Following an administrative error, Gstaad has been reinstated to the Betfred 2000 Guineas at Newmarket with a supplementary fee of £30,000. Trainer Aidan O'Brien's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf champion, along with Albert Einstein, was mistakenly removed from the Classic. However, while Albert Einstein remains absent, Gstaad joins three other Ballydoyle contenders - Puerto Rico, Causeway, and Flushing Meadows - among the 20 colts still in contention at the confirmation stage. Other possible participants include Fozzy Stack's Thesecretadversary and Robson De Aguiar's Power Blue from Ireland, as well as the undefeated Bow Echo, who will attempt to maintain his perfect record over the Rowley Mile.
Charlie Pike's Padraig Dawn is another supplementary entry, having finished second in the Burradon Stakes at Newcastle. The home team also features Dewhurst third Distant Storm, the unbeaten King's Trail from Charlie Appleby's stable, and Roger Varian's Avicenna, who may represent Godolphin. Oxagon, trained by John and Thady Gosden, remains in the running after beating Avicenna in the Craven Stakes. Karl Burke may have three runners with Greenham winner Alparslan, Billecart, and Hankelow, while Francis-Henri Graffard's Samangan is the sole international competitor.
Into The Sky, who finished second in the Mill Reef, and Needle Match, who came fourth behind Alparslan in the Greenham, will also participate. The field is completed by Andrew Balding's Venetian Prince and Ismail Mohammed's Lord Britain. In the Betfred 1000 Guineas, Precise, the ante-post favorite, is among the 22 fillies to confirm their participation at Newmarket on Sunday. The daughter of Starspangledbanner won four of her five juvenile starts, including Group One victories in the Moyglare Stud Stakes and the Fillies' Mile over the Guineas course and distance.
Despite a spring setback, trainer Aidan O'Brien expressed optimism about her participation at a press morning last week, and she remains in the first fillies' Classic of the year. O'Brien has also left in the unbeaten Diamond Necklace, as well as True Love and Venosa. The home team is led by Karl Burke's Venetian Sun, who won her first four starts at two before finishing third behind Precise in Ireland.
Burke also has an interesting second contender in Prix de la Grotte victor Evolutionist. Kempton winner Abashiri is Charlie Appleby's sole hope for back-to-back 1000 Guineas wins, while the Godolphin silks may also be carried by Andre Fabre's potential French raider My Highness. Other contenders include the Owen Burrows-trained Fred Darling runner-up Touleen, Ed Walker's lightly-raced filly The Prettiest Star, Stuart Williams' shock Nell Gwyn winner Azleet, and the unbeaten Darn Hot Gallop from James Tate's yard.