Gstaad has been re‑entered into the Betfred 2000 Guineas at Newmarket after a supplemental payment of £30,000 was made to secure his place. The colt, who previously captured the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf for Aidan O'Brien, was inadvertently omitted from the Classic field because of an administrative oversight, a mistake that also affected Albert Einstein. While Albert Einstein will remain absent, Gstaad now joins three other Ballydoyle representatives who have survived the Monday confirmation process.
Those three are the dual Group One winner Puerto Rico, the talented Causeway, and the promising Flushing Meadows, all of whom are among the twenty colts still under consideration for the race. In addition to the Ballydoyle entries, several other horses could make the journey across the Irish Sea to Newmarket.
Fozzy Stack’s sprinter Thesecretadversary and Robson De Aguiar’s Power Blue have both been mentioned as possible contenders, while the home‑trained Bow Echo will be looking to defend his unbeaten record over the Rowley Mile. George Boughey’s son of Night Of Thunder is another noteworthy name; the three‑year‑old won each of his three starts last season, capping the campaign with a victory in the Royal Lodge Stakes, which is run over the same course and distance as the Guineas. Charlie Pike has also entered a second supplemental runner, Padraig Dawn, who impressed by finishing second in the Burradon Stakes at Newcastle on only his second career start. Appleby’s stable may be represented by two horses – the Dewhurst‑placed Distant Storm and the unbeaten King’s Trail – while Roger Varian could add Avicenna to the field on behalf of Godolphin.
John and Thady Gosden’s Oxagon, who beat Avicenna into second place in the Craven Stakes, also remains a strong prospect. Karl Burke could field three runners: the Greenham winner Alparslan, Billecart and Hankelow. France’s Francis‑Henri Graffard will be represented by the lone international entrant Samangan. Jim Boyle’s Into The Sky, a length second in the Mill Reef Stakes at the close of last season, will line up for William Haggas, while Needle Match, who finished fourth behind Alparslan in the Greenham, hopes to reverse that form.
Rounding out the field are 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 in contention for the Betfred 1000 Guineas at Newmarket on Sunday. The Starspangledbanner‑sired filly 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‑time setback threatened to derail her campaign, but Aidan O’Brien remained optimistic after a recent press conference and confirmed that Precise will contest the first fillies’ Classic of the year at Monday’s confirmation stage. O’Brien has also retained the unbeaten Diamond Necklace, a horse he hinted could be aimed at the French Guineas provided Precise wins her race and remains fit for Newmarket. Other Ballydoyle fillies left in the mix include True Love and Venosa.
On the home front, Karl Burke’s Venetian Sun, who won her first four starts at two before finishing third behind Precise in her most recent Irish start, will be backed by the trainer’s second‑string star Evolutionist, the Prix de la Grotte winner. Charlie Appleby hopes to secure a back‑to‑back 1000 Guineas triumph with Kempton winner Abashiri, the only horse in his stable targeting the race after Desert Flower’s victory a year earlier. Godolphin may also be represented by Andre Fabre’s potential French challenger My Highness. Other notable fillies include Owen Burrows’ Fred Darling runner‑up Touleen, Ed Walker’s lightly‑raced The Prettiest Star, Stuart Williams’ surprise Nell Gwyn winner Azleet, and the unbeaten Darn Hot Gallop from James Tate’s yard.
All of these competitors will be assessed as the final field is confirmed, promising a highly competitive Guineas meeting with a blend of proven Group winners, promising juveniles stepping up in distance, and a few international challengers looking to make an impact on the historic Newmarket turf.