Hannon to the four in Guineas

Trainer has high hopes for classic

CHAMPION trainer Richard Hannon believes he has four live chances of following up his victory of last year in the Qipco 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket.

While Night Of Thunder was sent off at 40-1 last term, none of his representatives this year is set to be as big as that in the betting and Hannon thinks all four are capable of being involved.

His chief hope appears to be second favourite Estidhkaar, who finished second in the Greenham, just like Night Of Thunder last year. He is he mount of Paul Hanagan.

Stable jockey Richard Hughes rides Ivawood, a place further back in the Newbury trial but impressive as a juvenile.

Hannon also saddles Kool Kompany and Moheet, first and third in the Craven at Newmarket.

“Estidhkaar will improve for his Newbury run – like all of mine he needed his first run back – and I have been very happy with him since,” said Hannon.

“He will also improve a lot for the step up to a mile as he was staying on nicely at the end in the Greenham which was pleasing.

“Ivawood will have come on massively for his Newbury outing, probably more than any of them as he’s a big horse that carries a bit of weight. “That trial came a bit soon for him. “Kool Kompany was overlooked in the Craven Stakes and he continues to be overlooked. He is very dangerous and talented. He was a tough two-yearold and if there are any cracks in the armour of the big names, he will find them. He’s now 3lb better off with the horses he beat in the Craven and he’s improved an awful lot for that run.

“He doesn’t have to lead. He slightly got away with it in the Craven, but he did it in different ways last year.

“The undulations at Newmarket caught Moheet out in the Craven but he has been working brilliantly and he’ll go back there with a good chance.”

Harry Herbert, racing manager

for Moheet’s owners, Al Shaqab Racing, expects him to improve enormously for what was only his second-ever run in the Craven.

“It was a terrific run from Moheet in the Craven for one with so little experience,” said Herbert.

“He’s come on a fair bit for that and a bit of sunshine has done wonders for him. His coat has really brightened up since and we expect a bold display. It will be very tough, but we think he’s got plenty of improvement in him.”

As well as Estidhkaar, Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum paid £30,000 to supplement impressive Newbury maiden winner Intilaaq.

“I’m sure it was a very tough call for Paul [Hanagan]. One [Estidhkaar] has the form in the book from last year. He did nothing wrong as a two-year-old, apart from his Dewhurst run when he wasn’t right,” said the Sheikh’s racing manager Angus Gold.

“He ran a good race on his return. If you take Muhaarar [goes for the French Guineas] out of the race, you’d have won the Greenham by four and a half lengths and you might be talking about the 2,000 Guineas favourite.”

The Aidan O’brien-trained favourite is Gleneagles and the Ballydoyle handler appears quite content with his chance. “He’s a very solid, experienced performer and might get a mile and a quarter later in season,” he said.

Ante-post favourite Found was the most notable absentee from a field of 13 declared for tomorrow’s Qipco 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket.

Aidan O’brien had informed the public she had suffered a setback in the lead up to the race but he was still hoping she would make the line-up. However, a tweet from Coolmore on Friday morning confirmed the bad news. O’brien also failed to declare Together Forever, the winner of the Fillies’ Mile.

Jim Bolger’s Lucida now seems set to go off favourite, despite finishing only fifth in the Fillies’ Mile. She had earlier beaten the Barry Hills-trained Fadhayyil, who has been well supported herself.

Coolmore are still well represented with two runners from the David Wachman stable, Legatissimo, who was an impressive winner at Gowran just a week ago, and Queen Nefertiti.