Chester Cup: Ryan Moore partners Cleveland to thrilling victory

Victory in the Chester Cup gave jockey Ryan Moore his eighth winner of the week

Ryan Moore capped a remarkable week at the Chester May Festival as he partnered Cleveland to a thrilling win in the feature Chester Cup.

Making his handicap debut, Cleveland trailed favourite Coltrane but stormed home to take victory.

It was Moore’s eighth winner from 11 rides at this week’s festival and a first Chester Cup for Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien.

Rajinsky and Arcadian Sunrise finished third and fourth respectively.

Moore took a brave route in the two-and-a-quarter-mile showpiece, sticking to the inside rail and sitting in the pack before angling out at the top of the finishing straight in search of a run.

Coltrane had already set sail for home but Cleveland – in just the Camelot colt’s fifth career start – accelerated when he found space and shaded it by a neck on the line to give O’Brien a fifth winner in as many runners this week.

Last year’s winner Falcon Eight, who was bidding to become the first back-to-back winner since Anak Pekan in 2005, finished fifth.

“He made a nice enough comeback over 10 furlongs, but the quicker ground today would have helped him,” said Moore.

“He was still a little bit of a baby going around there, but he hasn’t had many runs. We didn’t have a lot of room, but he was able to pick his way through.

“I always felt like I was going to win if I could find the right gaps and got enough space.

“Maybe it wasn’t the best Chester Cup ever run, but I’m delighted to have won.”

On riding eight winners, including in all three Classic trials on O’Brien-trained horses, Moore added: “It’s been a good week, the horses have been running great, they have been all year in fairness and there’s a lot to look forward to, hopefully.”