Gstaad has been reinstated into the Betfred 2000 Guineas at Newmarket after a supplementary fee of £30,000 was paid to secure his place. The colt, who captured the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf for Aidan O'Brien, was originally withdrawn from the Classic because of an administrative oversight, a mistake that also affected Albert Einstein.
While Albert Einstein remains a non‑starter, Gstaad joins three other Ballydoyle hopefuls who have survived the Monday confirmation process: dual Group One champion Puerto Rico, the versatile Causeway and the well‑bred Flushing Meadows. All four are among the twenty colts still being considered for the race.
Other potential Irish challengers could make the journey across the Irish Sea. Fozzy Stack’s sprinter Thesecretadversary and Robson De Aguiar’s Power Blue have both shown enough promise to merit a look, while the home‑trained Bow Echo will be looking to preserve his unbeaten record over the Rowley Mile. George Boughey’s son of Night Of Thunder has a perfect record from three starts last season, capped by a victory in the Royal Lodge Stakes on the same course and distance as the Guineas, making him a strong contender. A second supplemental entry comes from Charlie Pike, who entered Padraig Dawn after the colt finished a close second in the Burradon Stakes at Newcastle in only his second career start.
Charlie Appleby may also field two runners: the Dewhurst‑placed Distant Storm and the unbeaten King’s Trail, while Roger Varian’s Avicenna remains a possible Godolphin representative. John and Thady Gosden’s Oxagon, who edged out Avicenna to finish second in the Craven Stakes, will also be in the mix, as will Karl Burke, who could field a trio of horses – Greenham winner Alparslan, Billecart and Hankelow. The only non‑British entrant among the overseas hopefuls is Francis‑Henri Graffard’s Samangan.
Jim Boyle’s Into The Sky, a length‑second in the Mill Reef Stakes at the end of last season, will be backed by Needle Match, who finished fourth behind Alparslan in the Greenham. William Haggas hopes Needle Match can reverse that form.
The field is rounded out by Andrew Balding’s Venetian Prince and Ismail Mohammed’s Lord Britain. On the fillies’ side, ante‑post favourite Precise is one of twenty‑two fillies still standing for the Betfred 1000 Guineas at Newmarket on Sunday.
The daughter of Starspangledbanner 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 setback threatened to derail her campaign, but Aidan O'Brien remained optimistic after a press conference last week, and Precise has been entered for the first fillies’ Classic of the year at Monday’s confirmation stage. O'Brien has also left the unbeaten Diamond Necklace in the race, a colt he hinted could be aimed at the French Guineas provided Precise wins and remains fit for Newmarket.
Other Ballydoyle entries include True Love and Venosa. The home‑trained contingent is led by Karl Burke’s Venetian Sun, who was dominant in her first four starts as a two‑year‑old before finishing third behind Precise in her most recent Irish run.
Burke also has a promising second string in Evolutionist, the winner of the Prix de la Grotte. Charlie Appleby hopes to repeat his success from a year ago with Kempton winner Abashiri, the only horse in his stable capable of delivering back‑to‑back 1000 Guineas victories after Desert Flower’s triumph twelve months earlier.
The Godolphin silks could also be represented by Andre Fabre’s potential French challenger My Highness. Additional fillies’ contenders include Owen Burrows’ Fred Darling runner‑up Touleen, Ed Walker’s lightly‑raced The Prettiest Star, Stuart Williams’ surprise Nell Gwyn winner Azleet and James Tate’s unbeaten Darn Hot Gallop.
All of these horses will be looking to make an impact in the early season Classics, and the final field will be confirmed after Monday’s confirmation stage, which will determine which of the many hopefuls will earn a spot on the Rowley Mile for the prestigious Guineas contests.