'It looks a good opportunity' - will Celandine prove a class apart in the Listed feature at Chester?

It is almost a shame this race is at Chester. In terms of the field, it confounds what you might expect of a Listed sprint, being full of progressive types rather than the career nearly horses you often see in similar events. 

The course-related downside is that we can put a line through loads of them because they are drawn too wide. The bias in favour of low-drawn horses at the track is so well known to almost pass without comment, although it is worth noting that the market still does not fully allow for it according to the statistics. 

The form pick in the race, Celandine, has a favourable draw in stall two. As a habitual prominent racer she is the type to make the best of that position. She made most in the Lowther, beating Time For Sandals last August, and her recent York third is her best run and it puts her well clear on Racing Post Ratings.

Habooba won a strong race at York, with Jm Jungle back in third, when last seen in May, but she is drawn in stall 11.

Dangers to Celandine are likely to come from closer to her stall. Kassaya has been put in close to her in the betting, but has more to find than her form lets on. 

Ain't Nobody in stall one is potentially the biggest danger after a somewhat promising run in the Commonwealth Cup, but whether he is worth a bet depends on how forgiving you are willing to be for a poor run in the Hackwood at Newbury a fortnight ago. Celandine, of course, needs no such forgiveness.
Race analysis by Keith Melrose

What they say

Charlie Hills, trainer of Divine Libra
It's a bit of a step up but he likes the track, has a good draw and hopefully a bit of rain comes which will help.

Hugo Palmer, trainer of Roman Dragon
He has a fair bit to find on the figures but he's such a course specialist it might just make a little bit of the difference.

Adam Ryan, assistant trainer of Ain't Nobody
He ran well at the start of the season but the ground went against him last time at Newbury with that deluge of rain. Better ground should see him in a better light and he goes there in good order.

Ed Walker, trainer of Celandine
We're hoping the rain doesn't come too much. She's come on for York and if she can take a decent step forwards it looks a good opportunity for her to get back to winning ways. It's a competitive race so she'll need to be at her best, but we think she's in good form.
Reporting by Stuart Riley

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