A special Sunday Four to Follow as we take a look at 1000 Guineas Day. Last year Cachet ran them ragged, but this year we could see a return to the dominance of Ireland and Dubai. Here are four to watch out for on Sunday afternoon.
1:15 – Gordon Richards Stakes (Group 3) – Adayar @ 6/5 (General) & Migration (W/O Adayar)
Everyone is looking forward to welcoming back Adayar to the track. It seems an age since he won the Derby, given that we have only seen him five times over two years. Charlie Appleby has said the aim for this horse is the Prince of Wales’s at Royal Ascot, and this could be a good starting point. Clear on ratings, the question is the ground. It turned to soft ground before the 2000 Guineas and there is a chance of a light shower today too. Watch out for bottomless ground.
One who can handle the soft and the heavy is Migration, who kicked off the flat season by winning the Lincoln in testing conditions. He’s usually a handicap horse, but has run in open company before. It might look a stern test on paper, but he’s the one with the proven stamina on testing ground. No problem with stepping up in trip, particularly on soft ground.
1:50 – Howden Handicap – Berkshire Rocco @ 11/1 (William Hill)
It’s another wide-open handicap over 1m 6F. It’s a tough call but I’ve gone for Berkshire Rocco. He’s ben starting to get the hang of things over on the all-weather, but 1m 6F over soft ground is ideal. And despite being third highest in the weights, he’s down to his lowest mark since the 2019 Zetland Stakes, racing as a two-year-old. It will be interesting to see how he fairs on his first return to the track in three-and-a-half-years
I also fancy the chances of Legendary Day. He seems to be on the drift, but cleverly avoids the five-pound penalty with jockey Jamie Powell taking 5lbs off. He reappeared winning over 2m on soft ground at Ripon and is versatile on any ground. He’s been turned out quickly, but just like Kitty’s Light last week it could pay out.
One to consider at a price is Torcello. A soft ground specialist and dour stayer. With age, he’s stepped down in trip to 1m 4F, but on soft ground he has licence to go further. He ran a strange race on reappearance this season, so hopefully we see the best of him today.
3:00 – Dahlia Stakes (Group 2) – Astral Beau @ 11/1 (Boylesports, BetUK)
Astral Beau is the soft ground specialist of the field. She annihilated the field at Doncaster in a listed contest and her rating allows to make the big step up in grade. And despite being surrounded with horses who are more than capable than her, she loves the mud, and at double figure prices she’s the one to have.
3:40 – QIPCO 1000 GUINEAS (GROUP ONE) – Tahiyra @ 7/4 (Betfred, BetUK)
I’m on the Tahyira train. She is a talented filly, and it showed when she won the Moyglare on soft ground. She may be inexperienced on form, but the talent she has from both sire and dam have merged into this one and there is no reason why Tahiyra cannot win. Meditate is good, but she has some ground to make up on the favourite.
I also feel that Mawj deserves a big chance here, but has the bookies quoting her at double-figure prices. She had a fantastic Winter in Dubai, stepping up to the mile trip without hesitation and taking to it brilliantly. Mawj is also a half-sister to Modern Games and Modern News, who both gained blac-type over the mile trip. You could say, she’s bred for a race like this.
The very best of luck!
