The first classic of the season, the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket, is today's highlight. The form book and sustained market support suggest St. Nicholas Abbey will win comfortably. His win in the Racing Post clearly illustrated his ability and it is now a question of whether he has trained on and more pertinently, will he be fully ready on the day, as it would appear The Derby is his primary target. There is a question mark over his stamina for 12 furlongs with his breeding suggesting that 10 furlongs will be his optimum trip. Nonetheless, he showed enough speed at Doncaster and looks very hard to oppose this afternoon. For punting purposes however, evens or 5/4 look unappetising in a 19 runner field and I tentatively put Xtension forward as a value bet (currently 22/1). I had the pleasure of attending the Dewhurst and this one finished close whilst never being overridden. The Guineas also has a habit of having a highly priced placed horse and Fair Trade may be a candidate for this role.
Elsewhere on the card, Sole Power (recent winner) has place claims in the Palace House and Wigmore Hall should back up his recent eyecatching track win.
On Sunday, the fillies take centre stage in the 1000 Guineas. Special Duty is a worthy favourite in an open looking contest. Her Morny form suggests she is well ahead of the field and if improving from her uninspiring seasonal bow, will take all the beating. However it is probably best to wait see how much rain materialises.
good luck....
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