Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore turn it up to 11 at Chester as Jan Brueghel bounces back in Ormonde

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Turning it up to 11 was a famed absurdity mouthed by guitarist Nigel Tufnel in comedy rockumentary Spinal Tap but it is a statement of utter domination for Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore.

Two further victories on Thursday meant that the last 11 times the top trainer and jockey have teamed up at Chester they have won.

That unbeaten run started in 2024, when they won both the Dee Stakes and Ormonde Stakes. The pair have completed the same middle-day double at each May meeting since, and this time combined with Constitution River and Jan Brueghel.

Asked about their fine course record, Coolmore representative Paul Smith said: "We love it here. It's a great learning curve for the horses, it's a great track to visit and they look after us so well. We love to come back every year."

The 2024 St Leger winner Jan Brueghel was controversially scratched from last year's Melbourne Cup after failing a vets' check and has also come through a bout of pneumonia, but he won the Ormonde Stakes well when seeing off Mount Atlas by two and a half lengths. 

Smith said: "Ryan was delighted with him. He's talented. I loved the way he grabbed the bridle about two out and quickened through the horses. It was good to see him back, and it'll be the Coronation Cup next.

"Ryan said he was in super form. He had the hiccup but he's come back fine now and is in good shape."

Dragon roars home

Michael Owen knows how it feels to set a scoring record and he was thrilled to see the "incredible" Roman Dragon extend his own historic mark here.

The former England striker bred and part-owns the course specialist, who extended his modern-day record of track wins to eight by repeating last year's success in the 5f handicap under Oisin Murphy.

"He's just incredible," Owen said. "We foaled him at home and he was an ill horse, we were up in the middle of the night treating him. What a horse.

"He grows another leg around here. He's won in Bahrain but if you send him to any other track, he just doesn't do it. Around here, he's a man possessed."

Roman Dragon wins yet again at ChesterCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

Then again, Owen actually favoured stablemate Dubai Bling, who finished second and was also the runner that Hugo Palmer fancied.

"We'll save him now for the Wokingham, I guess," Palmer said of the runner-up.

"Roman Dragon is so special around here. He loses interest in a straight line a lot of the time, he looks at the crowd and whatever, and he's a very balanced, agile, nimble horse. He'll come back here when he can but the problem is the better he gets, the fewer races there are. He won the Queensferry last year and we'll try and win it again."

Palmer and Murphy also took the following two-year-old maiden, run more than an hour late due to track concerns .

After coming from behind to win on Donegal Rose, Murphy said: "She missed the break, she got upset in the stalls, the horse beside her got very uneasy. They went very fast and slowed down and she ran on."

Read these next:

'He's a gorgeous horse' - Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore enjoy yet another Epsom trial success with Constitution River 

A stewards' inquiry that 'went round and round in circles' and a delay of more than an hour - how Chester ground saga played out 

'He thought he was a winner already!' - luck on Zarathos's side as he finally gets off the mark at the 18th attempt 

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