Nick Luck’s blog: Thoughts Of a winner in the Cheshire Oaks

After a splendid weekend at Newmarket for the Guineas meeting, there is no break in the action as we head on to Chester for the May meeting, where superstars like Enable have made names for themselves on the opening day, so we can only hope to see more of the same here today.

Read on for Nick’s thoughts on five races from the opening day of the Chester meeting.

DUNNINGTON LAD can take the Lily Agnes (1.30pm) at 8/1, the traditional curtain raiser to Chester’s May meeting. You could argue that one or two have stronger form – and I’d be very interested in Glorious Angel but for the widest draw – but the selection showed blinding pace from the gates at Windsor last time, and looks just the right type for this race. I’ll be a bit disappointed if he can’t clear the two drawn inside him anyway.

NYMPHADORA can take advantage of a slight class drop at 11/2 in the sprint handicap (2.05pm). A very smart two-year-old, she kept running valiantly in defeat last season, and I feel she needs a rapid five with just a little cut to really excel. She’ll certainly get that here and I’m hoping she can sit on Live in The Dream’s Tail around the inside and pick up best of all.

THOUGHTS OF JUNE might be a nice each way bet at 15/2 in the Cheshire Oaks (2.40pm). I’m pretty clear that Above The Curve sets the standard by some way here and, if she performs to her comeback run, I think she’ll win tidily. But that makes Thoughts Of June second pick, and she looked a little more straightforward and tractable, suggesting she’d have no bother at this track. This trip will be a minimum for her and – at the current prices – she makes appeal.

CHANGINGOFTHEGUARD is a bit too big at 9/2 in this matchup of the superpowers for the Chester Vase (3.10pm). Although Charlie Appleby is holding all before him, the disparity in price is simply too big, and I’m happy to watch New London at long odds-on. The selection looked to have done very well physically at Dundalk, has a huge staying stride and should relish this test of stamina. With that in mind, I’m quite sure he’ll get the run of the race, and the favourite will have to be decent to go by.

BUCKSHAW VILLAGE is taken to win at 11/2 in the six-furlong race (3.40pm). He ran a most eye-catching race at Ripon last time, gets the master of Chester in the saddle, is well-drawn, and now seems primed to strike in the tongue tie after his winter breathing operation.