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Virgin Bet Supports Safe Gambling Watergate Cup (Class 2 Heritage Handicap) (gbbplus Race)

14:05 Chester Sat 12 Sep 2026 1m7f196y Class 2 Good to Soft 12 runners

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Mr Fox’s call

Cranachan silks

Cranachan

SPECULATIVE Advised 10/3 Est. 30%

Mr Fox says

Cranachan (SR 99, 10/3) is the highest-rated horse in the field and, crucially, carries only 8-4 — a meaningful weight advantage over Holy See (9-12) and Granite Bay (9-3) who are the next-rated runners. The form string -21421 shows consistent competitiveness, including a last-time-out fifth after a sequence of placed runs, and the Ralph Beckett yard operates at 19% strike rate from 1,631 runners — one of the strongest training operations represented here. Course form (W1P1) at Chester is a significant positive on this specialist track where draw and course knowledge matter enormously. The blinkers application is a minor query but Beckett is not a trainer who throws equipment at horses without purpose, and the market at 10/3 reflects genuine confidence. Each-way alternative: Granite Bay. Main danger: Granite Bay — Granite Bay (SR 95, 7/2) has steamed in 32% in the market — the strongest move in the field after Stressfree — and carries a favourable 9-3 with an unresolved distance profile (DistFit:?) that could mean untapped potential over this 1m7f+ trip, making it the horse money is backing to threaten Cranachan most directly.

Verify· #17347

Full result

Winner: Pole Star (GB) at SP 11/1. Mr Fox’s picks highlighted in gold.

  1. 1 Pole Star silks Pole Star Charlie Johnston · Sean D Bowen 12/1
  2. 2 Granite Bay silks Granite Bay Fox #2 Jarlath P Fahey · Nathan Crosse 4/1
  3. 3 Shipshape silks Shipshape Bernard Llewellyn · Isobelle Chalmers(7) 16/1
  4. 4 Tribal Star silks Tribal Star Adrian McGuinness · Jamie Powell 8/1
  5. 5 Stressfree silks Stressfree Fox #4 David O'Meara · Mark Winn 5/1
  6. 6 Spirit Mixer silks Spirit Mixer Andrew Balding · Alfie Redman(7) 9/1
  7. 7 Dunkeld Dreamer silks Dunkeld Dreamer K. R. Burke · Finlay Bassett(7) 33/1
  8. 8 Gentle Warrior silks Gentle Warrior K. R. Burke · Cam Hardie 33/1
  9. 9 Tashkhan silks Tashkhan Brian Ellison · Hector Crouch 28/1
  10. 10 Holy See silks Holy See Fox #3 William Durkan · Oisin Orr 9/2
  11. — Dancing In Paris silks Dancing In Paris Ian Williams · Cieren Fallon -
  12. — Cranachan silks Cranachan Fox #1 Ralph Beckett · Nicola Currie 7/2

Top 4 — how each finished

  1. 1 Cranachan silks Cranachan 10/3
  2. 2 Granite Bay silks Granite Bay 7/2 🥈 2ND
  3. 3 Holy See silks Holy See 5/1 10TH
  4. 4 Stressfree silks Stressfree 6/1 5TH