Barry Hills' love affair with Chester continues unabated following a near 35-1 double highlighted and completed by a third success in the Victor Chandler Chester Vase on the Roodee today.
Hills was double-handed in the Group Three event and it was the outsider of the pair - 12-1 shot Mr Combustible - who took the honours with a three-quarters of a length verdict over Snowstorm.
The Hernando colt is entered in the Vodafone Derby together with stablemates Chancellor, Storming Home and Perfect Sunday.
Of the quartet Chancellor goes straight to Epsom, Perfect Sunday contests Saturday's Lingfield Derby Trial while Storming Home goes to York next week for the Dante Stakes, according to the Lambourn trainer.
However, Hills plans to keep his options open for Mr Combustible who has entries all over Europe.
"He's also in the French and Italian Derbys and the King Edward at Royal Ascot," said Hills.
"He's got a half-sister who won the Ribblesdale and the Park Hill so the St Leger would be very much a race I would have in the back of my mind.
"Both of my horses today were nailed on to stay and so stamina was going to play a very big part in the race, obviously, we'd determined that before we went out. Michael had instructions to make the pace.
"It will have done him a lot of good going round today but we'll have to discuss where he goes next."
Mr Combustible is part-owned by Dick Bonnycastle, in whose colours the colt runs and who named the horse after Hills thanks to the trainer's reputation for occasional bursts of volatility.
Others with a share include veteran ex-trainer Jack Hanson, Bob Wharton and Ernie Harrison.
"Mr Hanson, who won the November Handicap as far back as 1953 has always wanted to win this race," added Hills, whose 32 years in the training game have resulted in over 100 winners at Chester.
However, he never takes anything for granted.
"It's nice to see good horses come through," he said. "When you have a winner in this game you have to appreciate it, so many things can go wrong.
"Look at what happened to Dubai Millennium. Also a virus affecting mares in Kentucky is currently resulting in a third of foals being still born."
Despite this success the possible presence of Mr Combustible in the Derby field hardly caused a ripple in the market for next month's Classic.
Both the Tote and Coral offer the shortest price about the chances of the colt at 25-1.
Michael Bell was delighted with the performance of runner-up Snowstorm.
"This was his first run of the year and he will probably come on for the run, he's a bloody nice horse," he said.
"His main aim is the King Edward VII Stakes. He may go for a handicap at York next week. We won it a few years ago with Persian Brave, who had run well in this.
"It is a 0-105 and Snowstorm is on 98 - but I think he's quite a good horse and he won't be rated 98 for too much longer."
Mark Johnston plans to sit down and have a think about plans for third placed Golden Wells.
"In the end he ran well," said Johnston. "Three furlongs out I thought he was going to drop away so I'm glad he didn't.
"He did well to finish third after a rough race and it leaves the dreams open.
"We'll go back to the drawing board and look for a galloping track."
Earlier, the Hills-trained Amicable ran away with the extended seven-furlong Stanley Leisure Stakes (Showcase Handicap).
The Common Grounds colt came home a comfortable six lengths ahead of Persuade with Silk Law a further one and a quarter lengths back in third.
"We wanted to go for the Italian 2000 Guineas but we could not go there because of the foot and mouth restrictions," the trainer said.
"The Jersey Stakes is a possibility of course, handicaps will be out they will put him up to much but he is a nice horse."
PA