Qipco 2000 Guineas |
||
| Group 1, Newmarket £500,000 guaranteed, 3yo only, 1m, Class 1  |
||
|
||
Night Raider won as he liked last night and is now getting some short looking quotes for the 2000 Guineas 👀
— The Winners Enclosure (@TWEnclosure) March 21, 2024
Backing him for the classic? 🤔
🎬 @AtTheRacespic.twitter.com/MaGuiDXbKu
Aidan O’Brien, despite training one of the most thrilling and valuable horses of the season, maintains that he doesn’t feel any additional pressure. Having the winter Guineas favorite trained at Ballydoyle is an almost annual tradition. However, there’s an undeniable aura surrounding City Of Troy based on the evidence so far.
Following his victorious debut at the Curragh, O’Brien’s comments resonated with excitement. He revealed that jockey Ryan Moore had been concerned because City Of Troy was nearly unstoppable after crossing the finish line. This buzz was further fueled by a commanding six-and-a-half-length victory in the Superlative Stakes at Newmarket.
Although the winning margin in the Dewhurst was a seemingly modest three and a half lengths on soft ground, what truly captures the imagination is the lineage: City Of Troy’s sire is none other than Justify, the legendary Triple Crown winner on the dirt.
“He always looked a bit different, every time we worked him really. Then he ran in his maiden,” said O’Brien.
“All he can do is keep turning up and running and see what is happening, but he does work very different.
“Horses are working in very bad ground at the moment, it’s deep. Horses shouldn’t like that, but he is just powering through it.
“We hope to get him to Naas on Sunday after racing – him, Henry Longfellow, River Tiber, they’ll all go together over seven, seven and a half furlongs and we’ll have a little look and all get together, talk to the lads, but the plan is to go straight to the Guineas.
“If that went well, then he could go for the Derby, and if that went well, there’s a chance he could go to Saratoga for a dirt race, the Travers, and that’s very possible if things go well, it will be interesting.
“I don’t feel pressure, all we can do is our best and whatever will be will be.”
While O’Brien does admit he is not the biggest horse in the world, the colt is deceptive.
“He’s done very well over the winter. He’s a medium-sized horse to look at, but when you stand into him he’s much bigger than you think, which is the sign of a very well-proportioned horse. It will be exciting.
“When John (Magnier) and the lads are thinking like that, they are happy to push him out there and see what he can do. If it went well in the Guineas, we’re happy to step up to a mile and a half in the Derby and then come back to 10 furlongs for the Travers on dirt.
“The thinking is to expose him. Obviously he’s by Justify, which makes Justify very exciting for us because he should be able to do dirt as easily as he does grass, that’s what makes him unique really. It’s going to be very exciting, interesting really.”
With workouts planned for his Classic hopefuls at the weekend, O’Brien will be hoping the current saturated ground dries up.
He said: “I’d imagine if he goes to the Guineas he’ll go himself, but when we go to Naas on Sunday it will be the first time they’ve been put together, so we’ll see what will happen.
“What makes him unusual is that he’s by Justify, he should be at home on the dirt but they seem the same on the grass. They stay very well, they are uncomplicated, you can ride them forward.
“Justify looks like a big Quarter Horse but the unusual thing about all his stock is they are very similar, you can set them out there and you can go, that’s what makes him so easy, he can do his own thing, they don’t over-race and just keep going.”
Charlie Appleby is thinking of using this as a stepping stone toward a potential run in the Betfred Derby for last season’s Doncaster Futurity victor, Ancient Wisdom.
Appleby believes that the Newmarket Classic presents a more appealing opportunity than the longer Dante Stakes at York. By opting for the Guineas, Ancient Wisdom will have a chance to prove himself ahead of the Epsom Derby in early June.
Ancient Wisdom, who triumphed on very soft ground in the Futurity, has been highly regarded since the early stages of his career. After a setback at Ascot, he has shown physical progress, as expected from a son of Dubawi.
