Cleveland collects Chester Cup for O’Brien and Moore

Magical week complete for in-form jockey and trainer combination.

Ryan Moore showed nerves of steel as he capped an exceptional week by giving Aidan O’Brien a first victory in the tote+ Chester Cup with Cleveland.

The red-hot rider was partnering his eighth winner of the May Festival as he guided the lightly-raced four-year-old to a narrow success on what was the Camelot colt’s first try beyond 10 furlongs and just his fifth career start.

Moore took a brave route in the two-and-a-quarter-mile showpiece, sticking to the inside rail on the notoriously tight track, content to sit in the pack for the majority of the two circuits before angling out at the top of the finishing straight in search of a run.

Coltrane (9-2 favourite) had already set sail for home, but when Cleveland (6-1) found space he accelerated in fine style for Moore, moving upsides with half a furlong to run before shading it by a neck on the line – a fifth win in as many Chester runners for O’Brien this week.

Rajinsky was third, with another Irish raider Arcadian Sunrise fourth. Last year’s winner Falcon Eight kept on from the back to finish fifth under top-weight.

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

“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 his unstoppable run on the Roodee, which has included 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.”

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