Why a high draw for longtime Chester Cup favourite may be no hindrance with the help of Hayley Turner

We’ve become accustomed to seeing Irish-trained runners dominate over jumps, and when the Chester Cup went the way of Dermot Weld in 2021 and Aidan O’Brien in 2022 it looked like the race would be a significant Flat prize that could be earmarked for export each season.

However, last year only two Irish-trained runners turned up and they finished 13th and 15th of 16, which meant Chester’s crown jewel stayed at home as Metier saw off Zoffee by a neck.

Metier isn’t back for another crack but Zoffee certainly is and he has been drawn low for the second year in a row. Last season he came from stall three and this time he has plucked stall one, so can he convert that into a win for his local trainer Hugo Palmer?