G1 2000 Guineas

Wasdell Properties and Martin Tedham's Lifeplan will be given the rest of the season off, with his long-term goal the G1 2000 Guineas at Newmarket next season, according to trainer Declan Carroll. The son of Kodi Bear ran out a length winner of the G2 Gimcrack Stakes at York last month after a Thirsk novice victory in July. Undefeated, the €165,000 Goffs Orby yearling was under consideration for the G1 Middle Park Stakes on September 27. He is currently a 25-1 shot for next year's Classic on May 2. Carroll...

Juddmonte's 'TDN Rising Star' Cosmic Year (GB) (Kingman {GB}) was rerouted from potential turf engagements in favour of Wednesday's Unibet Novice Stakes at Kempton and could not have been more impressive in retaining his perfect record with a five-length triumph, racing under a seven-pound penalty, in the seven-furlong contest. The Harry Charlton trainee went off as the 2-9 favourite and was swiftly into stride, despite receiving bumps from both neighbours at the break, to track a modest pace in third through halfway. Inching closer once into the home straight, he...

Jessica Harrington revealed on Monday that she is leaning towards skipping the 2,000 Guineas in favour of the French equivalent with last year's G1 Futurity Trophy winner Hotazhell (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}), with Green Impact (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) reported to be the stable's most likely representative at Newmarket. Green Impact won two of his three starts as a two-year-old, including September's G2 Champions Juvenile Stakes at Leopardstown when last seen, beating last month's G3 Ballysax Stakes winner Delacroix (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) by half a length. On that form...

The entries for the first two British Classics of the season have been released, with 57 horses entered in the Betfred 2,000 Guineas and another 43 in the Betfred 1,000 Guineas. Aidan O'Brien is responsible for eight possible runners as he seeks a record-extending eleventh success in the 2,000 Guineas, which is scheduled to take place at Newmarket on Saturday, May 3. They include the ante-post favourite The Lion In Winter (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), who was unbeaten in two starts as a two-year-old, including the G3 Acomb Stakes...

Group 1 winner Bucanero Fuerte (GB) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) will not race again this season and be trained with an eye to either the G1 2000 Guineas or the Irish equivalent, according to trainer Adrian Murray. A winner of the G1 Phoenix S. in fine style earlier in the year, the colt was unplaced in the G1 National S. during the Irish Champions Festival. He also claimed the G2 Railway S. at the Curragh in the colours of AMO Racing and Giselle De Aguiar. "Nothing came to light, it just...

Saturday's G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas asks the usual set of questions, with the Classic generation due to be examined for the first time with their raw material and any flaws about to be exposed on Newmarket's Rowley Mile which was the scene of thundery conditions on Friday afternoon. Aside from the ever-present quandary of pace positioning and ground conditions, with the latter scenario complicated by the sight of looming dense clouds on Guineas eve, there is the annual unknown of just how dominant last year's leading 2-year-olds still are. Will...

There is no doubt that, in general, Newmarket's G3 Craven S. has lost much of its former relevance as a 2000 Guineas trial, but in the last two years it has enjoyed a revival with winners Master Of The Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) going close in the mile Classic. Godolphin and Charlie Appleby have another leading man this time in the GI Summer S. and G3 Prix Francois Boutin scorer Mysterious Night (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), but the one that really catches the...

Charlie Appleby, fresh off two consecutive UK trainers' titles,  will have a host of stars to go to war with in 2023, among them Godolphin's undefeated G2 Gimcrack S. hero Noble Style (GB) (Kingman {GB}). The son of listed winner and Group 3-placed Eartha Kitt (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), named a 'TDN Rising Star' off his winning debut at Ascot in May, is earmarked for the G3 Greenham S. in April, before a possible bid for G1 2000 Guineas glory in May. He said, "Noble Style has not been seen since...

Nurlan Bizakov's homebred Group 1 winner Belbek (Fr) (Showcasing {GB}), successful by a neck in the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere earlier in the month, will not travel for the Breeders' Cup meeting at Keeneland, and instead enjoy the winter off. Trained by Andre Fabre, the colt also won the G3 Prix du Bois in June. "He's done for the year, we decided he did not need to run again," said Fabre. "I don't see him having any problem in staying a mile next season, he would have had no problem...

Mrs. Fitri Hay's Royal Scotsman (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}), fresh off a narrow second in the G1 Dewhurst S., will now head to winter quarters. His next intended start is the G1 2000 Guineas at Newmarket in May. A second up winner at Goodwood on May 20, the colt was third in the G2 Coventry S. at Royal Ascot before taking the G2 Richmond S. back at Goodwood. Prior to his Dewhurst second he was fifth in the G2 Gimcrack S. at York. Oliver Cole, who trains with his father Paul,...

English and Irish 2000 Guineas hero Cockney Rebel (Ire) (Val Royal {Fr}-Factice, by Known Fact) passed away on Tuesday afternoon, owner Phil Cunningham announced on Twitter. He was 17. "It is with great sadness that I advise the death of Cockney rebel this afternoon," Cunningham tweeted. "He gave myself, my family and all of those connected with him such great memories that I could only have ever dreamed of. The horse of a lifetime, you changed my life." Bred by Oak Lodge Bloodstock, the March-foaled bay was a 14,286gns weanling...

There was a real buzz surrounding Qatar Racing's Kameko (Kitten's Joy) as the delayed G1 QIPCO 2,000 Guineas approached and the G1 Futurity Trophy winner justified all the expectation as he swooped to conquer the Newmarket Classic on Saturday. Arriving at the forefront of his generation with an emphatic win in Doncaster's traditional juvenile feature which was re-arranged on Newcastle's Tapeta in November, the bay had earned rave reviews from Andrew Balding's Kingsclere base during this year's prolonged waiting period. In mid-division on the rail as the pace proved strong...