What Clues Did Guineas Weekend Give Us for Epsom?
The opening two British Classics of the season were won by Coroebus and Cachet, as they prevailed in the 2,000 Guineas and 1,000 Guineas respectively.
Attention now turns to Epsom for the Oaks and the Derby in June. Here is a look at whether the races at Newmarket gave us any clues for the next two Classics.
Front Three from 2,000 Guineas
Very Highly Regarded
It was a 1-2 for Godolphin and trainer Charlie Appleby in the colts’ race on Guineas weekend. Both Coroebus and Native Trail represent two very exciting horses for their connections for the rest of the year.
Coroebus and Native Trail don’t have a Derby entry so are set to remain at 1m. The horse which finished third behind them, Luxembourg is expected to appear at Epsom. He is the 2/1 favourite in the horse race betting for the contest.
As shown in the horse racing results, Luxembourg made his seasonal reappearance at Newmarket and his trainer Aidan O’Brien was delighted with his horse’s performance. He is now set to head straight to Epsom without another appearance before then.
Unlike the two horses who finished ahead of him at Newmarket, Luxembourg is expected to improve for the extra half a mile at the Surrey venue. He is a son of Camelot who won the most prestigious British Classic in 2012.
Last season’s Vertem Futurity Trophy winner stayed on well in the 2,000 Guineas. He just did not have the speed to match the two horses who looked very good over 1m. If successful at Epsom, he will give his trainer his ninth success in the race, extending the record he already has.
Tuesday on Course for Oaks
This year’s 1,000 Guineas was won by Cachet. She prevailed in the Nell Gwyn Stakes over 7f earlier in the campaign and there were some doubts about whether she would see out the 1m trip in the Classic for the fillies, but she did so bravely from the front end of the field.
Neither Cachet, nor the runner-up Prosperous Voyage, have an entry in the Oaks. They are likely to feature next at Royal Ascot in June in the Coronation Stakes, a race over 1m for fillies. That’s also an event where Inspiral is likely to return to action, after last season’s star two-year-old missed the Newmarket contest due to a setback.
Tuesday did her Oaks claims no harm with a third-place run in 1,000 Guineas. The Irish horse was two lengths behind Cachet when she crossed the finish line. She plugged on strongly inside the final couple of furlongs to run into one of the placings.
The daughter of Galileo is the 7/2 favourite to win the Classic for fillies at Epsom. She has featured just three times in her career, so remains open to improvement.
The Oaks and Derby are scheduled to take place on the 3rd and 4th June respectively, in what are always two of the biggest days of racing on the Flat calendar in the UK.