Boodles May Festival Chester reaction: Ben Linfoot on star of the show Illinois

The stories keep on coming at Chester.

Duran and Warren Fentiman, father and son jockeys, rode against each other for the first time in the opener, the young whippersnapper getting the better of his dad by finishing second on Rosenpur. Not bad on your first ride around the Roodee.

The winner was Roman Dragon, owned by Michael Owen, the 2001 Ballon d’Or winner. Balon D’Or the horse finished down the field for Owen in the same race and then the former Liverpool and England man won the next with Tricky Tel, named after his dad.

Family fortunes everywhere you look. There’s Ryan Moore giving his sister short shrift when she asked him for an interview for Sky Sports Racing. Sometimes there’s just nothing to say. But what chance have the rest of us got?!

Moore was resplendent again at Chester. Mount Kilimanjaro looked almost out of it on the turn for home but 100 yards from the line he was very much in it and he won the Boodles Raindance Dee Stakes by a neck from Wood Ditton winner, High Stock.

“He’s a cool customer,” said Coolmore’s Paul Smith, reflecting on another Moore masterclass.

“It’s like when you see Roger Federer play tennis, it looks effortless and that’s the way he rides his horses. He never panics, there’s always more time with Ryan Moore than you think."

We know all about Moore, but what about Mount Kilimanjaro? What is he? By Siyouni out of a Galileo mare, he’s born on the same cross as St Mark’s Basilica but he wouldn’t have the star quality of that horse.

He certainly improved a bundle for his seasonal reappearance and stepping up to 10 furlongs, though, so who knows? Maybe he can improve again.

ITV Racing’s Matt Chapman suggested to Ballydoyle man Kevin Buckley that he ‘ground it out’ under Moore, which the representative took exception to.

Buckley, with the look of a car salesman who can’t give you any discount without checking in with the boss, disagreed vehemently. Fair play to him for that, but when pressed on who was the better Derby prospect out of Mount Kilimanjaro and Lambourn, he kept his own counsel.

In fairness it’s hard to fancy either for Epsom. The bookies slightly favour Lambourn, but Mount Kilimanjaro probably has more gears. Either way, it will be a surprise if the name Moore is next to either when the Derby decs are revealed 72 hours in advance of the great race next month.

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