Horse Racing Tips: Chester runners to book Betfred Derby and Oaks tickets

The highlight on Wednesday is the start of Chester's May Festival, which features a couple of intriguing Betfred Derby and Betfred Oaks trials.

My horse racing tips for the day includes one in each - plus a Dan Skelton-trained jumper down in Newton Abbot.

13:45 Newton Abbot - Etalon  @ 3/1

With only seven runners in this race, there would usually only be three places on offer but Betfred have you covered, with an extra place on offer.

This tip is a win-only selection though and Dan Skelton's ETALON can take the first-place prize in this £25,000 event.

The son of Sholokhov was last victorious in a decent race on good to soft ground at Ascot in December, where he got the better of Scarface by two-and-a-half lengths.

He ran into a couple of useful handicappers when third at Ascot off 1lb higher in January and this race looks significantly easier.

The Skelton yard has made a flying start to the new campaign, with eight winners already, and more success is anticipated here.

14:35 Chester - Amelia Earhart @ 9/4

Aidan O'Brien has won this race nine times since 2008 and his runner AMELIA EARHART can make it a perfect 10 here.

It took her a while to get off the mark, but it's no surprise that she lacked the pace required to win over seven furlongs and she bolted up over a mile.

This daughter of Camelot was always prominent at Leopardstown on her most recent start and she took up the running with a couple of furlongs to go and kicked further and further clear, eventually finishing seven lengths clear of the runner-up.

Everything about her pedigree screams middle distances so the extended 1m3f trip here will be right up her street.

Her trainer thinks she can take a significant step forward as a three-year-old and a big run here will put her firmly in the picture for the Betfred Oaks at Epsom.

15:05 Chester - Benvenuto Cellini @ 4/9

The Chester Vase has also been very kind to Aidan O'Brien over the years and the master trainer has notched 11 victories.

He often sends over serious Derby candidates and last year's Chester Vase winner, Lambourn, went on to win the Classic.

BENVENUTO CELLINI always looked like he would thrive as a three-year-old during his juvenile campaign and he was a comfortable winner of a Killarney maiden over a mile in July. The son of Frankel took a big step forward next time when taking out a Group 2 at Leopardstown.

He kicked clear to score by five lengths on that occasion and looked like a real Betfred Derby type.

Favourite for the G1 Futurity Trophy at Doncaster after that, he got a little outpaced by a couple of speedier stablemates, despite the testing ground.

The extended 1m4f will suit here and he is worth getting behind despite the limited odds on offer.

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