Gstaad has been re‑entered into the Betfred 2000 Guineas at Newmarket after a supplementary payment of £30,000 was made to secure his place. The colt, who earned a Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf victory for Aidan O'Brien’s Ballydoyle operation, was originally withdrawn from the Classic because of a clerical mistake, a mishap that also affected Albert Einstein.
While Albert Einstein will remain absent, Gstaad now joins three other Ballydoyle hopefuls at the Monday confirmation stage: the dual Group One winner Puerto Rico, the promising Causeway and the talented Flushing Meadows. All four are among the twenty colts still in contention for the race. Other Irish‑trained runners that could make the journey across the Irish Sea include Fozzy Stack’s ThisSecretAdversary and Robson De Aguiar’s Power Blue. The home‑trained contingent is led by Bow Echo, who will test his unbeaten record over the Rowley Mile.
George Boughey’s son of Night Of Thunder has also earned a place after winning each of his three starts last season, capping his campaign with a victory in the Royal Lodge Stakes on the Guineas course and distance. A second supplementary entry comes from Charlie Pike, whose Padraig Dawn finished second in the Burradon Stakes at Newcastle on only his second career start. Charlie Appleby may field two horses – the Dewhurst third Distant Storm and the unbeaten King’s Trail – while Roger Varian’s Avicenna is another possible Godolphin representative.
John and Thady Gosden’s Oxagon, who beat Avicenna into second place in the Craven Stakes, also remains in the mix and is expected to stay in the race. Karl Burke could be represented by up to three runners: Greenham winner Alparslan, Billecart and Hankelow. France’s sole entrant is Francis‑Henri Graffard’s Samangan.
Jim Boyle’s Into The Sky, a length second in the Mill Reef at the end of last season, will try to improve on that form, while Needle Match, fourth behind Alparslan in the Greenham, will aim to reverse his previous result for trainer William Haggas. The field is rounded out by Andrew Balding’s Venetian Prince and Ismail Mohammed’s Lord Britain.
Turning to the Betfred 1000 Guineas, the ante‑post favourite is Precise, one of twenty‑two fillies still slated to contest the race on Sunday. The Starspangledbanner daughter recorded four wins from five juvenile starts, including Group One triumphs 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 expressed confidence at a recent press conference, confirming that she will be entered in the first fillies’ Classic of the year at Monday’s confirmation stage.
Ballydoyle has also kept the unbeaten Diamond Necklace in the running, with O'Brien hinting that the colt could be aimed at the French Guineas provided Precise wins her race and remains fit for Newmarket. Other Irish entries include True Love and Venosa.
The home side is led by Karl Burke’s Venetian Sun, who was dominant in her first four starts as a two‑year‑old before finishing a respectable third behind Precise in her final Irish start. Burke also has a promising second string in Evolutionist, the Prix de la Grotte winner.
Charlie Appleby’s sole hope of securing back‑to‑back 1000 Guineas victories is Kempton winner Abashiri, who would follow in the footsteps of Desert Flower’s triumph a year earlier. The Godolphin colours may also be represented by Andre Fabre’s potential French challenger My Highness.
Additional contenders for the fillies’ race include Owen Burrows’ Fred Darling runner‑up Touleen, Ed Walker’s lightly‑ raced filly The Prettiest Star, Stuart Williams’ surprise Nell Gwyn winner Azleet, and the unbeaten Darn Hot Gallop from James Tate’s stable. All of these horses add depth and intrigue to a classic meeting that promises high‑quality competition across both the 2000 and 1000 Guineas events.