Murphy wins Chester Cup on Montaly Montaly got up in the shadow of the post to snatch victory in a tight finish to the 188Bet Chester Cup. Yorkidding led from her Mark Johnston-trained stablemate Watersmeet in the straight and looked like landing the spoils after being prominent throughout the extended two-and-a-quarter-mile test. However, Montaly (16-1) came from the clouds under Oisin Murphy to win by a neck and give trainer Andrew Balding top honours in the historic handicap prize. Fun Mac was three-quarters of a length away in third, with Who Dares Wins a further half-length back in fourth. Murphy said: "It's some job to get this horse to win this race today. You've got to remember he's been off the track a long time and he was on a career-high mark, so credit to Andrew and the team at home. "When you're riding for Andrew Balding you learn to ride with your head and he puts no pressure on you. It's a very easy thing to do. "You need the horses and as I've said before, fast horses make fast jockeys." Balding was represented by his wife Anna Lisa, who said: "Oisin was brilliant again and he's such a special horse. "He's got a few issues and very nearly kicked me before the race and my phone got smashed. He's not straightforward, so this means even more. "I'm shocked, to be honest, as we thought the ground was going to be too quick for him, but it was absolutely perfect on the day."
