Gstaad has been re‑entered 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 The horse, a Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf winner trained by Aidan O'Brien, was originally withdrawn from the Classic because of a clerical mistake, a fate that also befell Albert Einstein. While Albert Einstein will still miss the race, Gstaad joins three other Ballydoyle runners who have survived the Monday confirmation stage. Those three are the dual Group One victor Puerto Rico, the proven performer Causeway, and the promising Flushing Meadows, all of whom remain among the twenty colts still being considered for the race.
Two additional horses may also make the journey across the Irish Sea. Fozzy Stack’s colt Thesecretadversary and Robson De Aguiar’s Power Blue have both shown enough form to merit a trip to Newmarket. The home‑trained contingent will be 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 has been in excellent form, winning each of his three starts last season, the last of which was a triumph in the Royal Lodge Stakes over the same course and distance as the Guineas. A second supplementary entry comes from Charlie Pike, whose Padraig Dawn finished runner‑up in the Burradon Stakes at Newcastle on only his second career start. Charlie Appleby could field two runners: the Dewhurst‑placed Distant Storm and the unbeaten King’s Trail.
Roger Varian also has a possible representative for Godolphin in Avicenna. John and Thady Gosden’s Oxagon, who beat Avicenna into second place in the Craven Stakes, is still in contention as well.
Karl Burke may turn out three horses: Greenham winner Alparslan, Billecart, and Hankelow. France’s sole entrant is Samangan, trained by Francis‑Henri Graffard.
Jim Boyle’s Into The Sky, a length second in the Mill Reef late last season, will try to improve on that form, while Needle Match, who finished fourth behind Alparslan in the Greenham, will attempt to reverse the result for William Haggas. Completing the field are Andrew Balding’s Venetian Prince and Ismail Mohammed’s Lord Britain.
In the Betfred 1000 Guineas, the ante‑post favourite is Precise, one of twenty‑two fillies still standing for the Sunday race at Newmarket. 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 spring‑time setback threatened to derail her campaign, but Aidan O'Brien remained optimistic when questioned at a recent press conference, and the filly has been retained for the first fillies’ Classic of the year at Monday’s confirmation stage. O'Brien’s stable also retains the unbeaten Diamond Necklace, who could be aimed at the French Guineas provided Precise wins her race and stays fit for Newmarket.
Other Ballydoyle prospects include True Love and Venosa. The home‑trained side will be 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 final Irish start. Burke also has a second string in the Prix de la Grotte winner Evolutionist. Kempton winner Abashiri represents Charlie Appleby’s bid to achieve back‑to‑back 1000 Guineas victories after Desert Flower’s success a year earlier.
Godolphin may be represented by Andre Fabre’s potential French challenger My Highness. Other fillies in the mix 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 contenders will be looking to make an impact at Newmarket as the season’s classic races approach.