Tag: 1000 Guineas

Newmarket Sunday Preview

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Gleneagles (4-1) and Goldream (5-1) gave us a profit on the first day of the Guineas meeting at Newmarket. It is the fillies turn to take centre stage on Sunday with the 1000 Guineas, the Pretty Polly Stakes and the Dahlia Stakes.

Our regular readers will be hoping that Local Time gives us a good run having been tipped at 40-1 in the ante-post lists. She is a lot shorter than that now and should not mind the quicker ground judged by her action on dirt. The race does not look particularly strong, especially with O’Brien having taken out both Found and Together Forever.

There are a couple of almost impossible handicaps on the card starting with the 1.50. Lungarno Palace did us a favour at the recent Epsom meeting while Watersmeet has looked a much improved performer on the all-weather. Arab Dawn has attracted market support and looks the sort to develop into a decent handicapper this season, although you could make a case for a dozen of these.

Andre Fabre went close in the 2000 Guineas with Territories and sends over Fintry for the Group 2 Dahlia Stakes. It is interesting to see Clive Brittain’s Rizeena kept in training while Bragging looked a progressive filly last season for Sir Michael Stoute.

A sharp pin may be as good as anything in the sprint at 3.00 but I’m going to give Zanetto another try. He has looked very useful on occasions and was tried at Group 1 level by Andrew Balding last summer. I’m a bit worried by the draw after the way the Guineas panned out and Huntsmans Close could be worth a saver on this side of the track.

The Pretty Polly Stakes has produced the last two Oaks winners in Talent and Taghrooda. There certainly does not seem to be anything of that quality entered on Sunday. It isn’t that often that Dermot Weld sends one over so presumably Zannda will handle the quicker surface and could step up on her Leopardstown form.

The closing handicap is another puzzler with Muqtaser representing the Dissolution form from the Craven meeting. The first six home that day could have been covered with a large horse blanket so the form may be suspect. Her Majesty The Queen’s Mustard seemed to hang fire last time out so I’m going for Godolphin’s Global Force. He made all to win his maiden in good style and could be tough to peg back.

Arab Dawn 1.50 @12-1 Ladbrokes

Fintry 2.25 @2-1 Bet365

Huntsmans Close 3.00 @12-1 Bet365

Zanetto 3.00 @16-1 Coral

Local Time 3.40 @40-1* ante-post (now 16-1 generally)

Zannda 4.50 @3-1 Coral

Global Force 5.25 @9-2 Coral

1000 Guineas Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

At first glance, the 1000 Guineas market has a very similar look to the 2000 Guineas with Aidan O’Brien holding a strong hand. Found has been favourite since winning at Longchamp in October but the filly does not carry the same confidence as her stable companion Gleneagles in the colt’s classic.

The reason is that she suffered a minor setback a few weeks’ ago and O’Brien recently suggested that she may not make the Guineas. The Irish Guineas is an alternative and it would be no great surprise to see her stable companion Together Forever take over as favourite next week.

She is also a daughter of Galileo and won three times over a mile last season, suggesting that the Oaks may be her ultimate destination. She ended her campaign with victory in the Dubai Fillies’ Mile when beating Agnes Stewart on soft ground with Lucida behind in fifth. The third and fourth have been well beaten already this season so there is a slight question mark against the form.

It is interesting to see Jim Bolger’s Lucida in to as short as 6-1 for Newmarket despite that defeat. She looked useful when winning the Rockfel Stakes and fast ground could be the key to her. Barry Hills has prepared Rockfel runner-up Fadhayyil in much the same way as he did with Ghanaati in 2009. A racecourse gallop at Newmarket was deemed sufficient as the veteran trainer approaches his second retirement from the sport.

Osaila and Redstart won the big trials at Newmarket and Newbury last week but caused little more than a ripple in the ante-post market. Osaila just held New Providence in the Nell Gwyn Stakes while Redstart effectively ended the classic pretentions of Tiggy Wiggy in the Fred Darling. Neither race really screamed classic winner but Godolphin’s Beautiful Romance ran on well in third at Newmarket and I could see her reversing the form in the classic.

