2000 Guineas Stakes (G1)

Aidan O’Brien is responsible for the top two in the market for the first classic of the season. Auguste Rodin heads the market with Ryan Moore in the saddle with Wayne Lordon on Little Big Bear, the second favourite. Both were juvenile G1 winners.

Auguste Rodin winning the Juvenile Stakes at Leopardstown last year

Auguste Rodin had four runs as a juvenile. Beaten first time out in a Curragh Maiden he then was a comfortable winner of a Naas Maiden over 7f. Upped in class he won the G2 Juvenile Stakes at Leopardstown and then took the G1 Vertem Futurity on heavy ground at Doncaster towards the backend of last season in great style. Both wins over a mile.

Little Big Bear winning the Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh last year

Little Big Bear, like his stable companion, was also beaten on debut before taking a Naas Maiden over the minimum trip. He then won the Winsor Castle Castle, also over 5f at Royal Ascot, and stepped up to 6½f to win the G2 Anglesey Stakes before taking the G1 Phoenix Stakes over 6f even more impressively.

The English defense is led by Juddmote’s Chaldean.

Andrew Balding’s colt will be ridden by Frankie Dettori. Like the Irish pair, he was beaten first time out before putting a four-time winning sequence together ending in the G1 Dewhurst over 7f last year when beating Paul and Oliver Cole’s Royal Scotsman a head who has Jim Crowley in the saddle. Prior to that, he’d got the better of Indestructible twice, now in the hands of Karl Burke, first at York in the G2 Acomb and then at Doncaster in the G2 Champagne Stakes. Karl Burke also runs Holloway Boy under Christophe Soumillon, he ran third in the Vertem Futurity to Auguste Rodin after running off a true line.

Roger Varian’s, Sakheer will be ridden by David Egan, the winner of the G2 Mill Reef over 6f last year is the spring-talking horse having impressed the gallop watchers. He’s accompanied to post by stablemate Charyn now partnered by Sean Levey with Tom Marquand stood down after a freak injury ruled him out when kicked by a horse on the way to post yesterday. He ran second in the Greenham at Newbury over 7f.

Godolphin run two, both trained by Charlie Appleby. Silver Knott will have William Buick in the plate with Nobel Style the mount of James Doyle. Silver Knott was a winner of the Autumn Stakes over a mile before finishing a head behind Victoria Road in the Juvenile Turf at Keeneland in November, also over a mile. His other runner Nobel Style is unbeaten but hasn’t been seen since he took the G2 Gimcrack over 6f last August.

Charlie Johnston runs Dubai Mile who’ll be partnered by Danny Muscutt, second in the G2 Royal Lodge over this trip prior to winning the G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud over 1m2f last October.

In this year’s trials, Indestructible who’ll have Kevin Stott in the plate, got his campaign off to a good start this year when winning the Craven here over course and distance three weeks ago while Chaldean unfortunately parted company with Frankie Dettori in the Greenham. Karl Burke’s Flight Plan with Danny Tudhope on top ran second at Listed level over a mile at Newcastle on the all-weather with Charlie Hill’s Galeron and Kieran Shoemark following him home in third. Kevin Ryan’s Hi Royal and Oisin Murphy make up the field.

The Guineas are often referred to as the last two-year-old race of the season. The juvenile form holding sway over this year’s trials. The strength of the Irish over the English is the question but given Auguste Rodin’s win at Doncaster the question is more which is the better form, the Dewhurst or the Vertem Futurity? The manner of Auguste Rodin’s win over unsuitable ground gets the vote. There’s no doubt with the trip given he’s won over a mile and his pedigree, by Deep Impact out of Rhododendron, means he’s very likely to be a top-class middle animal in the making. The question is then where does Little Big Bear come in this? By No Nah Never, an influence for speed, he’s by a mare who won over 1m2f. Aidan says his relaxed nature gives him every chance of seeing out the mile and if he can do that he’s the one that can turn over Auguste Rodin.

Recommendation

Little Big Bear 4/1 win

Auguste Rodin and Little Big Bear Reverse F/C