Chester May Festival Betting Sites & Event Review: Track Information and more

The table above offers a brief overview of what you can expect to find in regard to bonuses, live streams and form data at the betting sites we think are best suited for this event. In the rest of the review we’ll be sharing some historical facts, some general information relating to the course, and a little bit about some of the more famous horses and trainers that have competed here over the years. Keep reading the rest of our article for a complete report of the Chester May Festival!

Chester May Festival Betting Offers and Promotions

Given its key position in the British flat season, Chester May Festival betting offers tend to be quite easy to come by. Taking place just after the Guineas Festival but normally preceding the Dante Festival in York, it is held when the season is in full swing, so horse racing betting sites will have all their best promotions on display. As always, the best odds guaranteed promotion will apply, so you can rest assured that you’ll be paid out at the best price regardless of which race you’re wagering on.

In addition to this, you may find an enhanced odds price deal on certain selections, and maybe the odd money-back deal that promises to refund your stake up to a certain amount should your horse get beaten by less than a length, or if you wager on it to finish in first place and it comes in second or third.

Chester May Festival Betting Odds Levels

As we’ve briefly mentioned earlier on the page, this is a heritage UK event that is of significant importance to horse racing enthusiasts. Because of this, betting sites can’t risk losing out on business, so you’ll find that near enough all the bookies featured here in our review series will offer very competitive Chester May Festival betting odds levels – somewhere around the 85%-87% mark. Remember that there are six races of note that take place at the Chester May Festival that vary in terms of the grade, distance and the age of the horse, so odds prices will vary significantly. Something that’s worth noting, however, is that the most prestigious race, the Chester Cup, hasn’t been won by a favourite since 2010; it has been selections with odds of 10/1 or more that have claimed the first prize every year since then.

Some Interesting Facts

Over the course of the three-day festival, there are several races that take place. The most notable of these are: the Chester Cup, a handicap race of two miles and two furlongs for four-year-olds and older; the Cheshire Oaks, a listed race of one-mile-and-three-furlongs for three-year-old fillies; the Huxley Stakes, a Group 2 race for four-year-olds; the Chester Vase, a Group 3 race for three-year-olds; the Ormonde Stakes, a Group 3 race for four-year-olds and above; and, finally, the Dee Stakes, a Group 3 race for three-year-olds which was first held in 1813, making it one of the oldest of all the horse racing events we’ve reviewed.

Event Information:
First held:	1813	Chester May Festival logo Chester May Festival racecourse view
Top Prize:	£120,000
Duration of Event:	Three days
Track:	Chester
Weight:	Varied
Qualification:	Varied

The last few years have seen the profile of the festival reach new heights. 2018 saw the combined prize money surpass £1million for the first time, an increase of more than 30% on the previous year’s sum of £781,000. In addition, the Huxley Stakes was upgraded from Group 3 to Group 2 in the same year, which reflected some of the outstanding records set and the calibre of the horses and trainers competing. The prize money of this race was too increased from £75,000 to £125,000, a 66% increase from 2017.

The Story So Far

Horse racing at Chester has a rich history dating back to the early sixteenth century which officially makes it the oldest racecourse still in use in England. With a modest course length of one-mile-and-one-furlong, it is also the smallest racecourse of real importance in England – but this doesn’t make Chester May Festival betting any less of a big deal! The Dee Stakes, which was first run in 1813, is the oldest of all the races held at the festival and has bounced between Graded 3 status and listed status in years gone by. This race, along with the Ormonde Stakes, has been known to serve as a trial for the world-famous, British Classic, the Epsom Derby.

There have been several truly great horses that have competed at the festival in more recent times. Among these is St Nicholas Abbey, an Irish Stallion trained by the legendary Aidan O’Brien that won the Ormonde Stakes in 2011, the same year he won the Coronation Cup and the Breeder’s Cup – he was also briefly the highest-earning horse trained in Europe. Other noteworthy mentions include Pentire, who had great success in 19995 winning the Dee Stakes along with the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and the King Edward VII Stakes, and Millenary who won the Chester Vase, the St Leger Stakes and the Gordon Stakes in 2000.

With all this handy info now at your disposal, make sure you place your bets with one of the best Chester May Festival betting sites we’ve featured in the sections above!