I suggested taking a little of the 40-1 available about Local Time after she stormed to victory in the UAE Guineas. The Godolphin filly followed up even more impressively in the UAE Oaks but is not yet a confirmed runner for Newmarket. If, as I suspect, Found does not make the classic, there could be a large field.

Local Time @43-1 Betfair

Ervedya 16-1 for 1000 Guineas after Imprudence win

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The 1000 Guineas may seem a long way off with the build-up currently in full swing for next week’s Grand National, but the first meaningful trial of the season has already taken place.

His Highness The Aga Khan won the Prix Imprudence at Maisons-Laffite on Thursday with Ervedya, a daughter of Siyouni out of a King’s Best mare. The race was over seven furlongs in heavy ground and Christophe Soumillon bided his time before cutting through the field to win impressively.

It is worth remembering that subsequent Guineas winner Miss France was only sixth in this race last year. Ervedya has top class form from last year and was boosting the credentials of favourite Found, her conqueror in the Prix Marcel Boussac.

Ervedya was badly drawn that day so had to be brought across from stall 12 and make the running. She travelled well in the lead until Found was driven up alongside and quickened away to win by two and a half lengths. Queen Bee was fifth that day and filled third spot at Maisons-Laffitte so the form is looking solid.

William Hill offer the best price of 16-1 about Ervedya for Newmarket and that would be great value on soft ground. She has won on good ground but her trainer may consider the French Guineas a better option.

Andre Fabre has confirmed that High Celebrity will run at Newmarket and will not be having a prep race. The daughter of Invincible Spirit was not risked in the testing conditions this week and will hope to make it third-time-lucky in Suffolk next month. She was beaten at odds-on in the Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes in July and finished third to Tiggy Wiggy in the Cheveley Park Stakes last time.

Found reportedly had a temperature last month but is back on course for the Guineas where she is likely to be joined by Together Forever, winner of the Dubai Fillies’ Mile in October. She was runner-up to Found at the Curragh in August but improved throughout the season, winning her last three starts. The going was soft when she beat Agnes Stewart by half a length over a mile with Winters Moon just a nose away in third.

Aidan O’Brien has declared himself to be delighted with Together Forever who is currently a top price of 14-1 with Boylesports. Richard Hannon’s Tiggy Wiggy is freely available at 20-1 with question marks about her stamina while Lucida and Fadhayyil are also prominent in the ante-post market. The latter is going straight to Newmarket for veteran trainer Barry Hills following her second place in the Rockfel Stakes.

Local Time to boost classic claims in UAE Oaks

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Local Time could put herself in the picture for the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket by winning the UAE Oaks impressively at Meydan on Thursday.

The daughter of Invincible Spirit has won her last five races for Trainer Saeed bin Suroor who is looking for an incredible tenth win in the race. Last year he won the UAE 1000 Guineas and Oaks with the smart filly Ihtimal. She was only beaten three-quarters of a length at Newmarket behind Miss France and finished an unlucky fifth in the Oaks at Epsom. Tragically, she met with a fatal accident on the gallops in January.

Hopefully there will be a brighter future for Godolphin’s latest star filly who would need to be supplemented for the Newmarket classic. That is by no means unlikely and she looks impossible to oppose in the Oaks with stable companion Good Place her nearest market rival.  James Doyle partners the favourite with William Buick aboard Good Place, an improving daughter of Street Cry who should appreciate the step up in distance.

She has been slowly away in both of her races in Dubai this winter but will have plenty of time to settle in this small field. The only realistic danger to the Godolphin duo is Mike de Kock’s Shahrasal who was third in the UAE 1000 Guineas. It is difficult to see any reason why Local Time cannot confirm the form and I don’t see the extra furlong and a half posing a problem.

There are plenty of familiar names in action on Thursday’s card including Outstrip and Safety Check in the Zabeel Mile. Outstrip has been disappointing since winning the Breeders’ Cup juvenile in 2013, although he did finish within three lengths of Kingman last season. He was slowly away here last month and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the grey fitted with some headgear at some point during the summer.

His stable companion Safety Check was an emphatic winner of a Group 2 here last month but steps up to a mile. Six of his seven wins have been over seven furlongs and he could be vulnerable over this distance. Brendan Powell’s Dark Emerald is on a hat-trick while Johan Strauss, Darwin and Short Squeeze are others with claims in a very competitive event.

