Gstaad has been reinstated into the Betfred 2000 Guineas at Newmarket after a supplementary fee of £30,000 was paid. The horse, a Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf winner trained by Aidan O'Brien, was originally withdrawn from the Classic because of an administrative mistake, a mishap that also affected Albert Einstein. While Albert Einstein will still miss the race, Gstaad joins three other Ballydoyle entries that have survived the Monday confirmation stage.
The other three are the dual Group One champion Puerto Rico, the promising colt Causeway, and the talented Flushing Meadows, all of whom are among the twenty colts still in contention. In addition to the Ballydoyle contingent, other Irish trainers are looking to send representatives across the Irish Sea.
Fozzy Stack’s colt Thesecretadversary and Robson De Aguiar’s Power Blue are both potential entrants, while the home‑trained Bow Echo will be making his debut over the Rowley Mile, seeking to preserve his unbeaten record. George Boughey, whose sire is Night Of Thunder, has a three‑time winner who capped his three‑year‑old campaign with a victory in the Royal Lodge Stakes, a race run over the same distance and course as the Guineas. Charlie Pike’s Padraig Dawn, who was second in the Burradon Stakes at Newcastle in only his second start, has also been entered as a second supplementary candidate.
Charlie Appleby may field two runners: Distant Storm, a third‑place finisher in the Dewhurst, and the unbeaten King’s Trail. Roger Varian’s Avicenna is another possible Godolphin representative, while John and Thady Gosden’s Oxagon, who beat Avicenna into second place in the Craven Stakes, remains in the mix. Karl Burke could field three horses: Alparslan, the Greenham winner; Billecart; and Hankelow.
France’s sole international challenger is Samangan, trained by Francis‑Henri Graffard. Jim Boyle’s Into The Sky, who finished a length second in the Mill Reef at the end of last season, will line up for William Haggas, while Needle Match, fourth behind Alparslan in the Greenham, hopes to improve on that form. The remaining slots are filled by Andrew Balding’s Venetian Prince and Ismail Mohammed’s Lord Britain. On the fillies’ side, the ante‑post favourite is Precise, one of twenty‑two fillies still standing for the Betfred 1000 Guineas at Newmarket on Sunday.
Precise, a daughter of Starspangledbanner, 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 setback threatened to derail her campaign, but Aidan O'Brien remained optimistic after a recent press conference and confirmed her place in the first Classic for fillies of the year at Monday’s 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, as well as the fillies True Love and Venosa. Representing the home trainers, Karl Burke’s Venetian Sun, who won her first four starts at two before finishing third behind Precise in her last Irish start, will be backed by the stable’s second string, Evolutionist, the Prix de la Grotte winner.
Charlie Appleby hopes to secure back‑to‑back 1000 Guineas victories with Kempton winner Abashiri, the only horse in his yard capable of repeating Desert Flower’s triumph from a year ago. The Godolphin colours may also be carried 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 stable. All of these competitors will line up for the classic races, creating a deep and varied field that promises a thrilling contest for both the 2000 Guineas and the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket.