More Guineas Glory For O’Brien

Churchill will look to write the latest chapter in Aidan O’Brien’s record breaking career as the son of Galileo bids to see the master of Ballydoyle become the most successful ever trainer in the English 2000 Guineas with eight wins in the first Classic of the season. He looks a worthy favourite.

Above average
This Guineas could be the start of a trend. The low take up in entries with just 10 going to post could be a sign of the times with other races now on the calendar to attract horses and maybe delay their step up to a mile. Although, there’s only so many Classic opportunities and this 2000 Guineas certainly may be low in quantity but it doesn’t look to be lacking in quality.

Connections of the French raider, Al Wukair, the Godolphin-owned pair of Barney Roy and Dream Castle and the Martyn Meade yard with Eminent all have reason to wake up on Saturday morning confident of Classic success, but all will be wary of the Churchill threat.

A runner in six races as a two-year-old he won all five after a pleasing debut and the most recent success was the Dewhurst in October. At times in his races he can look laboured but he brings flashy to his game when whizzing by the post.

Sea The Stars never won by far but he kept winning. Already in his career Churchill has won by wider margins than Sea The Stars and if all the talk is right, he could be right up there with a great of his time, but the first test is the 2000 Guineas and it’s a race that looks his to claim.

You’d have to fear the opposition, but Churchill will relish the ground, the step up to a mile and he comes from a stable that has won this race seven times with seasonal debutants.

They know the time of day.

Churchill’s Dewhurst win produced two Group One winners later that season and Blue Point has come out and impressed this week with connections going of him going down a different route.

Given the predicted depth to this field, maybe Churchill is a shade on the short side, but I still think he’ll win and that’s not to say that the placed horses won’t have their fair share of glory at the top table later in the year.

Local success in Wexford
Away from the high stakes at Newmarket, a horse that caught the eye in Wexford was the locally trained Tellthemnuttin who should be up to gaining another success for Willie Codd and Dylan Robinson.

The admirable six-year-old is a four-time winner, not including a race that she lost at Downpatrick and although running off a career high mark on Saturday afternoon, her trainer enjoyed three winners last weekend in point-to-points and the mare wasn’t disgraced when dropping back in trip by three-furlongs in a hotter race at the Punchestown Festival last week.

Tellthemnuttin could still be up to exploiting this mark as she continues to climb up the ratings whereas two of her more obvious challengers in this are aged 14 and 11 and are unlikely to overly dependable at this stage of their career.

Robbie and Richie to combine in the finale
Robbie McNamara will claim a valuable 7lbs off Ratoute Yutty in the finale at Wexford with Richie Deegan booked to ride the filly that is looking to win at the fourth time of asking.

Her debut saw her finish down the field behind Fayonagh but that has turned into a better run as time passed and the two starts since saw her finish close but just meet a few too good.

Noel Meade’s newcomer will be interesting and Mags Mullins’ Payngo will be trying to reverse form with the selection and may come on for her debut but Ratoute Yutty has been knocking on the door and should be able to pick up a race of this nature.

Recommended Bets:
Churchill (6/5) – 3:35 Newmarket
Tellthemnuttin (2/1) – 5:10 Wexford
Ratoute Yutty (3/1) – 5:45 Wexford

*Prices correct at time of publication