Ashley Lewis made the most of Chester’s tight turns and quick test, guiding Northern Champion to the biggest win of his riding career in the Raymond & Kathleen Corbett Memorial City Plate Stakes. The Listed contest over 7f1yds on good ground drew nine runners, but Lewis’ patient, economical ride from stall 1 helped Northern Champion finish strongest to beat Dash Of Azure with Holguin in third.
The result carried real weight because Chester rarely hands out easy opportunities to apprentices. Its sharp bends and compact layout punish indecision, and this was a race that demanded positioning as much as pace. Lewis, who has built an excellent record around the track, handled those demands cleanly, and Northern Champion repaid that confidence by landing the £34,026 first prize from a guaranteed £60,000 purse.
The betting also underlined that this was not a straightforward result. Northern Champion went off around 7/1, behind market interest in horses such as Witness Stand and Holguin, yet the 3-year-old colt travelled efficiently enough to settle the race at a track where track craft matters. Carrying 8st 13lb, he made full use of his inside draw and stayed on strongly enough to hold the challengers in a nine-runner Listed field that also included Myal, Palmar Bay, Roman Dragon, Tiber Flow and Five Ways.
For trainer Ed Walker and owner TBT Racing, the performance did more than add black type. Northern Champion, a bay colt foaled on 9 March 2023 and by Wootton Bassett out of Zargos (AUS) by Shamardal (USA), now looks like a horse with summer options over seven furlongs. A Chester Listed win can reset expectations quickly, and this one gives Walker a credible candidate for similar sharp-track handicaps and pattern races where gate speed, balance and a brave ride are all at a premium.
Lewis’ breakthrough also sharpened the broader story of the day. Timeform had him on 23 wins from 172 runs this season, while Walker stood on 40 wins from 260 runs, a solid backdrop to a partnership that was already working well before Chester. The jockey’s ride turned local course knowledge into a race-changing advantage, and Northern Champion’s victory now gives horseplayers a horse-and-rider combination worth tracking when the calendar turns to other tight, turning seven-furlong tests.
Every story on Horse Racing News is assembled by an automated editorial system that works from verified research, official records, and credible reporting, then clears automated accuracy and moderation checks before it goes live. The standards that system follows are set and overseen by the people who run the publication. Read our full editorial policy.
Did this article answer your question?
