Sonny Liston a knockout at Chester

SONNY LISTON can floor his rivals for the in-form Charlie Hills in the Homeserve Dee Stakes at Chester.

Hills has made a flying start to the season and is currently operating at an impressive strike-rate of almost 30 per cent.

It will be nigh on impossible to keep that up as the season goes on but Chester’s May meeting was famously always targeted by his father, Barry, so a winner or two can be expected.

Sonny Liston fits the bill as a lightly-raced type in what looks a wideopen Dee Stakes, which while in the past has thrown up a smart colt or two, it has to be said it would be a major shock should anything shake up the Classic market this year.

All of them come into the race with something to prove but Sonny Liston perhaps the least, given he has had only two runs.

A hugely impressive winner at Sandown on his debut last year, he was put away to strengthen up until he reappeared in the Feilden Stakes at the Craven meeting.

While he did only finish fourth of six, he ran too keen which will not have helped, and he was by far the least experienced runner in the race.

The form looks strong, though, with the winner Eydon running a cracker in the Guineas to finish fourth and even the last home, Dawn Of Liberation, winning at Goodwood over the weekend.

Another trainer in red-hot form is Ed Dunlop, who can rarely have enjoyed a month as much as April, having saddled 10 winners from 57 runners.

This time last year he had a Derby contender on his hands in John Leeper, a son of Dunlop’s brilliant mare Snow Fairy. But unfortunately after finishing ninth to Adayar at Epsom it all went wrong.

There is no doubt the talent is there, however, and it is now up to Dunlop to coax it out of him.

As can happen, the Derby simply came too soon in his development and it seemed to have knocked him backwards. Now after the winter to strengthen and reappearing in a hood, a return to the form which saw him win a Listed race last spring would put him on the premises.

With Brian Meehan’s City Runner raised 5lb for coming second last time out he may be worth taking on in the Deepbridge Handicap.

Being a front-runner drawn in stall two he has plenty in his favour having gone so close at Sandown, but Franny Norton is unlikely to let him have it easy on the front with Value Theory.

The Mark and Charlie Johnstontrained runner breaks from stall four herself so is close enough to the rail to try and grab the lead.

Placed in Group company last season, she can benefit from dropping in grade.