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| Newmarket 2000 Guineas - 30th April 2011 |
Frankel and Dream Ahead Top 2000 Guineas Entries
07/03/11
Unbeaten colt Frankel heads a 52-strong entry for this year's Group One 2000 Guineas, which will mark the start of the inaugural British Champions' Series on Saturday, 30th April, at Newmarket.
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Trainer Henry Cecil's charge, who went on a thrilling sequence of four straight victories last season, is among an entry for the £350,000 contest that includes no less than seven Group One-winning colts.
Frankel stormed to success in the Group One Dubai Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket in October and his first major test in 2011 is likely to be the first British Classic of the season, staged on the historic Rowley Mile.
Cecil savoured back-to-back wins in the 2000 Guineas with Bolkonski (1975) and Wollow (1976) but so far has not been able to add to that tally.
The Khalid Abdulla-owned Frankel had Group One Shadwell Middle Park Stakes hero, the David Simcock-trained Dream Ahead, back in fifth when capturing a hot renewal of the Dubai Dewhurst Stakes. The pair were ranked as joint-champion two-year-old colts according to the European Two-Year-Old Rankings, with ratings of 126.
Simcock revealed today: “Physically, I couldn’t be happier with Dream Ahead. He has had a very, very good winter – he looks fantastic. He has matured, put a lot of weight on in the right places and he has started his training very well.
“He is doing two canters up Warren Hill with his lead horse and everything is very much on course for the 2000 Guineas. He will go straight there.
“I’m quietly confident that he will see out a mile. It’s something that we won’t know until we’ve tried.”
The two-time Group One winner lost his unbeaten record when failing to fire in the Dubai Dewhurst Stakes but Simcock is unperturbed by that effort.
He added: “That wasn’t his day, it certainly wasn’t his running – and you will see a different horse in April.”
Five of the six runners from that October contest hold entries in the 2000 Guineas; the Aidan O’Brien-trained runner-up and subsequent Group One Criterium International winner Roderic O’Connor, third-placed Glor Na Mara from the Jim Bolger yard and Godolphin handler Saeed bin Suroor’s Group Two Champagne Stakes victor Saamid.
Godolphin could also be represented by seven three-year-olds trained by Mahmood Al Zarooni including Casamento and Dubai Prince.
Casamento landed the Group One Racing Post Trophy over a mile at Doncaster in November from Seville, when in the care of Mick Halford, while the unbeaten Dubai Prince, trained last season by Dermot Weld, ticked plenty of boxes when landing a Leopardstown Group Three last term.
Group One winners abound. The Jessica Harrington-trained Pathfork maintained his perfect record when seeing off Casamento by a head to win the Group One Vincent O’Brien National Stakes, while the Richard Fahey-trained Wootton Bassett made it five wins from five starts in the Group One Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere.
Also of note, the Aidan O’Brien-trained Zoffany took the Group One Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh in August, with the Richard Hannon-trained Group Two Coventry Stakes victor Strong Suit in third.
Newmarket's director of racing, Michael Prosser, said: "I am very pleased with the exceptional quality of the initial entry. The key point to note from our perspective is that the 2010 form from all of Europe's Group One races for two-year-olds is represented in the entry.
"The reputation of the 2000 Guineas is as strong as ever after recent renewals, including last year's which was classified as the best race in the world for three-year-olds in 2010. Having studied this year's entry, I am confident that we will be staging another top-class race."
Newmarket's managing director, Stephen Wallis, was also able to issue an update on the sponsorship position, regarding the first two Classics of 2011.
Stephen Wallis said: "With regard to the sponsorship of the 2000 and 1000 Guineas, we look forward to announcing positive news shortly. For the first time the Guineas is the launch-pad for the inaugural British Champions’ Series, so there has been an exciting bigger picture to consider this year."
THE 2000 GUINEAS (THE 203rd RUNNING)
Class 1, Group 1, Total Prize fund £350,000. Newmarket, Saturday, April 30, 2011, one mile. For three-year-olds only, entire colts and fillies. Weights: colts 9st, fillies 8st 11lb. Entries closed March 1, entries released March 3 (52 entries), Scratchings deadline noon, April 19. Five-day confirmation and £30,000 supplementary stage noon, April 25. Final declaration stage 10.00am, April 28. Form figures supplied by Weatherbys and are correct up and including the racing of Monday, February 28, 2011. May not include some overseas form.
