IT was a Roman Day result for a winning jockey who said he had "always wanted to ride a winner" at Chester.

Hero Hero, backed down to 4/7 favourite in the Controlled Solutions Group Novice Stakes lived up to his name with an impressive front running performance and had the field well strung out.

Jockey Silvestre De Sousa had time to look round and assess his rivals as he approached the line and score readily by eight lengths from the Tom Dascombe trained Guandi.

“It wasn’t a strong race, but he’s gone on and he’s still a bit green,” said De Sousa.

Anna-Lisa Balding, representing the trainer added that it was “pleasing to see him travel, he looked relaxed, there’s still quite a lot to come from him”.

The probability of Probability landing the Chester Heritage Festival Fillies’ Handicap Stakes was predicted in the betting market as 8/1 and the Archie Watson trained filly duly obliged by a neck from the fast finishing Be Like Me in an exciting finish.

“She’s been like a bullet,” said winning jockey Hollie Doyle. “She’s done it better today, the second horse headed her, but she came back again. Archie’s horses seem to keep improving.”

Doyle was quickly back in the winners’ enclosure after landing the feature race on the card, the MBNA Handicap Stakes by half a length. The successful horse, sent off at 3/1, was Kaeso who passed his rivals in front of the stands.

Doyle said: “He’s done it really nicely. He jumped well today, and I got a lead to switch him off. He loved the track.”

Winning trainer Nigel Tinkler added: “Holly gave him a great ride. He put the brakes on last year, but he’s got confidence now and we might enter him in the Hunt Cup, if he gets in he’d be an each way chance with a light weight.”

“He’s always been a bit slow away, the idea was to track the leaders but there was no pace and it was going wrong – but it came good!” said a delighted John Best, the trainer of Eddystone Rock, returned at 4/1 to land the Canter Carpet Handicap Stakes by one-length.

Kieren Fox brought the winner on the inside rail to overhaul the long-time leader Ravenous.

The British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Stakes provided Silvestre De Sousa with a double when Raffle Prize, the 8/13 favourite galloped clear of her rivals to win unopposed by five lengths.

“She’s a nice filly with a good attitude, she should get stronger. She got the job done,” said the jockey.

One and three quarter lengths was the winning distance recorded by Hats Off To Larry, returned at 9/1, in the 1539 Handicap Stakes.

“It was a good performance they went a nice gallop. He did everything right and I took my time, he had a look round. He’s a nice big horse and his coat is still not quite right, even at this time of year,” explained the successful jockey Callum Shepherd.

The Thyme People Handicap Stakes concluded the meeting and provided staunch Chester Racecourse supporter Marwan Koukash with a victory, courtesy of Gabrial The One who came down the centre of the track to win by three quarters of a length.

Sean Davies, the jockey said: “He’s tricky enough and I was niggling and asking but he won nicely enough in the end. It was a nice feeling coming down the home straight, I’ve always wanted to ride a winner here, that’s my first!”

Attendance at the fixture was 18,740 and racing returns to Chester Racecourse for the Summer Saturday meeting on 15 June 2019.