2000 Guineas 2018 Tips

The 2000 Guineas is a Group 1 run over a mile on the Rowley Course at Newmarket and is the first Classic of the season. It usually takes place in late-April or early-May, and is also the first leg of the Flat Triple Crown, followed by the Derby at Epsom and the St Leger at Doncaster, however it is a notoriously hard feat to achieve, with Nijinsky the last horse to complete the. Ante-post Preview: 2000 Guineas. Url copied to clipboard. In the first of a four-part series, Andrew Asquith takes a look at the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket on Saturday 5th May 2018 and picks out his best ante-post bet. Aidan O’Brien is now the most successful trainer in the 2000 Guineas.

Ed Chamberlin looks ahead to a Classic weekend in Newmarket and has his best bets for the QIPCO 2000 and 1000 Guineas.

The horrendous spring weather and lack of recent racecourse evidence make both the QIPCO 2000 and 1000 Guineas very difficult to solve – but here’s my attempt!

Gustav Klimt could easily be the best of the lot in the 2000 and it’s rare for an Aidan O’Brien horse to win on his reappearance – as this son of Galileo did when reeling-in a race-fit Imaging to land the Ballyinch Stud trial at Leopardstown.

It’s impossible to know what the form is worth and bizarrely it could be a negative that he’s had that prep run.

I’m indebted to Steven Powell on Twitter who pointed out on Tuesday that none of O’Brien’s eight previous winners of the colts’ Classic had run before that season.

Aidan O’Brien = Eight 2,000 Guineas winners = All on seasonal debut = Saxon Warrior?

— Steven Powell (@StevenPowell89) May 1, 2018

So is it significant that having been weak in the betting market over the weekend that the money has now arrived for Saxon Warrior? He strikes me as more of an Investec Derby type, especially on his Racing Post Trophy performance, but he’s a Group One winner with the potential to be better at three. Victory here would spark dreams of a potential Triple Crown too.

Masar looked brilliant in winning the Craven and trainer Charlie Appleby couldn’t be in better form right now but with Roaring Lion not at his best it’s hard to know what the form amounts to.

Expert Eye still has questions to answer and I can’t understand why he’s 8/1 and Newbury conqueror James Garfield 16/1 – but the horse I like is ELARQAM.

If there’s a star miler in the field then I think its this colt. I was at Tattersalls the day he was sold as a yearling and have followed his career closely since. He was impressive in taking his Group Three at Newmarket in the autumn and is bred to win this being a son of Frankel and Attraction. He’s a real chip off the old block in terms of his dam and connections have been delighted with his preparation.

The Johnston team can get one ready at home and he's my idea of the best bet in the race.

In terms of the QIPCO 1000 Guineas I’m already playing catch-up. I’d been backing Clemmie all winter so am absolutely gutted she’s not made it. I remain convinced she’s much better than these.

In her absence stablemate Happily is 5/2 favourite but in my eyes is more of an Investec Oaks filly. This could be ripe for an upset.

Step forward DAN’S DREAM – for my sporting hero Mick Channon.

She’s been supplemented into the race having landed the Fred Darling on her reappearance and will improve again on Sunday. It would be great for the sport to see Sir Ian Botham and Gareth Edwards associated with a Guineas winner.

It could be heart ruling the head but we could just be seeing the windmill celebration live on ITV 1 at around 3.40pm on Sunday.

In the first of a four-part series, Andrew Asquith takes a look at the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket on Saturday 5th May 2018 and picks out his best ante-post bet.

Aidan O’Brien is now the most successful trainer in the 2000 Guineas, having recorded his eighth win in the race with Churchill last year. That victory kick-started a record-breaking season for O’Brien, in which he surpassed Bobby Frankel’s record of training more than 25 Group 1 winners in a calendar year – O’Brien ended 2017 with 28 winners at the highest level. A phenomenal feat, the Ballydoyle trainer will no doubt be out to beat his own record in 2018, starting with the first classic of the season.

Another for Aidan?

It was Saxon Warrior who clinched the record for O’Brien when winning the Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster in October, beating Roaring Lion by a neck in a race that produced one of the best pieces of two-year-old form in 2017. It completed a perfect season for Saxon Warrior, a tall colt with a powerful action, who looked a budding three-year-old at every point last year. He is currently vying for favouritism for the 2000 Guineas with his two stablemates Gustav Klimt and U S Navy Flag but, while there’s no doubt he’s a very exciting prospect, Saxon Warrior appeals as more of a Derby than Guineas type; by Japanese mile and a half champion Deep Impact, out of a Galileo mare who finished fifth in the Oaks (beaten under four lengths).

