GABRIAL’S KING can emerge the best of Richard Fahey’s four candidates in today’s Betway Chester Cup as the Malton trainer aims to win the £120,000 race for a third time.

All of Fahey’s runners are owned by Dr Marwan Koukash, who sets his heart each year on winning this famous race at his local course and who has won it the last two years with Address Unknown, trained by Fahey, and Suegioo, trained at Newmarket by Marco Botti.

Koukash had the one-two last year with Fahey’s Angel Gabrial narrowly beaten into the runner-up at the end of a dramatic and thrilling long-distance race. Both Suegioo and and Angel Gabrial are in the field again today and merit respect, but it could well be that Gabrial’s King will beat them both.

The mount of Franny Norton, who rides this tight Roodee course probably better than any jockey, the six-year-old figures at the right end of the weights, has a favourable low draw and comes into the contest after a creditable effort.

Gabrial’s King finished second at Ripon a couple of weeks ago after being badly hampered at a crucial stage of the race, won by Trip To Paris, who reopposes this afternoon.

There might be precious little to choose between the pair, but Gabrial’s King might just have the nod this time over his penalised rival. He is napped to provide Fahey and Koukash with a memorable success in a race which means plenty to both of them.

Whatever the outcome of Gabrial’s King, Fahey could still figure on the scoresheet on the opening day of the three-day Chester Festival.

In the opening Stellar Group Lily Agnes Stakes, he saddles the speedy Astley Hall, who made a winning debut at Redcar last month, while in the Diabetes UK And British Heart Foundation Handicap, he is represented by Jumeirah Glory, who is fancied to step up on his comeback effort at Newmarket where he got going too late.

Aidan O’Brien, who underlined the form of his Tipperary team when winning last Saturday’s Qipco 2,000 Guineas with Gleneagles, can clinch the Arkle Finance Cheshire Oaks with Diamondsandrubies.

Although not the best of O’Brien’s three-year-old fillies, this talented performer has shown enough in three starts to suggest she is the one to beat in this Listed event. Ryan Moore has the mount.

The Boodles Diamond Handicap over five furlongs will be fast and furious stuff. Kevin Ryan’s Piazon failed to handle the track when unplaced at Epsom on his reappearance but, so long as he can overcome a wide draw here, he has the ability to figure in the firing line.

Also worth noting at Chester are the promising Keble (4.20) and Dutch Masterpiece (4.55), who will relish every drop of rain that has fallen in the last 24 hours.

At Chelmsford, Crazy Chic makes plenty of appeal in the opening Grandslam Madness 3rd June Handicap.

Marco Botti’s four-year-old won at Wolverhampton on his latest start. That was only his fourth career outing and he is open to further improvement.

Falling Petals catches the eye in the Totequadpot Fillies’ Handicap. Trained at Newmarket by John Gosden, Falling Petals won at Lingfield on the second of her two outings to date last December.

She starts her handicap campaign off a mark of 77, which looks potentially favourable and she looks sure to give William Buick a good ride.

Buick can also win the Mytotepool.com Conditions Stakes on Pinzolo, while Michael Wigham’s Foxy Forever should be all the better for his comeback outing and is fancied to defy top weight in the Greene King Day 17th June Handicap.

Chester today: 2.10 Astley Hall, 2.40 Diamondsandrubies, 3.10 Gabrial’s King (NAP), 3.45 Piazon, 4.20 Keble, 4.55 Dutch Masterpiece, 5.25 Jumeirah Glory.

Chelmsford City: today 6.15 Crazy Chic, 6.45 God Willing, 7.15 Falling Petals, 7.45 Adele, 8.15 Star Rider, 8.45 Pinzolo, 9.15 Foxy Forever.

Today’s other meetings: Brighton, Kelso and Uttoxeter.