Gstaad has been re‑entered into the Betfred 2000 Guineas at Newmarket after a supplementary payment of £30,000 was made to secure his participation. The colt, a product of Aidan O'Brien’s stable and the winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, was originally withdrawn from the Classic because of an administrative oversight, a mishap that also affected Albert Einstein.
While Albert Einstein remains out of the race, Gstaad now joins three other Ballydoyle hopefuls who have survived the Monday confirmation stage. Those three are the dual‑Group One champion Puerto Rico, the promising Causeway, and the well‑regarded Flushing Meadows, all of which are among the twenty colts still being considered for the event.
In addition to the Irish entries, a handful of British‑trained horses may also make the journey across the Irish Sea. Among them are Thesecretadversary, trained by Fozzy Stack, and Power Blue, who is handled by Robson De Aguiar. The home‑trained contingent is led by Bow Echo, who will test his unbeaten record over the Rowley Mile in a bid to add a Classic win to his résumé. Another Irish contender, a son of Night Of Thunder owned by George Boughey, has shown considerable promise.
He won all three of his starts last season, culminating in a victory in the Royal Lodge Stakes, a race run over the same distance and on the same course as the Guineas. A second supplementary entry has also been confirmed: Padraig Dawn, trained by Charlie Pike, who finished second in the Burradon Stakes at Newcastle on only his second career start.
Charlie Appleby may field two runners – Distant Storm, a third‑place finisher in the Dewhurst, and the unbeaten King’s Trail – while Godolphin could be represented by Avicenna, a horse trained by Roger Varian. John and Thady Gosden’s Oxagon, who bested Avicenna to finish second in the Craven Stakes, also remains in the mix.
Karl Burke could turn out three horses: Alparslan, the winner of the Greenham Stakes; Billecart; and Hankelow. France is represented by a single entrant, Samangan, trained by Francis‑Henri Graffard. Jim Boyle’s Into The Sky, who was a length second in the Mill Reef Stakes toward the end of last season, will be backed by Needle Match, who finished fourth behind Alparslan in the Greenham.
William Haggas hopes to reverse that form with his own runner. The field is rounded out by Andrew Balding’s Venetian Prince and Ismail Mohammed’s Lord Britain, both of whom will be looking to make an impact on the day. On the fillies' side, the ante‑post favourite is Precise, one of twenty‑two fillies slated to contest the Betfred 1000 Guineas at Newmarket on Sunday.
Precise, a daughter of Starspangledbanner, captured four of her five starts as a juvenile, including Group One victories in the Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh and the Fillies' Mile on the Rowley Mile. A springtime setback threatened to derail her campaign, but Aidan O'Brien remained optimistic after a press conference last week, confirming that she will take her place in the first fillies' Classic of the season at the Monday confirmation stage.
O'Brien has also retained the unbeaten Diamond Necklace, who may be aimed at the French Guineas provided Precise wins her race and remains fit for Newmarket. Other Ballydoyle fillies in the mix include True Love and Venosa.
The home‑trained side 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 outing. Burke also has a strong second string, highlighted by Evolutionist, the winner of the Prix de la Grotte. Charlie Appleby hopes to repeat his 1000 Guineas success with Abashiri, a Kempton winner, after Desert Flower’s triumph a year earlier.
Godolphin could be represented by Andre Fabre’s potential French challenger My Highness. Additional fillies include Fred Darling runner‑up Touleen, trained by Owen Burrows; the lightly raced The Prettiest Star from Ed Walker; Azleet, a shock winner of the Nell Gwyn Stakes trained by Stuart Williams; and the unbeaten Darn Hot Gallop from James Tate’s yard. All of these horses add depth and intrigue to a Classic field that promises high‑quality competition across both the 2000 and 1000 Guineas divisions.