Chester Cup: Metier wins for jockey Saffie Osborne and trainer Harry Fry
- Published
Saffie Osborne celebrates with Metier after winning the Chester Cup
Metier came with a late charge under Saffie Osborne to win the Chester Cup in a thrilling finish from Zoffee.
Osborne wiped away tears after triumphing on the 5-1 chance, trained by Harry Fry, whom she also rode to win the November Handicap at Doncaster last year.
Favourite Call My Bluff was third, with Law Of The Sea fourth.
"I'm not really an emotional person but it means a lot," said Osborne after snatching victory by a neck.
"I'm just going in to my third year's riding. I've had a short career but a fairly eventful one, I've had plenty of injuries and it's been hard to get a clean run at it, so a race like this at the start of the season is great."
It was a first Chester win for Osborne, the daughter of former top jump jockey Jamie, and another big victory on the Flat for seven-year-old Metier, who won the Tolworth Hurdle at Sandown in 2021.
"It's my first time here at Chester and walking round the course I thought 'what an amazing place'," said trainer Fry.
"We've had some good runs and near misses in big races, but this means such a lot - it keeps our head above the parapet."
Zoffee's trainer Hugo Palmer, who also saddled fifth-placed Rajinsky, said: "I don't feel robbed at all but we went agonisingly close."