Chester May Meeting SmartPlays: Thursday May 8

Our first bet comes in the Huxley Stakes (14:15), a repechage for those looking to contest the best middle-distance races this summer. Telescope certainly fits neatly into that category. You'd be forgiven for thinking Telescope, so long touted as a Group 1 horse in the making, is starting to underachieve, though you ought to reconsider on being reminded that he's made just the six starts so far and is trained by Sir Michael Stoute. His reappearance effort was disappointing on the surface, never laying a glove on apparently reformed jade Noble Mission, though there are mitigating factors. Telescope was entitled to need his reappearance, especially on the testing ground that would have made closing the gap on the enterprisingly-ridden Noble Mission very difficult. The pair meet again here and are difficult to split in the betting, though ready preference is for the as-yet unfulfilled Telescope over yet-to-convince Noble Mission.

Layers don't seem to think that a 9-lb rise for last time will stop the promising Muteela (15:15) and nor do we. The useful form she's achieved in just two runs up to now is the very least we can expect from her pedigree, plenty of her siblings having achieved smart form. Her debut success was something of a surprise (she returned a BSP of 16.77) but confidence was greater at Beverley a couple of weeks back when she again made all, fairly thumping a field that admittedly lacked much strength behind runner-up Lincoln, who Muteela nonetheless beat by four lengths. An unkind draw in stall 8 is the only drawback for Muteela with Paul Hanagan likely to race for the front again, though on balance it doesn't offset her chance sufficiently at current prices.

Our final selection, which runs in the 16:25, is a good old-fashioned Chester bet backed up by form. The speedy Jazz is drawn in stall 1 and is expected to prove tough to peg back. Admittedly, he was easy enough to catch at Doncaster last time, though that was through Tom Queally's over-eagerness more than anything else. Jazz wound up shaping best in that race, which would be as competitive as today's contest. If William Buick proves more judicious with Jazz's considerable pace, there's a strong chance that he won't come back to them this time.

Timeform UK SmartPlays
All at Chester

Back Telescope @ 3.5551/20 in the 14:15
Back Muteela @ 4.131/10 in the 15:15
Back Jazz @ 4.3100/30 in the 16:25