Local Time 1000 Guineas Newmarket @40-1 888Sport

Local Time 40-1 for 1000 Guineas after UAE romp

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Meydan provided flat racing fans with a taste of things to come this year with a top quality card on Thursday. The returning Dubai World Cup winner African Story failed to overcome his lengthy absence but there is no doubt who was the star of the show. Godolphin filly Local Time blew away the opposition in the UAE 1000 Guineas, winning by three and a quarter lengths.

The race was billed as a re-match between Local Time and Ad Idem after the pair had been separated by just a short-head in the trial two weeks’ ago. Ad Idem, trained by Mick de Kock, set out in front but was always travelling too keenly in the hands of Paul Hanagan. James Doyle sat in his slipstream before moving upsides with other three furlongs to run.

It was already obvious that Local Time was going much the better and she strode clear to win impressively. Stable companion Good Place ran on well to take second with Ad Idem dropping right away to finish last. A year ago I was very keen on the chances of Ihtimal for the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket after a similar performance. She went on to win the UAE Oaks by a record margin before finishing third at Newmarket.

Could Local Time be in that class? She was officially rated only 89 after beating Astrelle in the Oh So Sharp Stakes in October (coincidentally a race won by subsequent Guineas winner Miss France in 2013), a rating revised to 99 after her trial victory. I would imagine this latest win puts her up to around 106. The current 1000 Guineas favourite is Aidan O’Brien’s Found who was third to Cursory Glance (112) in the Moyglare Stud Stakes before winning impressively in France. In terms of the ratings, Local Time is a lively outsider but the bookmakers quotes vary from 16-1 with Stan James to 40-1 with 888sport.

The problem for ante-post backers is guessing Godolphin’s plans for the filly. It seems very likely that she will follow Ihtimal by running in the UAE Oaks before a decision is made regarding Newmarket. If she wins well there, she could run in the UAE Derby or the Guineas. Godolphin may even be tempted to run her in the Kentucky Oaks, given her improved form on dirt.

African Story was always going to be up against it in the Al Maktoum Challenge after almost a year off the track. He never threatened to get involved, eventually finishing seventh behind Frankyfourfingers and Prince Bishop.

Local Time 1000 Guineas @40-1 888Sport, 32Red

Newmarket Guineas Preview

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After months of anticipation, Guineas weekend is upon us! I broke with tradition by placing two bets on the 2000 Guineas before June was out last summer and both have made it to the final line up. That is an achievement in itself but I’m very confident that Kingman can win the season’s first classic.

2000 Guineas

Our ante-post book looks remarkably healthy. Kingman was advised in this column at 14-1 after his impressive debut while War Command was tipped at 10-1 after Royal Ascot. The latter has been overshadowed by stable companion Australia in the build-up but his price has contracted significantly in recent days and it would not surprise me to see him prove the pick of the O’Brien runners.

I topped off our portfolio last week by suggesting that Outstrip was over-priced at 56-1 with Betfair. The grey has a great finishing kick as he showed in the Breeders’ Cup and a repeat of that performance would certainly put him in the frame here.

There are plenty of dangers, notably Craven winner Toormore who remains unbeaten. He could only beat what was put in front of him that day and is closely matched with Outstrip on Goodwood form from last season. I’m happy to let our horses run with adding any further investment.

Kingman 14-1*

War Command 10-1*

Outstrip 56-1*

1000 Guineas

A huge field of 19 go to post for the fillies classic on Sunday and our hopes are firmly pinned to the Ihtimal mast. My regular followers will know that she has done us proud in the past and I see no reason to desert her now.

Her victory in the UAE Oaks was very impressive, quickening clear in the style of a smart performer. For some reason she has not captured the imagination of the betting public and is still available at an each-way price. I first tipped her at 16-1 and then followed up at 10-1 last week.

I did consider Rizeena last season but felt that Ihtimal was more likely to truly stay the Newmarket mile. I still cannot see how Rizeena can be less than half of the price of Ihtimal. Miss France was bitterly disappointing first time out and Vorda looks like a sprinter for all the world. Tapestry and Bracelet are more likely dangers but I remain confident in Ihtimal.

Ihtimal at 16-1 and 10-1*

*Ante-post advice