DOUBLE HANDFUL
WE’RE back! What an incredibly long year the last couple of months has been. A world without sport has sapped the sparkle out of life, making each day appear as humdrum as the last.
I genuinely can’t say I’ve ever looked forward to a day’s racing as much as I have today’s card at Newmarket.
The 2,000 Guineas is the highlight of the day and regular readers (with a good memory) will know I’m holding some hefty ante-post bets on
PINATUBO.
The question (as ever) is whether Charlie Appleby’s superstar represents value right now, at around the evenmoney mark.
That’s a question that’s only ever answered definitively after the race.
Horses don’t always train on from two to three and Pinatubo is a compact bustle of power rather than a rangey beast.
Anyone remember Air Force Blue? He was officially rated the best two-year-old in Europe in 2015.
As a three-year-old he ran four races and finished last in one, second last in two and 12th of 18 in the other.
But I do believe Pinatubo wins today — and wins well..
Aidan O’brien’s Arizona represents the next best in the market at 5-1, a horse that has been soundly beaten by Pinatubo on two occasions
He may have only gone down by two lengths in the Dewhurst but once Pinatubo collared him he was going away — and Pinatubo was running on softer ground than he likes.
The master of Ballydoyle has won this race in four of the last five years, so has to be respected.
He has four of the 15 runners including Wichita, another well beaten by Pinatubo in the Dewhurst, and not guaranteed to stay a mile.
There’s one horse I do fancy as an each-way bet at a double-digit price and that’s Military March.
He won a novice here at Newmarket, beating a stablemate of Pinatubo (Al Suhail).
He’ll need to step up on that performance to feature here, but I can see him making the frame.
Only seven fillies have won the 2,000 Guineas, the last one was in 1944. The great Frankel triumphed by six lengths in 2011. Henrythenavigator (2008) was the British Classic winner to score by a nose.
The longest-priced winner was 1961 hero Rockavon, who was returned at 66-1.
Frankel (1-2) is the shortest-priced winner in the past 54 years.
THE warm favourite in what looks like a weak renewal of tomorrow’s 1,000 Guineas is Quadrilateral, perhaps better known for being a four-sided, two-dimensional, shape.
I’m not totally convinced by Roger Charlton’s unbeaten filly, even if she’s won all three of her races last year.
I prefer Jessica Harrington’s
who was a very impressive winner of the
Cheveley Park Stakes.
She has course form on her CV and the only real worry is whether she stays the mile.
Jessica Harrington has been very bullish about improvement over the winter and it’s fair to say she looks big and strong.
That’s Millisle, not Mrs Harrington.
Oisin Murphy is a significant booking for the ride and I understand the camp are ultra confident.