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Last season’s Ebor hero returns to action on the Roodee

Nakeeta heads a maximum field of 17 for the 188Bet Chester Cup on the Roodee on Friday.

Iain Jardine’s globetrotting seven-year-old has his first race since finishing fifth in the Melbourne Cup. He won the Ebor at York last summer and was beaten a short head in this race two years ago.

He is drawn 13, having raced from stall 15 in 2016 and from 10 when unplaced 12 months ago.

Two horses at the top of the ante-post market, the Ian Williams-trained Magic Circle and Philip Kirby’s Stargazer, have favourable draws in six and four respectively.

Alan King’s Who Dares Wins, who is also prominent in the betting, has not been so lucky, having being handed stall 15.

He was fourth last year while Hughie Morrison’s Fun Mac, who was third that day, has a kinder draw in five.

Mark Johnston’s two runners, Time To Study (seven) and Watersmeet (two), look to have advantageous draws, while Tim Easterby’s My Reward is on the inside in stall one and Seamus Durack’s Cayirli is on the wide outside in 17.