G1 2000 Guineas

It's a case of be ready for anything over the next three days, with Friday seeing the beginning of Newmarket's three-day Guineas meeting, Ascot's card of Royal meeting pointers, the traditional May Day fixture at Saint-Cloud and the first part of an intriguing two-day meeting at Goodwood. Saturday's 2,000 Guineas and Sunday's 1,000 Guineas are at the centre of a storm of activity which will require further analysis when calm is briefly restored next week. Once the draw had been made for Saturday's G1 Betfred 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket on...

Friday, Newmarket, post time: 15:30, THE BETFRED JOCKEY CLUB STAKES-G2, £165,000, 4yo/up, 12fT Field: Bay City Roller (Ire) (New Bay {GB}), Eydon (Ire) (Olden Times {GB}), French Master (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), Lion's Pride (GB) (Roaring Lion), Paradias (Ger) (Kodiac {GB}), Sunway (Fr) (Galiway {GB}), Santorini Star (Ire) (Golden Horn {GB}). TDN Analysis: Saddled with a penalty for his win in the G1 Grosser Preis von Bayern in the autumn, Bay City Roller encounters contrasting ground but could still have a class edge. Fourth in the 2022 2,000 Guineas here, Eydon will...

Puerto Rico (Wootton Bassett) is likely for the G1 2000 Guineas with Gstaad (Starspangledbanner) eyeing the French equivalent, according to trainer Aidan O'Brien. A start for Saturday's G3 Greenham Stakes third Albert Einstein (Wootton Bassett) is still undecided. Puerto Rico has won his last three starts, with tallies in the G2 Champagne Stakes, the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and the G1 Criterium International. A winner of the G2 Coventry Stakes and the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, Gstaad was also second in a trio of Group 1s: the Prix Morny,...

Saturday, Newmarket, post time: 15:35, THE BETFRED 2000 GUINEAS STAKES-G1, £525,000, 3yo, c/f, 8fT Field: Alparslan (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}), Avicenna (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), Billecart (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Bow Echo (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Distant Storm (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Gstaad (GB) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), Into The Sky (Ire) (Starman {GB}), King's Trail (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), Lord Britain (GB) (Universal {Ire}), Needle Match (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Oxagon (Fr) (Frankel {GB}), Padraig Dawn (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}), Power Blue (Ire) (Space Blues {Ire}), Thesecretadversary...

Wasdell Properties and Martin Tedham's Lifeplan will be given the rest of the season off, with his long-term goal the G1 2000 Guineas at Newmarket next season, according to trainer Declan Carroll. The son of Kodi Bear ran out a length winner of the G2 Gimcrack Stakes at York last month after a Thirsk novice victory in July. Undefeated, the €165,000 Goffs Orby yearling was under consideration for the G1 Middle Park Stakes on September 27. He is currently a 25-1 shot for next year's Classic on May 2. Carroll...

Juddmonte's 'TDN Rising Star' Cosmic Year (GB) (Kingman {GB}) was rerouted from potential turf engagements in favour of Wednesday's Unibet Novice Stakes at Kempton and could not have been more impressive in retaining his perfect record with a five-length triumph, racing under a seven-pound penalty, in the seven-furlong contest. The Harry Charlton trainee went off as the 2-9 favourite and was swiftly into stride, despite receiving bumps from both neighbours at the break, to track a modest pace in third through halfway. Inching closer once into the home straight, he...

Jessica Harrington revealed on Monday that she is leaning towards skipping the 2,000 Guineas in favour of the French equivalent with last year's G1 Futurity Trophy winner Hotazhell (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}), with Green Impact (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) reported to be the stable's most likely representative at Newmarket. Green Impact won two of his three starts as a two-year-old, including September's G2 Champions Juvenile Stakes at Leopardstown when last seen, beating last month's G3 Ballysax Stakes winner Delacroix (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) by half a length. On that form...

The entries for the first two British Classics of the season have been released, with 57 horses entered in the Betfred 2,000 Guineas and another 43 in the Betfred 1,000 Guineas. Aidan O'Brien is responsible for eight possible runners as he seeks a record-extending eleventh success in the 2,000 Guineas, which is scheduled to take place at Newmarket on Saturday, May 3. They include the ante-post favourite The Lion In Winter (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), who was unbeaten in two starts as a two-year-old, including the G3 Acomb Stakes...

Group 1 winner Bucanero Fuerte (GB) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) will not race again this season and be trained with an eye to either the G1 2000 Guineas or the Irish equivalent, according to trainer Adrian Murray. A winner of the G1 Phoenix S. in fine style earlier in the year, the colt was unplaced in the G1 National S. during the Irish Champions Festival. He also claimed the G2 Railway S. at the Curragh in the colours of AMO Racing and Giselle De Aguiar. "Nothing came to light, it just...

Saturday's G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas asks the usual set of questions, with the Classic generation due to be examined for the first time with their raw material and any flaws about to be exposed on Newmarket's Rowley Mile which was the scene of thundery conditions on Friday afternoon. Aside from the ever-present quandary of pace positioning and ground conditions, with the latter scenario complicated by the sight of looming dense clouds on Guineas eve, there is the annual unknown of just how dominant last year's leading 2-year-olds still are. Will...

There is no doubt that, in general, Newmarket's G3 Craven S. has lost much of its former relevance as a 2000 Guineas trial, but in the last two years it has enjoyed a revival with winners Master Of The Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) going close in the mile Classic. Godolphin and Charlie Appleby have another leading man this time in the GI Summer S. and G3 Prix Francois Boutin scorer Mysterious Night (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), but the one that really catches the...

Charlie Appleby, fresh off two consecutive UK trainers' titles,  will have a host of stars to go to war with in 2023, among them Godolphin's undefeated G2 Gimcrack S. hero Noble Style (GB) (Kingman {GB}). The son of listed winner and Group 3-placed Eartha Kitt (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), named a 'TDN Rising Star' off his winning debut at Ascot in May, is earmarked for the G3 Greenham S. in April, before a possible bid for G1 2000 Guineas glory in May. He said, "Noble Style has not been seen since...