2000 Guineas

Ante-post favourite Field Of Gold (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) could be Juddmonte's sole representative in the Betfred 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket, Barry Mahon revealed on Wednesday. Trained by John and Thady Gosden, Field Of Gold is currently one of four entries for Juddmonte in the first British Classic of the season, alongside stable-mate Detain (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Andrew Balding's G3 Greenham Stakes winner Jonquil (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) and the unbeaten Cosmic Year (GB) (Kingman {GB}), who made it two from two for the Harry Charlton yard when recently...

The Lion In Winter (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) was the most notable absentee as the latest entries for the first two British Classics of the season were released on Tuesday. A total of 24 colts remain in contention for the Betfred 2,000 Guineas, while the number of possible runners in the Betfred 1,000 Guineas has been whittled down to 17, before any supplementary entries. Aidan O'Brien confirmed last week that The Lion In Winter was an unlikely runner at Newmarket, with all roads instead leading to the G2 Dante...

Classic trials may be about as fashionable as corduroy these days but I still love both, so it has been a riveting few weeks considering which of the three-year-olds may be about to take a big step forwards or may already have shown their best. People love racing for different reasons but attempting to know the unknowable is a major draw, and those puzzles are there for all involved in different facets of the game, from breeders to owners, trainers or punters. Whether through formal trials, racecourse gallops, or stable...

NEWMARKET, UK -- Beyond the action on the racecourse at Newmarket this week, there are plenty of pointers to the first two Classics of the season to be found in the mornings and Charlie Appleby took to the Rowley Mile early on Wednesday with a team which included his two best juveniles of last year. Desert Flower (Ire), the unbeaten G1 Fillies' Mile winner, was by far the most visually impressive of the Godolphin workers as she powered through the dip and up the hill under William Buick. Her efforts...

The five Classic races staged in the UK - the oldest of their kind in the world - are being branded the Betfred British Classics in an agreement between sponsor Betfred, The Jockey Club and Arena Racing Company (ARC). The newly created logo and title will be "used to help to educate racing and sports fans about each of the races' rich history and backstories". This year, Betfred has stepped in as sponsor of the first two Classics of the season, Newmarket's 2,000 Guineas and 1,000 Guineas, following the end...

An unusually dry March, with those conditions carrying on into April, will be causing headaches for trainers and clerks of courses alike, and it is one reason that we will be seeing the return of Juddmonte's Cosmic Year (GB) (Kingman {GB}) at Kempton instead of in Saturday's G3 Greenham Stakes. The colt's trainer Harry Charlton has taken advantage of the BHA's interactive race programme, which saw the installation of an extra 7f novice contest this Wednesday evening, in order to give the half-brother to former stable star Time Test (GB)...

This week at Cheltenham, Tim Gredley will be taking time out from one type of horse to turn his attention to another. The owner, breeder and leading showjumper has recently returned from Abu Dhabi, where he was second in the Grand Prix, but sport horses will take a backseat temporarily as we he focuses on the Thoroughbreds. "We've had a lot going on with the showjumpers so it's nice to come back and see the racehorses - that's what I love the most really," says Gredley, who, along with his...

Darley nominations manager Eamon Moloney has shared the high opinion that Charlie Appleby has held Opera Ballo (Ire) (Ghaiyyath {Ire}) in all winter and revealed that the colt's impressive victory at Kempton on Wednesday has resulted in a slew of calls from breeders either side of the Irish Sea booking in mares to his sire.  Opera Ballo, who fetched €600,000 at the Arqana August Yearling Sale, won the same Kempton maiden that Appleby landed with subsequent 2,000 Guineas hero Notable Speech (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) last year.  The wide-margin win, which...

Banstead Manor Stud is famed around the world as the HQ of Juddmonte, not least for housing the mighty Frankel. However, its incarnation as the home of the Juddmonte sires does not represent its debut as a source of racing success. During 2025 it will celebrate its centenary as a leading stud because it was first thrust into the spotlight in 1925 when Henry Morriss bought the property specifically to stand that year's Derby winner Manna. Previously Banstead Manor had been part of the massive Cheveley Estate, which at the...

In the 1960s British racing had the chance to own bookmaking. But it's happening the other way round. Bookmakers are moving closer to owning racing. Betfred's headline sponsorship of all five Classics - the 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas, Derby, Oaks and St Leger - from 2025 is manna to racecourse execs whose job it is to find backers for marquee events. With the Qatar-owned Qipco stepping back from sponsorship of the Guineas meeting and King George at Ascot from next year (they're maintaining their support for Champions Day), the prestige...

Betfred will be the new sponsor of Newmarket's 2,000 Guineas and 1,000 Guineas from 2025 onwards, it was announced on Thursday. The multi-year agreement means the bookmaker will become the first brand to sponsor all five of Britain's Classics--the others being the Betfred Oaks and Betfred Derby at Epsom and Doncaster's Betfred St Leger--at the same time. To mark their sponsorship of the prestigious contests, Betfred have also announced that a £2-million bonus will be on offer to connections of any horse who completes the 'Betfred Triple Crown' by winning...

QIPCO is to relinquish its sponsorship of the British Champions Series, the 2,000 and 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket, and the King George meeting at Ascot. It will, however, remain involved as the principal backer of British Champions Day and as a partner of Ascot Racecourse to 2026. David Redvers, Qatar Racing's Manager, and the sponsor's representative said, "Their Royal Highnesses Sheikhs Hamad and Fahad Al Thani's earliest involvement in British Racing came with the commitment to helping promote the top-tier of the sport. They remain proud of the success of...