Bow Echo will have to improve to beat standard-setter Gstaad

Newmarket’s Guineas weekend is a very important meeting with the first two Classics of the season. Along with the G1 2000 Guineas on Saturday, it’s great to have Sunday’s G1 1000 Guineas as a World Pool race, which it deserves to be.

Saturday – 2000 Guineas Day

Newmarket | Race 1 : Listed Ellen Chaloner Stakes

I kick off with MAGIC BASMA, one of two rides on the day for Kevin Ryan.

She’s got a fair bit to find on ratings with most in the field, but she progressed and ran consistently at the backend of last season, so hopefully she can take another step forward.

She’s got form on all sorts of ground, including a second on good-to-firm, so that’s encouraging considering it’s been very dry in Newmarket all week.

Flora Of Bermuda sets the bar, while Sky Majesty, Sayidah Dariyan, Rosy Affair and Celandine all have a fair level of form that would see them be competitive in this.

Newmarket | Race 4 : G3 HKJC World Pool Palace House Stakes

AIN’T NOBODY won the Windsor Castle at Royal Ascot as a two-year-old and was second in the G1 Nunthorpe Stakes last season, so clearly has plenty of speed despite being seen

largely over 1200m. His form is patchy, though, having finished way down the field in a handful of starts last year.

Last year’s winner, Rumstar, looks nicely drawn again in stall five, while Asfoora has to be respected given how prolific she’s been since arriving in Europe.

Newmarket | Race 5 : G1 2000 Guineas

GSTAAD is the standard-setter in the race. He’s the highest rated and proven at the top level - in fact he’s one of only two Group 1 winners in the field, the other being Power Blue.

His form is top class; he’s a Royal Ascot winner, was second in the Prix Morny, where he was beaten by Venetian Sun but finished in front of the Middle Park winner, Wise Approach.

He was second in the National Stakes, second in the Dewhurst and then went on to win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar.

So, he’s proven over the trip, he’s proven at the track and he’s the highest rated horse in the race.

As for the draw, we’ll just have to see if there’s a bias on the day. We’ve had winners come from either side the last two years, so it’s very hard to say. We’re in the middle, so we’ve got options.

Bow Echo was a solid, hard-knocking two-year-old last season and deserves to be up there in the betting, but he will need to improve on what he did last year.

Distant Storm has the second best bit of form in the race having been third to Gstaad in the Dewhurst. He’s got winning form on the Rowley Mile track over 1400m and the step up in trip shouldn’t be a problem. I’ve got plenty of respect for him, particularly given Godolphin’s recent record.

Godolphin also run King’s Trail, who’s been very impressive in two runs on the all-weather. You can draw comparisons between him and 2024’s winner Notable Speech, so you could certainly make a case for him, but he obviously neds to take a big step forward again.

Avicenna is the other Godolphin runner in the race. He finished behind Oxagon in the Craven, but was making up good ground late, while you’ve got the Greenham winner, Alparslan, and the fourth that day, Needle Match, reopposing too.

Thesecretadversary is worth mentioning too having won a trial in Ireland for this race in good style. Into The Sky looked very sharp last season but does have question marks stepping up in trip.

Newmarket : Race 8 | Handicap 3yo 0-80

SIERRA SANDS ran well on his reappearance over course and distance earlier in the month and is expected to come on for that run, so fingers crossed.

His handicap mark remains the same, so he should be right there if taking a step forward.

Newmarket : Race 9 | 4yo+ 0-90 Handicap

STERLING KNIGHT will hopefully come on for this last start over course and distance.

He’s not getting any younger and his having his 63rd start but could still be effective off his mark of 86.

Sunday – 1000 Guineas

Newmarket : Race 4 | G1 1000 Guineas

PRECISE is a Starspangledbanner filly whose family goes all the way back to Sonic Lady, who won the Prix Moulin and Sussex Stakes.

She quietly progressed last year, getting better with every start, and finished up by winning the Fillies’ Mile over course and distance.

Like Gstaad in the 2000 Guineas, I think she sets the standard in here.

I’m unsure as to the impact of being drawn out on the wing, we’ll just have to see how that plays out.

She had a little hiccup a few weeks ago, but everyone is very happy with her now and I’m looking forward to riding her.

I’d say the 1000 is a deeper race than the 2000 this year, with 19 runners and plenty of solid form on offer.

Venetian Sun won the Prix Morny and then chased Precise home in the Moyglare. I’ve heard good reports about her and she’s a very talented filly.

Precise’s stablemate True Love is a Royal Ascot-winning two-year-old who won the Cheveley Park as well, and she kicked off her three-year-old campaign by winning the Guineas trial at Leopardstown.

This will be her first crack at a mile, which might be a bit of an unknown, but she’s a high-class filly and is sure to run well.

Of the others, My Highness looks like a nice filly by Ghaiyyath and Abashiri must be showing all the right signs to be lining up in here after just one start on the all-weather.

The Prettiest Star was second in the Rockfel and is highly regarded, as is Touleen who was second in the Fred Darling.

Plenty of people are throwing their hat into the ring and it looks a tricky race to win, but I’m very happy with my filly.