Craven Stakes 2022 Odds: 2000 Guineas favourite Native Trail set for Newmarket test

Charlie Appleby has declared 2000 Guineas favourite Native Trail for Wednesday's Craven Stakes at Newmarket, as the Godolphin raider looks to extend his unbeaten run to five races....

Having won the Group 1 National Stakes at the Curragh last season, Native Trail then ended the campaign with a sparkling victory in the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket, and in the aftermath of that Group 1 success at Flat HQ, the Godolphin raider rocketed to outright favouritism for the 2000 Guineas, which takes place at Newmarket on April 30.

A best-priced 11/4 for the Guineas in a few weeks, Native Trail will warm up for the contest with a spin in the Craven Stakes, which is a race synonymous with throwing up vital Classic clues. Installed as a 4/11 favourite for the Craven, Native Trail will be looking to enhance his already perfect record to five wins from five starts, and the son of Oasis Dream will be extremely tough to beat if repeating his form from last season.

Not since Haafhd in 2004 has a horse won the Craven before going on to claim 2000 Guineas success, so Native Trail will be eager to try and join an elite group, and it will be fascinating to see him return to the track, as he looks to solidify his place at the top of the betting for the 2000 Guineas, which looks a fascinating contest at the moment.

There's a huge chasm between hot favourite Native Trail and the rest of the field in the Craven betting and second in the betting is the Aidan O'Brien-trained Star Of India, who is a 9/1 chance for the Craven and 33s for the Guineas. A winner of a maiden at Leopardstown in October, the Ballydoyle raider will lack experience in this contest, but he's sure to be a smart prospect to follow for the future, so it's intriguing to see how he will go in this event.

Jane Chapple-Hyam's Claymore and the William Haggas-trained Al Mubhir sit in the same category as Star Of India by only having one race so far during their fledgling career, so they will be aiming to kick on from a quiet juvenile campaign and potentially throw their hat into the Group arena, and they are 11/1 and 16/1, respectively.

Last seen finishing second in the Listed Flying Scotsman at Doncaster, Andrew Balding's Hoo Ya Mal (11/1) is set for his seasonal reappearance in the Craven, with Zechariah and Kingmax completing the line-up in a race that could well see a superstar strut his stuff in preparation for the 2000 Guineas.