Ari in the zone for Guineas bid

AIDAN O’BRIEN is plotting a four-strong raid – spearheaded by Arizona – on the QIPCO 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket a fortnight tomorrow.

The master of Ballydoyle is the leading trainer in the history of the colts’ Classic with no fewer than 10 triumphs, with three of those victories – via Churchill, Saxon Warrior and Magna Grecia – gained in the latest three runnings of the Rowley Mile test.

And ante-post punters are sweet on Arizona’s, above, chances of continuing the trend, as the son of No Nay Never, 14-1 a week ago, is now a best-priced 8-1.

“We’ve been happy with everything he’s doing so far this year,” said O’Brien, inset, who plans to saddle Dewhurst Stakes third Wichita along with Royal Lodge Stakes winner Royal Dornoch and July Stakes hero Royal Lytham.

“He’s done all his standard work and he’s done everything that we’ve asked him.

“He has plenty of pace and I’m not sure he’d get much further than a mile. Wichita won at Newmarket. He went there for the experience of running at the course and then he went back for the Dewhurst, so there was always the possibility that he could go with Arizona,” added the trainer, who must rely on defections for Royal Dornoch and Royal Lytham to make the line-up.

Arizona finished two lengths behind Guineas hot favourite Pinatubo, who is as short as 5-6 to extend his unbeaten record on June 6, in the Group One Dewhurst Stakes last October. But O’Brien went on record last year with his belief his colt would progress at three.

He revealed: “He’s done well physically.

“He doesn’t look like a horse who is just a two-year-old.”

O’Brien, set to run Love and Peaceful in the 1,000 Guineas the following afternoon, has the option of returning to Britain for Royal Ascot with his Newmarket squad.