No sooner are we done with the jumps as we move to the first Classic of the flat season, the 2000 Guineas on the Rowley Mile. Can the boys in the Royal Blue get off to a great start or may O’Brien score the spoils? Plus a cracking undercard to get stuck into.
Sit Back In Wonder
1:45 – Betfred Handicap (Heritage H’cap) – Woodhay Wonder @ 5/1 (General)
Woodhay Wonder is a bit of a Rowley Mile specialist with four wins and one placed effort at the flat headquarters. He won twice early on last season and, overall, had a great season finishing fourth at Royal Ascot as well. He placed third at the Craven meeting but at this time of year and with his excellent record, he’s hard not to pass up.
It’s surprising that Run Boy Run is more suited to the July Course than the Rowley Mile, with his record showing that he has yet to place here. But he arrives here in great form following two runs on the AW missing out twice narrowly at Newcastle. He rounded out last year with a win and a third as well. Performance-wise, he should be well up for this. 12/1 (General).
Guiding Light
2:20 – Betfred Suffolk Stakes (Heritage H’cap) – Arabian Light @ 11/2 (William Hill)
This race does not fall kindly for favourites, with one winning favourite in the last ten runnings. But you don’t have to look far to find a couple of ideal candidates. Arabian Light may be top weight, but in five career starts has yet to finish outside the top three. Over the winter, he scored a Meydan handicap over this distance and has won turf too, over on the July course. Open company may be the target later this season but should be outscoring these, even if giving weight away.
Approval has not been seen since just emerging victorious at Glorious Goodwood last August. However the William Haggas team have flown out of the traps in the early season with the well-respected stable operating at 23% strike rate, with 30% being seen in the past week. Only been risen four pounds and improvement is expected after such a long break. 11/2 (General).
Fill Em Up
2:55 – Palace House Stakes (Group Three) – No Half Measures @ 4/1 (William Hill)
No Half Measures had a busy debut campaign last season but picked up six wins from 11 starts. Achieved Group Three status by scoring the World Trophy at Newbury before stepping up into Grade One company in the Prix de l’Abbeye at Longchamp finishing a respectable fifth. Back down in grade and can kick off the season in the same vein as last time with Ryan Moore taking the ride.
Tropical Storm was unlucky as a two-year-old last season, missing out on some big prizes including a valuable novice at this meeting last year as well as finishing runner-up at Royal Ascot. Scored at Listed level at York before finishing fourth in the Flying Childers at Doncaster. He has a good allowance too which puts him up there on ratings. 15/2 (William Hill).
In My Shadow
3:35 – Betfred 2000 Guineas (Group One) – Shadow of Light @ 7/1 (General)
Do I think that William Buick has made the wrong choice. Breeding-wise, maybe not. Form-wise, definitely. Shadow of Light won four out of five starts last season including two Group One’s on the Rowley Mile, the Middle Park and the Dewhurst. Usually those two races can signify a champion and he possesses both speed and stamina in this field. He’s related to the speedy Earthlight but looks as thought the mile is perfect. Exactly what you want a Guineas horse to be.
Another Group One winner in the field is Scorthy Champ. Some may say he was fortuitous to win the Vincent O’Brien National Stakes ahead of Henri Matisse, but he was certainly the most professional of that top two. He may be bred by the speedy Mehmas, but both black-type brothers got seven furlongs. He’ll have improved physically over the course of the winter and will head the Irish challenge. 15/2 (William Hill).
Also don’t look over Green Impact, who beat Delcroix at Leopardstown in the G2 Champions Juvenile Stakes. Delacroix has since won twice, including on seasonal reappearance and was unluckily beaten in the Futurity Trophy at Doncaster. For Jessie Harrington, who was bang out of luck last season, she’ll hope to add a first 2000 Guineas winner to her illustrious career. 12/1 (General).
The very best of luck!
