Pitt Charge Up For The Cup

Tim Pitt hopes Admiral´s lack of recent racecourse action proves no bar to success in his quest for back-to-back victories in the totesport Chester Cup on Wednesday.

John Egan´s astute front-running ride on the gelding 12 months ago caught his rivals napping, enabling him to take the valuable handicap at odds of 28-1.

Admiral is certainly not that sort of price this time around, with the sponsors trimming him into 9-1 from 10s after he received a prized berth in stall four.

'You would have to be delighted with the draw, as stalls four and five are more or less in a straight line from the start to the inside rail,' said Pitt.

'The question mark is that it is a long time since he has run as he had a little setback after Royal Ascot and it has been a long road and a great team effort to get him back here.

'However, he does seem fresh and well, and it´s something we won´t know until he has run.

'It will be interesting to see what happens.

'John put him in front last year and he just kept going, but I don´t suppose they will let him do that again.'

There is plenty of form from the 2006 renewal, with the third, fourth and fifth - Greenwich Meantime, Dancing Bay and Winged D´Argent ? also heading to the Roodee.

Dancing Bay, a fairly rare Flat runner for trainer Nicky Henderson, will be carrying top weight of 9st 10lb.

On such a tight and turning track, the stalls position is considered crucial and totesport also cut Aidan O´Brien´s Grafton Street to 9-2 joint-favourite (from 13-2) after he was handed stall seven.

The four-year-old opened his account in a mile-and-a-half handicap at the Curragh last month.

However, the draw was not so obliging to the heavily-backed Galient.

Michael Jarvis´ representative, third in the Queen´s Prize on his reappearance, was nudged out to 9-2 from 4-1.

Another leading candidate Raucous will need a slice of luck to take part after missing the cut for the extended two-mile-two-furlong marathon.

Tom Tate´s lightly-raced gelding was an impressive winner at Ripon last time ? for which he was given a 3lb penalty ? but that was not enough to see him into the final field of 18 and he is only second reserve, behind first reserve Stoop To Conquer.

Tadcaster-based Tate was not too downcast about Raucous and will rely instead on Dr Sharp.

'It´s a shame, but there´s not much you can do about it really. You never know, he might get in yet. Otherwise, he might go to York next week instead,' he said.

Dr Sharp has finished 10th and 11th in the last two renewals of the Chester Cup and was ninth on his seasonal reappearance in the Ripon race won by Raucous.

Also a winner at the track, Tate added: 'It might be third time lucky.

'If there was a bit of rain he should run well, as he found it a bit fast last time.'

Others not sufficiently high enough in the weights to make the line-up were Alrida, Establishment, Trance and Mind How You Go.

(C) PA Sport