Gstaad has been re‑entered into the Betfred 2000 Guineas at Newmarket after a supplementary fee of £30,000 was paid. The colt, a Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf victor for Aidan O'Brien, had been mistakenly withdrawn from the Classic because of an administrative oversight, a mistake that also affected Albert Einstein.
While Albert Einstein will still miss the race, Gstaad joins three other Ballydoyle representatives who are still in contention at Monday's confirmation stage. Those include the dual Group One winner Puerto Rico, the proven performer Causeway and the promising Flushing Meadows, all of whom remain among the twenty colts still being considered for the field. Two additional horses could make the journey across the Irish Sea. Fozzy Stack’s colt Thesecretadversary and Robson De Aguiar’s Power Blue are both slated to travel to Newmarket, while the home‑trained contingent will be led by Bow Echo, who will test his unbeaten record over the Rowley Mile.
George Boughey’s son of Night Of Thunder is another noteworthy entrant; the horse won each of his three starts last season, capping the campaign with a victory in the Royal Lodge Stakes, a race that mirrors the Guineas distance and course. Charlie Pike has also submitted a supplementary entry in the form of Padraig Dawn, who finished second in the Burradon Stakes at Newcastle on only his second start. Charlie Appleby may be represented twice, with his Dewhurst‑placed Distant Storm and the unbeaten King’s Trail both slated to run. Roger Varian’s Avicenna is another possible Godolphin runner, while John and Thady Gosden’s Oxagon, who beat Avicenna into second place in the Craven Stakes, also remains in the mix.
Karl Burke could field up to three runners: Greenham winner Alparslan, Billecart and Hankelow. France’s sole international challenger is Samangan, trained by Francis‑Henri Graffard. Jim Boyle’s Into The Sky, who finished a length behind the winner in the Mill Reef at the end of last season, will represent the Needle Match stable, while William Haggas will try to reverse the form with his fourth‑place finish behind Alparslan in the Greenham.
Rounding out the field are Andrew Balding’s Venetian Prince and Ismail Mohammed’s Lord Britain. In the 1000 Guineas, the ante‑post favourite is Precise, one of twenty‑two fillies still standing for the Betfred 1000 Guineas at Newmarket on Sunday. The daughter of Starspangledbanner has won four of her five juvenile starts, including Group One victories in the Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh and the Fillies’ Mile on the Rowley Mile. A spring injury threatened to derail her campaign, but Aidan O'Brien remained optimistic after a press conference last week, confirming her place in the first fillies’ Classic of the year at Monday’s confirmation stage.
The Ballydoyle stable has also kept the unbeaten Diamond Necklace in the running, a horse O'Brien suggested could be aimed at the French Guineas provided Precise wins her race and remains fit for Newmarket. Other O'Brien runners include True Love and Venosa. Home‑trained hopes are led by Karl Burke’s Venetian Sun, who impressed by winning her first four starts at two before finishing third behind Precise in her final Irish start. Burke also has a strong second string headed by Evolutionist, the Prix de la Grotte winner.
Charlie Appleby hopes to secure back‑to‑back 1000 Guineas victories with Kempton winner Abashiri, following Desert Flower’s triumph a year earlier. The Godolphin colours may also be represented by Andre Fabre’s potential French challenger My Highness. Additional fillies in the contest include Owen Burrows’ Fred Darling runner‑up Touleen, Ed Walker’s lightly‑raced The Prettiest Star, Stuart Williams’ shock Nell Gwyn winner Azleet and the unbeaten Darn Hot Gallop from James Tate’s yard. Overall, the entry list for both the 2000 Guineas and the 1000 Guineas reflects a deep pool of talent, with several high‑profile horses being supplemented or confirmed at the last minute.
Trainers are balancing the desire to protect their charges with the need to secure a place in one of the season’s most prestigious Classics. As the confirmation stage approaches, owners and trainers will be making final decisions on which horses will travel to Newmarket, and the final field is likely to feature a blend of proven Group winners, promising juveniles stepping up in distance, and a few international challengers hoping to make an impact on British soil. The race day promises to be a showcase of the best three‑year‑old colts and fillies, each aiming to secure a place in racing history.