Appleby’s concern lies in the proximity of the Dante Stakes to Epsom. He explains, “It’s possible there will be slow ground for the Guineas, and we will take a look at that with the view that a mile and a half will prove his forte. If I waited for York and the ground was soft, there’s not much time left until the Derby to rectify any issues, and that would be a more ambitious route to take”.
Qipco 2000 Guineas Stakes
(British Champions Series) (Group 1)
£500,000 guaranteed, 3yo only, 1m, Class 1
49 entries
Going:
NO. FORM HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY (form as of Mar 28)
1 1212- Al Musmak 3 9-2 Roger Varian
2 1412- Alyanaabi 3 9-2 Owen Burrows
3 11311- Ancient Wisdom 3 9-2 Charlie Appleby
4 12-2 Army Ethos 3 9-2 Archie Watson
5 12281- Ballymount Boy 3 9-2 Adrian Paul Keatley
6 2312- Boiling Point 3 9-2 Roger Varian
7 13113- Bucanero Fuerte 3 9-2 Adrian Murray
8 11- Champagne Prince 3 9-2 Jane Chapple-Hyam
9 111- City Of Troy 3 9-2 A P O'Brien
10 Clean Energy 3 9-2 J S Bolger
11 25115- Dancing Gemini 3 9-2 Roger Teal
12 3324- Deira Mile 3 9-2 Owen Burrows
13 51342- Devil's Point 3 9-2 David Menuisier
14 116- Diego Velazquez 3 9-2 A P O'Brien
15 133- Eben Shaddad 3 9-2 John & Thady Gosden
16 21- El Bodon 3 9-2 Jane Chapple-Hyam
17 21- El Bufalo 3 9-2 Dylan Cunha
18 111- Ghostwriter 3 9-2 Clive Cox
19 13- God's Window 3 9-2 John & Thady Gosden
20 2- Granger Bay 3 9-2 Jane Chapple-Hyam
21 1- Grey Charger 3 9-2 William Haggas
22 21955- Haatem 3 9-2 Richard Hannon
23 1144- Henry Adams 3 9-2 A P O'Brien
24 111- Henry Longfellow 3 9-2 A P O'Brien
25 1216- Iberian 3 9-2 Charles Hills
26 3118- Indian Run 3 9-2 Eve Johnson Houghton
27 2-1 Inisherin 3 9-2 Kevin Ryan
28 1223- Johannes Brahms 3 9-2 A P O'Brien
29 13- King's Gamble 3 9-2 Ralph Beckett
30 5301- Louis Quatorze 3 9-2 David Menuisier
31 212- Mister Sketch 3 9-2 Eve Johnson Houghton
32 21 Native Approach 3 9-2 Charlie Appleby
33 1-1 Night Raider 3 9-2 K R Burke
34 11 Notable Speech 3 9-2 Charlie Appleby
35 311-0 Olympic Candle 3 9-2 Saeed bin Suroor
36 141-23 Orne 3 9-2 John & Thady Gosden
37 1- Qazaq 3 9-2 Roger Varian
38 11133- River Tiber 3 9-2 A P O'Brien
39 23 Rogue Encore 3 9-2 Tom Clover
40 1131- Rosallion 3 9-2 Richard Hannon
41 20O13- Sayedaty Sadaty 3 9-2 Andrew Balding
42 41- Sir Gabrial 3 9-2 Alice Haynes
43 15535- Son 3 9-2 Richard Hannon
44 1- Sons And Lovers 3 9-2 Jane Chapple-Hyam
45 1621- Sunway 3 9-2 David Menuisier
46 112- Task Force 3 9-2 Ralph Beckett
47 4516- Ten Bob Tony 3 9-2 Ed Walker
48 1- The Liffey 3 9-2 A P O'Brien
49 12421- Unquestionable 3 9-2 A P O'Brien