Form Horse Owner Trainer
331(1)- ALEXANDER POPE (IRE) Derrick Smith, Sue Magnier, Michael Tabor Aidan O'Brien IRE
(1)- ATRAAF (IRE) Hamdan Al Maktoum Marcus Tregoning
31-(3)(4) BRIDGEFIELD (USA) Godolphin Mahmood Al Zarooni
112410- BROOX (IRE) G A Lucas Eoghan O'Neill FR
(1)(1)(2)- BURJ ALZAIN (IRE) Asaad Al Banwan Gerard Butler
1211- CASAMENTO (IRE) Godolphin Mahmood Al Zarooni
51- DFFAR (IRE) Saif Ali Clive Brittain
1115- DREAM AHEAD (USA) Khalifa Dasmal David Simcock
11- DUBAI PRINCE (IRE) Godolphin Mahmood Al Zarooni
200410- DUBAWI GOLD Andrew Tinkler Richard Hannon
42132- DUX SCHOLAR Khalid Abdulla Sir Michael Stoute
511- EARL OF LEITRIM (IRE) Ranjan Mahtani Brian Meehan
212- ECLIPTIC (USA) Godolphin Mahmood Al Zarooni
EL WASMI Saeed Manana Clive Brittain
1233- ELZAAM (AUS) Hamdan Al Maktoum Michael Jarvis
3516(5)0- FOOLPROOF (IRE) Mrs John Murphy John Murphy IRE
1111- FRANKEL Khalid Abdulla Henry Cecil
1115- FRENCH NAVY Godolphin Mahmood Al Zarooni
11- FURY Cheveley Park Stud William Haggas
0(1)- GARDE COTIERE (USA) Sir Robert Ogden Jeremy Noseda
422253- GLOR NA MARA (IRE) Jackie Bolger Jim Bolger IRE
41- HAPPY TODAY (USA) Jaber Abdullah Brian Meehan
1- HEAD SPACE (IRE) Jackie Bolger/June Judd Jim Bolger IRE
(1)- HO YA MAL (IRE) Ahmad Al Shaikh Ed Dunlop
(1)46- KARAM ALBAARI (IRE) Fhad Al Harthi John Jenkins
2- KIRTHILL (IRE) Leonidas Marinopoulos Luca Cumani
12- LOVING SPIRIT P C J Dalby & R Schuster James Toller
3404- MADAWI Saeed Manana Clive Brittain
11- MANHAJ Hamdan Al Maktoum John Hammond FR
522136- MASTER OF HOUNDS (USA) Sue Magnier Aidan O'Brien IRE
MILAGRES Mauricio Delcher Sanchez Mauricio Delcher Sanchez SPA
(0)- MONOPOLIZE Khalid Abdulla Henry Cecil
114- NATIVE KHAN (FR) Ibrahim Araci Ed Dunlop
212- NEEBRAS (IRE) Godolphin Mahmood Al Zarooni
111- PATHFORK (USA) Silverton Hill Partnership Jessica Harrington IRE
1- PETER MARTINS (USA) The Honorable Earle I Mack Jeremy Noseda
313414- REROUTED (USA) Khalid Abdulla Barry Hills
3121- RODERIC O'CONNOR (IRE) Sue Magnier/Michael Tabor/Derrick Smith/Sangster Family Aidan O'Brien IRE
116- SAAMIDD Godolphin Saeed bin Suroor
432030- SHAFGAAN Saeed Manana Clive Brittain
10- SHROPSHIRE (IRE) The Hon Catherine Corbett & Chris Wright Barry Hills
561245- SLIM SHADEY Phil Cunningham Stan Moore
2(2)(1)-(2)(1) SPLASH POINT (USA) Godolphin Mahmood Al Zarooni
1132- STRONG SUIT (USA) Julie Wood Richard Hannon
TLAAD (USA) Saeed Manana Clive Brittain
110- TREASURY DEVIL (USA) Lord Lloyd-Webber John Gosden
122- UNEX EL GRECO Bill Gredley John Gosden
5150- UTLEY (USA) George Strawbridge John Gosden
1- WESTERN ARISTOCRAT (USA) Tom Ludt Jeremy Noseda
11111- WOOTTON BASSETT Frank Brady & The Cosmic Cases Richard Fahey
2(1)- YASEER (IRE) Hamdan Al Maktoum Marcus Tregoning
161113- ZOFFANY (IRE) Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Sue Magnier Aidan O'Brien IRE
52 entries
8 Irish-trained
2 French-trained
1 Spanish-trained
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2000 Guineas |
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