All trends point to bold Olympiad Chester Cup effort

In a race steeped in tradition and first contested way back in 1824, the Chester Cup has most recently produced victors that share many a trait.

And with that considered, Olympiad looks far too big at 10/1 to claim this year’s renewal of the thoroughbred handicap, which will take place on May 8.

Dermot Weld’s colt enters the race as a four-year-old, the minimum required age to compete in the Chester showpiece, and it is noteworthy that each of the past 27 winners of this contest have been aged between four and six.

This age bracket has produced 12 of the past 14 triumphants too, whilst of the past 12 to be first past the post, 10 possessed official ratings between the 90 and 103 mark.

Olympiad’s current rating of 96 therefore bodes well for him, as does the fact that he has previously tasted success over a 2m trip, a feat accomplished by 10 of the past 11 winners of this race.

Meanwhile, nine of the past 12 horses to land the spoils were making their seasonal debuts, so the fact that Olympiad hasn’t run since last October should not be seen as a negative.

He was well-backed on that occasion, going on to disappoint from a wide draw to finish 21st of 34 in the Cesarewitch, but with much better ground expected, he could justify a gamble on this occasion.

His tendency to front-run will help rather than hinder his hopes at Chester, a racecourse which tends to favour prominent racers, as proven by 10 of the last 12 winners of this event utilising aggressive tactics.

Of other hopes, Countrywide Flame currently enjoys 5/1 favouritism, and his preference to race handily from the off will aid him also.

But even if only for each-way value, consideration of all recent trends suggests that the 10/1 odds regarding Frankel’s half-brother Olympiad look far too big.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.