2000 Guineas Entries: Hot favourite Native Trail tops field of 19 horses entered for Newmarket Classic
Charlie Appleby's superstar colt Native Trail tops a list of 19 horses entered for Saturday's QIPCO 2000 Guineas, which takes place at Newmarket and is the first Classic of the Flat season. We take a look at some of the leading contenders here and look at the latest betting for the Group 1 prize...
Ending last season as the premier two-year-old in training with a win in the Dewhurst Stakes rocketing him to the head of the Guineas betting, Native Trail showed he still oozes class when winning the Craven Stakes at Newmarket a few weeks ago, and the Godolphin raider will now look to replicate that success at Flat HQ this weekend, and he's a red-hot favourite to land the prize.
Stablemate Coroebus is also a prominent figure in the betting, and Appleby's raider ended last season with a Group 3 success in the Autumn Stakes at Newmarket, and he's set to make his first start of the campaign, and is currently sitting around a 7/2 second favourite in the betting.
Aidan O'Brien has won the 2000 Guineas a staggering ten times and the Ballydoyle supremo has a trio of entries and they are spearheaded by the top class Luxembourg, who was unbeaten in three starts last season, and he was last seen bounding to victory in the Vertem Futurity Trophy at Doncaster. He will be joined by both Glounthaune and Point Lonsdale, who are significantly bigger in the betting than their stablemate, but do add some notable depth to the entry list.
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Richard Fahey is going in search of his first 2000 Guineas success and he will saddle the classy Perfect Power, who showed his class when winning the Greenham Stakes at Newbury a few weeks ago. Beating Lusail impressively that day, the pair will do battle once again on Saturday as Lusail is another entry bidding for a career high success.
Hugo Palmer's Dubawi Legend was a creditable second to Native Trail in the Dewhurst last season, but he failed to fire when sent over to Breeders' Cup when he was down the field in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar, but he's certainly worth keeping an eye in what could be an enthralling renewal of the first Classic of a mouth-watering campaign.
Of the others, Royal Patronage racked up a host of wins last season for Charlie and Mark Johnston, while Eydon and Light Infantry are another brace of contenders worthy of a mention in what should be a superb showpiece event on Saturday afternoon.