Declarations on Thursday revealed that Gstaad will be the only Ballydoyle contender in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket. The supplemented colt will take his place in the opening Classic alongside 14 rivals.
After another arduous season of playing Willie Mullins bingo, Aidan O’Brien has made sure the punters remain on their toes as the Classic season approaches. Albert Einstein and Gstaad were scratched from the colts classic after a computer glitch went “bananas”, leading to punter fury.
Albert Einstein has thus far failed to impress, and wasn’t supplemented as a result. However, stablemate Gstaad has pleased connections of late, who paid the £30,000 fee to re-enter. Prior to that, Puerto Rico appeared to be the likely number one hope for Aidan O’Brien. The son of Wootton Bassett is yet to make his three-year-old debut after success in the Criterium International. That was the first leg of a hat-trick, having won the Champagne Stakes and the Prix Jean-Luc Lagadare.
O’Brien had remarked it was very possible he could still go for the French Guineas. Puerto Rico appeared to be the main 2000 Guineas hope, but yet another u-turn was unearthed on Wednesday.
Aidan O’Brien told the Racing Post: “The lads still haven’t completely made up their minds yet and nothing is set in stone. But it looks like they are favouring Gstaad for Newmarket. That could change, but at the moment that’s the way we’re thinking.
“If that’s the case, Puerto Rico will wait for France the following weekend. I’d say Causeway will wait for the Curragh so Gstaad is likely to be our only runner in the race.”
Coolmore’s classic conundrum – should punters stay clear of O’Brien’s 2000 Guineas runners?
Aidan O’Brien is the leading trainer in the colts classic with 10 wins, but the last came with Magna Grecia in 2019. His sole runner in the race last season was Expanded, who finished a distant ninth. Notably in recent years, his classier animals have failed to fire here. City Of Troy was a well beaten ninth, before going on to win the Derby, Eclipse, and Juddmonte International. In 2022, Auguste Rodin was a 22 length twelfth. He also then went on to win the Derby, before winning the Irish Derby and Champion Stakes. Little Big Bear was also in that contest, who later dropped to six furlongs to win the Sandy Lane Stakes.
On his 1000 Guineas contenders, O’Brien stated: “It looks like Precise will go to Newmarket. A bit like the 2,000 Guineas, nothing is fully carved in stone yet. But she’s pleased me this week and that’s the way we’re leaning. Diamond Necklace would therefore wait for the race in France, but True Love could join Precise at Newmarket.”
In typical Coolmore fashion, ‘nothing is set in stone’ has become the topical statement for the classic runners, but it appears as if the team is now taking shape.