Today on Sky Sports Racing: German raider Loft the one to beat in classy Chester Stakes on Saturday
Belmont Gold Cup winner Loft makes trip from Germany to Chester for Saturday's Listed Chester Stakes, live on Sky Sports Racing at 3.05pm; watch every race from Chester, Deauville, Lingfield, Newton Abbot, Saratoga, Del Mar and Woodbine live on Sky Sports Racing
Friday 19 August 2022 12:11, UK
Chester is Saturday's main attraction on Sky Sports Racing with a classy card featuring the Listed Chester Stakes, while there is also action from Deauville, Lingfield, Newton Abbot, Saratoga, Del Mar and Woodbine.
3.05 Chester - Weiss star has lofty ambitions
This year's Chester Stakes (3.05) has an international feel to it with German raider Loft the one to beat after landing the Grade Two Belmont Gold Cup over two miles last time out.
Trainer Marcel Weiss has booked the services of top rider Ben Curtis - who has three winners from 11 rides at Chester this year.
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He will concede weight to just three rivals, after local favourite Rajinsky and Ian Williams' Reshoun were declared non-runners.
That leaves three-year-old challengers River Of Stars and Typewriter, who are lightly-raced and could show improvement, and the 84-rated Vindolanda.
6.50 Lingfield - Five go to post in competitive handicap
John and Thady Gosden's Natasha has been declared a non-runner so the favourite, with five runners remaining, looks set to be William Haggas' Morgan Fairy, who finished 11th in the Sandringham at Royal Ascot before victory at Newbury last month.
A three-runner contest at Yarmouth may not have suited her tactically but defeat as 4/11 favourite was disappointing nonetheless.
The Owen Burrows-trained Washraa finished ahead of Morgan Fairy (eighth) in the Sandringham and ran another cracker back at Ascot last month when third behind Random Harvest.
2.52 Newton Abbot - O'Brien's hat-trick seeker Bathiva faces three
Leading jumps trainer Fergal O'Brien sends a team of four to Newton Abbot, including hat-trick seeker Bathiva in the William Hill Betting TV Handicap Chase (2.52).
The eight-year-old is clearly relishing his current summer campaign, scoring in good style over hurdles at Southwell, before making a winning return to his familiar role as a chaser at Worcester two weeks later.
With Peterborough a non-runner, his main rival is likely to be Amy Murphy's 11-year-old legend Mercian Prince who heads down south after two promising runs over hurdles in France in June, winning at Clairefontaine before finishing second at Dieppe in the valuable Grande Course De Haies De Dieppe Handicap Hurdle.
Philip Hobbs' Leapaway and the Seamus Mullins-trained Romanor complete the field.
Saturday racecards I Latest Sky Bet odds
Watch every race from Chester, Deauville, Lingfield, Newton Abbot, Saratoga, Del Mar and Woodbine live on Sky Sports Racing on Saturday, August 20
