season off in fantastic style, but a berth of 11 is a real sickener for connections and it’s worth looking elsewhere.

Therefore, the one who makes most appeal is Lihou. David Evans’ youngsters are generally pretty clued up at this time of year and this one looked a classy sort when winning cosily last time out at Kempton, with debutant Kinks back in second.

He’s got a good draw so expect Fran Berry to fly out of the stalls and try to bag the inside rail.

Magic Wand
2.25 Chester

When Ryan Moore rides a filly for Aidan O’Brien in the Cheshire Oaks, you’ve got to sit up and take note as the pair have teamed up three times to take this contest since 2011.

Magic Wand is their big hope this time and, while she has it all to do on the form book, she is beautifully bred and may well have a great deal more to offer.

Seventh on her only start last term, Magic Wand took a big step forward on her reappearance to finish third and she could be a completely different proposition now she is given a chance on better ground.

The step up in trip should also help her to eke out more progress.
She is one of the few market principals to have had a run this season so fitness won’t be an issue either.

Formidable Kitt
3.00 Chester

Formidable Kitt makes most appeal on her first run as a three-year-old.

The filly was victorious on her first run last year, making all the running to win a Newmarket maiden, and Richard Kingscote may well employ the same tactics here.

She lost her way after that, but she had excuses when well beaten on her final outing at Chantilly and an opening mark of 85 looks as though it could be a bit of a gift.

She is arguably the most unexposed horse in the line-up and certainly open to significant progress after just four starts.

Although there will be other pace options up front, she is capable of bossing this field, with few of her rivals in any sort of form.

Proschema
3.35 Chester

The feature race of the day can go the way of Proschema.

Tom Dascombe’s son of Declaration Of War trounced his rivals in a Haydock novice on soft ground last time and, although a small field might lead some to doubt the form, the right horse finished second and the time was good compared to the rest of the card.

He’s had enough time to recover from those exertions (it was all quite easy for him anyway) and the well-bred colt is held in the highest regard by Dascombe.

He needs to prove he can perform to a similarly high level on better going, but he is bred to perform on it and will probably try to put his proven stamina to good use from the front.

Chester is renowned for being a difficult place to pull back prominent racers who can get in a rhythm and if he can bag the rail, albeit from a tricky draw, he will be tough to peg back.

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