Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas (Group 1)

To a large extent this race revolves around Saxon Warrior the English Guineas winner. He’s an absentee here, instead being prepared for the Epsom Derby next week where he is the odds on favourite.

The favourite here is Elarqam, Mark Johnston’s raider from England ran fourth at Newmarket with Gustav Klimt back in sixth. The form of the English race has taken a significant boost with the fifth horse home Roaring Loin have taken The Dante in impressive fashion at York last week. He’s now a live contender for Epsom.

Gustav Klimt was a bit disappointing at Newmarket. He’d gone there after winning The Leopardstown Guineas Trial on heavy ground in really good style where he beat Imaging by 1 3/4L and US Navy Flag by 15 L. We spoken at length about the latter in previous blogs on the French and English Guineas. He was our choice for both.

In France US Navy Flag did as expected. Ryan Moore who will ride him again here tried to bully the race going off in front but the uneven surface at Longchamp led him to stumble badly in the straight and he was caught and past by a closing pack to finish fifth beaten 3L by Olmedo. The track subsequently had to be changed for the running of the French 1000 Guineas with senior jockeys describing it as dangerous. He must be forgiven for the run. Aidan also runs Spanish Point most likely the pacesetter and Threeandfourpence who comes back having had no run at Churchill Downs last time out when the rain ruined any chance he had.

The home contingent also includes Zibha, Would Be King, Landshark, Romanised and Theobald.

Zibha is unbeaten over three runs, the first two at Dundalk on the all-weather and his last run, his first on turf, at Leopardstown when he took the Amethyst Stakes over a mile beating older horses in a very pleasing performance. Three year old’s beating older horses at this stage of their careers is always worth noting.

Would Be King was second to Imaging (who has been taken out of this race) with Romanised back in sixth, in the Tetrarch Stakes over 7f at Naas a couple of weeks ago. The former from the Ger Lyons yard is still a maiden after five run’s but he’s boxed with some very good colts in those runs notably when second to Gustav Klimt when he won his maiden last July. Romanised can’t be dismissed either, his form with Masar (third at Newmarket) when second in the Solario last year at Sandown reads well. In the Tetrarch he was coming with a run late on when taken out of it by Hence. He looked unlucky.

Landshark is the least experienced in the field having just had the two runs as a juvenile. In the latter he was beaten 6L by US Navy Flag in the Round Tower last August.

There is another English raider, Symbolization. Godolphin must hold him in high regard asking him to step up from a handicap win last time out to contest this.

This will be run on fast ground. It will suit some better than others. Elarqam will benefit from it but he got caught out by the Ballydoyle pacesetters at Newmarket and the same may happen here again. If Ryan Moore doesn’t decide to boss it from the off you’d expect that Spanish Point will set factions slower than ideal for Mark Johnston’s colt and that it will be designed to bring the O’Brien trio Threeandfourpence , Gustav Klimt and US Navy Flag with a finishing kick.

That might just suit Romanised very nicely. As a son of Holy Roman Emperor he should love the ground and he could get up late to do the O’Brien fancied pair at the death, and at a big price.

Recommendation: Romanised 33/1 ew