U S Navy Flag did nothing but improve with racing last term, winning both the Middle Park and Dewhurst at Newmarket before finishing well held in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (dirt) on his final start. He should stay the one mile trip on pedigree (dam a winner up to a mile and a quarter) and his sister Roly Poly progressed well as a three-year-old winning three Group 1s, but Ballydoyle perhaps have others who are open to more improvement, so he makes little appeal at the prices.

One of those could be Gustav Klimt, a two-time winner last season, including the Superlative Stakes on the July Course. He did really well under the circumstances to win that day, losing his place and momentum when hampered over two furlongs out, before staying on strongly to lead in the final 50 yards, showing a good attitude and deserving extra credit (we rated him as value for a three-length win). Gustav Klimt is another who will be suited by further than a mile in time, but he strikes as Ballydoyle’s best Guineas contender at the time of writing, and Aidan O’Brien stated that he will be trained for the 2000 Guineas after an injury ruled him out of the Dewhurst.

2000 Guineas 2018 Tips 1x2

Gustav Klimt sprints to victory at Newmarket pic.twitter.com/hc4ylsnSL1

— ITV Racing (@itvracing) July 15, 2017

First win for Gosden?

Roaring Lion is a general fourth favourite for the race behind the Ballydoyle trio, along with the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Expert Eye. Roaring Lion may have lost his unbeaten record when narrowly denied by Saxon Warrior at Doncaster, but it was hard not to be impressed with the change of gear he showed, charging clear of Saxon Warrior entering the final furlong. However, he made the same left-handed shift that nearly cost him the Royal Lodge when in front, a flaw that John Gosden needs to iron out if he’s going to be a classic contender come May. Nevertheless, his ability shone through above all, and he clearly has an engine. Though he will likely stay the Derby trip on pedigree – his sire Kitten's Joy had a lot of stamina for an American racehorse (runner-up in the Breeders' Cup Turf), while his dam was placed in a Grade 1 over a mile and a quarter – connections are plotting a path to the Guineas first.

Good on the eye

Golan in 2011 was Sir Michael Stoute’s last winner of the 2000 Guineas, but Expert Eye put himself right in the mix when running out a seriously impressive winner of the Vintage Stakes at Goodwood in August, looking something out of the ordinary as he scooted four and a half lengths clear of some promising rivals. There was clearly something amiss with him on his next start when beaten over 10 lengths by U S Navy Flag in the Dewhurst, and he was reportedly lame after the race. Expert Eye had looked so good at Goodwood beforehand, and Stoute went on record to say he’s the best two-year-old he has trained for a while, so granted he gets to Newmarket in one piece, he will be a leading contender.

'I'm excited by him, he's brimful of promise' Sir Michael Stoute thrilled as Expert Eye shines @Goodwood_Races ▶️ https://t.co/ybpHas3Ofhpic.twitter.com/tV7asg72ly

— Racing UK (@Racing_UK) August 1, 2017

Potential superstars

Some others to mention at bigger prices include the Hamdan Al Maktoum-owned pair Elarqam and Emaraaty. The first-named is a beautifully-bred son of Frankel who is trained by Mark Johnston, also the trainer of his dam Attraction. He has won both of his starts to date in good style and looks an exciting prospect, very much the type to train on (good-topped colt) and make a three-year-old. Emaraaty also boasts an excellent pedigree and looked smart when tearing a Newbury maiden apart on his second start, recording an excellent timefigure. He found the Dewhurst coming too soon on his final start, not mature enough to cope with the demands of the race at that stage in his career, but this well-made, attractive colt should have plenty more to offer this year.

Conclusion

As the market suggests, the 2000 Guineas looks wide open at present and, though it is a risky proposition committing to a bet at this stage, there are several who have the scope to trade significantly shorter nearer the time. Expert Eye was as short as 3/1 following his devastating victory in the Vintage Stakes and, despite failing to fire in the Dewhurst when last seen, he was reportedly lame after the race and that clearly wasn’t his running. The form of his Goodwood success looks rock solid, and Sir Michael Stoute hasn’t kept it a secret as to what regard he holds the horse, so providing everything goes to plan, 10/1 could look rather big come May.

Recommended bet:

2000 Guineas 2018 Tips

Back Expert Eye at 10/1 in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket on 5th May 2018