Chester Racecourse has announced a new running order for its opening three day spectacular The Boodles May Festival.

The highlight in Chester’s racing calendar will take place from Wednesday, May 9 – Friday, May 11 but the big news is that the 2018 Chester Cup Day will take place on the Friday (May 11) rather than the Wednesday which has always been tradition.

Supported by the Huxley Stakes, Chester Cup Day will command the largest crowd of the three days and a palpable atmosphere, impossible to bottle culminating with the highest profile race of the three days, the Chester Cup - the most valuable race of the three day festival.

Wednesday, May 9 will now be City Day, a celebration of our location, heritage and community. Following the traditional curtain raiser of the Lily Agnes Stakes, the 100th running of the Chester Vase will take centre stage alongside the Cheshire Oaks. Both races provide racegoers the opportunity to witness the races that produced the winners of the 2017 Investec Oaks and Derby on the same card.

Ladies Day will still be held on the Thursday (May 10) and will offer a mix of competitive handicaps and top class group races, contrasting with the vibrancy of an enthusiastic stylish crowd. The Ormonde and Dee Stakes will be the feature races of the day and with a roll call of honourable winners, the stakes both on and off the track are high.

Pictures from 2017 Boodles May Festival:

Expecting fierce competition from the worthiest contenders, Chester will also endeavour to incentivise and attract visiting owners from all tiers of the sport throughout the season.

Commitment from 2017’s May Festival partners has been demonstrated with support again in 2018. Boodles take the mantle of title sponsor for a sixth consecutive year, whilst 188 Bet honour the sponsorship of the Chester Cup for a second year running. Long-standing and principle partner MBNA will sponsor the prestigious Chester Vase for the 14th consecutive year. Further information on these valuable partnerships will be made available in the coming weeks.

Chester’s chief executive Richard Thomas said: “The success story of this year’s Boodles May Festival really set the bar for 2018.

“We have implemented a number of changes to ensure momentum is kept across the three day programme and we deliver a spectacular experience for horsemen, racegoers and viewers alike.

“We’re pleased our 2017 partners felt the affinity with Chester valuable enough to renew their relationships for 2018 and look forward to working closely with them again to successfully deliver mutually beneficial partnerships into another new season on the Roodee.”

Richard Thomas, chief executive of Chester Race Company

Tickets, hospitality and discounted membership for Chester’s 2018 season, including the Boodles May Festival are available to buy from Wednesday, November 1. There are a range of discounted offers available across selected fixtures, to reward early purchase. Following success of a newly introduced Chester residents discount offer in 2017, those residing in a CH1-4 postcode will this time benefit from half-price tickets for 2018’s Roman Day fixture on Saturday, May 26. The Racecourse are also introducing a new Family Pass offering to families looking for a great day out at four fixtures over the course of the season. To view the complete fixture list, further information on offers and pricing and to buy tickets, visit chester-races.com or call 01244 304 600.