Gstaad has been reinstated into the Betfred 2000 Guineas at Newmarket after a supplementary payment of £30,000 was lodged on his behalf. The colt, a Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf winner trained by Aidan O'Brien, was originally withdrawn from the Classic because of an administrative oversight, a mistake that also affected Albert Einstein. While Albert Einstein will continue to miss the race, Gstaad joins three other Ballydoyle runners who are still in contention at Monday's confirmation stage.
Those three are the dual‑Group One victor Puerto Rico, the high‑class Causeway, and the promising Flushing Meadows, all of whom are among the twenty colts that remain in the betting market. In addition to the Irish entries, a handful of British‑trained horses may also make the crossing of the Irish Sea. Fozzy Stack’s colt Thesecretadversary and Robson De Aguiar’s Power Blue have both been mentioned as possible participants.
The home‑trained contingent is led by Bow Echo, who will test his unbeaten record over the Rowley Mile in the classic distance. George Boughey’s son of Night Of Thunder is another strong candidate. He won all three of his starts last season, culminating in a victory in the Royal Lodge Stakes, which is run over the same course and distance as the Guineas.
A second supplementary entry has also been confirmed: Charlie Pike’s Padraig Dawn, who placed second in the Burradon Stakes at Newcastle in only his second career start. Charlie Appleby may field two runners – the Dewhurst‑placed Distant Storm and the unbeaten King’s Trail – while Roger Varian’s Avicenna is also a likely Godolphin representative.
John and Thady Gosden’s Oxagon, who beat Avicenna into second place in the Craven Stakes, remains in the mix as well. Karl Burke could turn out a three‑horse string, featuring Greenham winner Alparslan, Billecart and Hankelow. France’s sole international challenger is Samangan, trained by Francis‑Henri Graffard.
Jim Boyle’s Into The Sky, who was a length second in the Mill Reef Stakes late last season, will line up for William Haggas, hoping to reverse his form. Needle Match, who finished fourth behind Alparslan in the Greenham, also seeks redemption for Haggas. Rounding out the field are Andrew Balding’s Venetian Prince and Ismail Mohammed’s Lord Britain. On the fillies' side, the ante‑post favourite for the Betfred 1000 Guineas is Precise, one of twenty‑two fillies still standing at the Newmarket start on Sunday.
Precise is a daughter of Starspangledbanner and boasts four wins from five starts as a juvenile, including Group One triumphs in the Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh and the Fillies' Mile on the Rowley Mile. A spring setback had raised doubts about her readiness for the first Sunday in May, but trainer Aidan O'Brien expressed confidence during a press conference last week, confirming that she will contest the first fillies' Classic of the year at Monday's confirmation stage.
O'Brien has also kept the unbeaten Diamond Necklace in his plans, suggesting the colt could be aimed at the French Guineas provided Precise wins her race and remains fit for Newmarket. Other Ballydoyle hopefuls include True Love and Venosa.
The home‑trained contingent for the 1000 Guineas 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 start. Burke also has a second string featuring Evolutionist, the recent winner of the Prix de la Grotte. Charlie Appleby hopes to repeat his 1000 Guineas success with Kempton winner Abashiri, the only horse in his stable capable of achieving back‑to‑back victories after Desert Flower’s win a year earlier.
Godolphin may be represented by Andre Fabre’s French challenger My Highness. Other notable fillies in the race 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 horses add depth and intrigue to a classic field that promises a thrilling contest for both the 2000 and 1000 Guineas titles.