Invermark has plenty in his favour despite having top weight in today's £75,000 Tote Chester Cup. James Fanshawe's five-year-old has to shoulder 9 st. 10 lb. but he is the class act of the race and his presence means that half of the 16-strong field will have to race from out of the handicap proper.

Invermark's upward curve began at Haydock last July when he beat One For Baileys by seven lengths in a five-runner handicap over a mile and three-quarters.

He then went to Chester for a valuable Listed handicap over a similar distance and won decisively, beating Delilah by three and a half lengths.

That was a solid piece of form - Delilah won the Park Hill Stakes on her next start - and it illustrated Invermark's liking for Chester's unique circuit, where the runners race on the turn nearly all the way.

Invermark then went to Longchamp for a Group Three race at just under three miles but had to make all the running in a small field and was beaten for pace, finishing fourth of five to Tiraaz.

Fanshawe then elected to up Invermark in class for the Group One Prix du Cadran over two and a half miles at Longchamp on Arc weekend. And he gained handsome revenge on Tiraaz, being able to come from behind under Richard Hughes to land the spoils by half a length.

Providing he is fit Invermark looks in a totally different league to his rivals and he should provide excellent value. The dangers are Rainbow High and Generosity.

Barry Hills's Rainbow High won easily on his Newbury reappearance while the consistent Generosity, trained by Paul Cole, is the type to progress as a four-year-old. But Invermark looks up to giving them 6 lb. and 10 lb. respectively including weight-forage.

Finding the winner of the £40,000-added Shadwell Stud Cheshire Oaks is a real puzzle as it is impossible to know how much the lightly-raced runners will have come on over the winter.

Nothing jumps out on form but Signorina Cattiva, the impressive 10-length winner of a Leicester maiden last autumn, ought to give a good account.

Musical Treat can break her duck in the Evelyn Delves Broughton Maiden Fillies' Stakes. She finished four lengths second to Bionic on her only start as a juvenile at Goodwood and occupied the same position at Newmarket last month, just being touched off by a neck by Cassandra Go.

Barry Hills has a good strike rate at Chester and he has prospects of a double with Sheer Sabo in the Capital Bank Maiden Stakes and Bangalore in the Cheshire Regiment Handicap.