Meticulous Moore the Spear carrier on Chester's winding road

Be in the right place; follow the right horses; don't get into trouble; eliminate the mistakes.

Ryan Moore's philosophy for success in the saddle is unlikely to stretch to a volume which might challenge the ranks of the life coaches and the management gurus in the bestseller lists. But nowhere on the racing map puts such a premium on those simple maxims as the tightly wound ball of potential bother that is Chester.

It is a venue which his chief employers at Coolmore have begun to target to a far greater extent in recent years and there is no doubt that 'being on the right horse' could be added to Moore's mantra.

Equally, the rider's abilities around this constantly turning track mean Aidan O'Brien is happy to trust his burgeoning Classic hopefuls to Chester's unconventional layout. The horses learn about racing in tough circumstances, while Moore learns about them.

In Wednesday's 188Bet Chester Cup (3.35) – the signature race of the May meeting and the big betting heat of the three days – it is another Irish ally for whom Moore will be on duty.

Among Britain's historic staying handicaps, Tony Martin has won an Ebor, a Northumberland Plate and a Cesarewitch but not, as yet, the Chester Cup.

Ryan Moore: Hong Kong heroCredit: Edward Whitaker

For many the combination of a specialist trainer in such races teaming up with the very best pilot available will prove irresistible, however short the price of Golden Spear gets. But in a two-mile race with very few straight lines, Moore must navigate a passage from stall 12 of 19.

Other long-range plots for the Cup have also been dealt a less than ideal hand with the draw, including the Sir Mark Prescott-trained Sea Of Heaven, while stall numbers 15, 16 and 19 for the three carrying his colours might test even Marwan Koukash's legendary love of this particular venue.

In a way it sums up the maddening delights of Chester, adding an extra layer of complexity to the puzzle and providing ample opportunity for hard luck stories.

Four winners returned at 10-1 and another at 12-1 in the last five years suggest the code is far from impossible to crack, however, while if you don't fancy a particular horse you could always have a bet on a set of stalls. Betway go 6-4 stalls one to seven, 13-8 about eight to 13, and 5-2 stalls 14 to 19.

Oaks know-how to the fore

O'Brien has done much to resurrect the relevance of Chester as a Classic trial venue in recent years, a flame previously kept alight by a handful of true believers such as Sir Michael Stoute, Sir Henry Cecil and Barry Hills.

It is ten years since Light Shift went on from success in the Arkle Finance Cheshire Oaks (2.25) to score at Epsom for Cecil, and the John Gosden-trained Enable is most prominent of the seven runners here in betting on the Classic, with prices ranging from 16-1 to 25-1.

Gosden is joined by fellow Oaks-winning trainers O'Brien, Ralph Beckett and Andrew Balding in saddling a runner here, while Marcus Tregoning has a Derby to his name and Roger Varian was assistant to Michael Jarvis when Eswarah landed the fillies' Classic in 2005.

Enable will be keenly watched by all involved with Khalid Abdullah's Juddmonte operation, not only for her own progress but as a line to the form of her Newbury conqueror and stablemate Shutter Speed, who is currently second favourite for Epsom.

Moore rides Ballydoyle's Alluring, who has some family wrongs to right, given that her 'aunt' and her granddam both finished runner-up in the Oaks.

Two-year-olds and fashionable friends

Will the opening Stellar Group Lily Agnes Conditions Stakes pay for another bottle of champagne ?Credit: Edward Whitaker

Falling just a month after the party that is nearby Liverpool's Grand National festival, Chester's three-day meeting is a major feature of the region's social calendar, with ever-improving facilities hosting a fashionable crowd intent on enjoying themselves.

And while Jose Mourinho would seem an unlikely man to reinstate Sir Alex Ferguson's tradition of bringing the Manchester United team to the Roodee for a bit of rest and relaxation, Chester can still attract the stars.

On the track the curtain-raiser, the Stellar Group Lily Agnes Conditions Stakes (1.50), has drawn a double-figure field for only the third time in 20 years.

Eleven inexperienced juveniles going flat out over the minimum five furlongs will be brief but exhilarating, with many punters knowing their fate early on.

Get the winner and it's off to the champagne bar. If not, there are 20 more chances to get your money back before the week is out. And the perfect tactical spot over Chester's corkscrew five furlongs? For Ryan Moore it's in the weighing room, where he can concentrate on plans for Alluring and Golden Spear.

Chester card