ITV Racing will be televising the 2000 Guineas from Newmarket as the last of seven live races on Saturday. Also covered will be action from Goodwood on the second day of their Season Opener and Thirsk’s Hunt Cup.
- 1:30 Goodwood: Fitzdares Chelmer Fillies’ Stakes – Hassaleh @ 5/1
- 1:45 Newmarket: Betfred Handicap – Double Rush @ Evens
- 2:05 Goodwood: Fitzdares Conqueror Fillies’ Stakes – Shes Perfect @ 9/4
- 2:20 Newmarket: Betfred Suffolk Stakes – Fifth Column @ 10/1
- 2:40 Thirsk: Sky Bet Thirsk Hunt Cup Handicap – Blue Rc @ 5/1
- 2:55 Newmarket: HKJC World Pool Palace House Stakes – Asfoora @ 9/2
- 3:35 Newmarket: Betfred 2000 Guineas Stakes – Oxagon @ 12/1
The Listed Fitzdares Chelmer Fillies’ Stakes from Goodwood is the opening ITV race on Saturday. Fitzella for Hugo Palmer, leads the betting having won the Group 3 Princess Margaret Stakes at Ascot last season in a campaign which also included a fifth-place finish in the Cheveley Park Stakes. Whilst this is the most solid form in the race, we are opting for the far less exposed Hassaleh for Charlie Appleby who is backable at each way odds.
Newmarket’s first live race on 2000 Guineas Day will be the 6f Betfred Handicap. Andrew Balding’s Double Dash won comfortably over this course and distance just over two weeks a go and is well treated to follow up here despite the short price.
We are back to Goodwood for the third live ITV race, another Listed contest in the 1m Conqueror Fillies’ Stakes. The betting sees this as a match between Sun Chariot runner-up, Andrew Balding’s Blue Bolt, and Shes Perfect for Charlie Fellowes who crossed the winning line in first place in last year’s French 1000 Guineas before being demoted to second for interference. Shes Perfect suffered an injury setback last summer and was rested for the remainder of the season and is our pick to return to the track with a win.
The Suffolk Stakes is a handicap at Newmarket over 1m1f. There are plenty in with chances at the top of the market but we are backing John and Thady Gosden’s Fifth Colum each way. He was only beaten by four lengths when down in 12th in Newbury’s Spring Cup in mid-April and had some big handicap wins last season.
The Thirsk Hunt Cup is the Yorkshire track’s feature race this Saturday with a prize fund of £60k. With conditions set to be good to firm on the day, we are opting for James Tate’s Blue Rc who began this campaign with a second place finish in the All-Weather Championships Mile Handicap on Good Friday. At a slightly bigger price, David O’Meara’s Mirsky was fifth in this race two years ago and may have found himself at a more competitive mark.
A Group 3 5f sprint follows on our screens in the Palace House Stakes. Henry Dwyer’s Asfoora won the Nunthorpe and the Prix de l’Abbaye last season and will be staying in Europe this year, training out of the Newmarket base of Lemos De Souza. Reunited with Oisin Murphy in the saddle we think the seven-year-old will have too much class for the rest of the field.
The build-up to this year’s 2000 Guineas has had plenty of twists and turns, from the tragic loss of Gewan to the disappointing early season form of ante post favourite, Albert Einstein, who won’t line up on Saturday.
In an open looking race, Aidan O’Brien’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Gstaad and George Boughey’s unbeaten Bow Echo just about shade favouritism. They are followed by the Charlie Appleby pair in Distant Storm and King’s Trail and the Gosden’s Craven Stakes winner in Oxagon. The latter of that group passed the test stepping up to a mile comfortably in the Craven Stakes earlier in April and is our pick to give John Gosden a first 2000 Guineas triumph.