It is the opening Classic of the season at Newmarket on Saturday, with the 2000 Guineas an always thrilling contest. Andrew Mount’s selection in that race, among others, can be found below.
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Posted: 4.10pm, Friday, May 3rd
1.45 Newmarket – WALLOP (1pt ew – 25/1 generally)
With the early pace more towards the stands’ side from Abate (stall 13 of 16) I’m happy with the draw for the Richard Hannon-trained WALLOP (stall 16 of 16), unlikely to be too far away in the early stages under Rossa Ryan. The son of Harry Angel made a highly encouraging debut on the July Course at two, finishing a close-up third behind Noble Style and Mill Stream, currently rated 108 and 111 respectively. He pulled almost eight lengths clear of the fourth and can be forgiven his modest fifth at Newbury next time as he was jumped up to Group 2 level. His subsequent narrow second at Salisbury was also excusable as he pulled hard, and he won with more in hand than the neck margin suggested at Kempton on his sole 2023 outing. Off for exactly a year prior to last month’s comeback at the Craven meeting, he shaped well against the draw/pace bias in 11th of 18 under a 3lb claimer and he looks over-priced at 20-1+. I’ll be saving on Abate and doing the reversed forecast.
2.55 Newmarket – TEES SPIRIT (1pt win – 16/1 bet365, William Hill)
2.55 Newmarket – SIGNIFICANTLY (1pt win – 16/1 bet365, William Hill)
TEES SPIRIT benefitted from the tailwind when blasting off in front and making all in a Class 3 course and distance handicap last month but that was still an impressive performance, and he was the only successful front-runner from the Craven meeting who I didn’t want to oppose next time. The Adrian Nicholls-trained six-year-old has a fine record over the minimum trip on good/faster going, especially in the early months of the turf season and looks to have been underrated in the market.
SIGNIFICANTLY also looks worth an arrow after his 16-1 eighth of 18 in the 6f handicap won by Dark Thirty at the Craven meeting. He was asked to come from off the pace that day, tactics hard to pull off because of the tailwind, and fitness was likely an issue on his first start for six months. He won second time out last term and his two runs in below 6f in 2023 saw him finish a best-of-the-closers second of 14 in a hot 5f handicap at Ascot and second by a short head in the Portland Handicap at Doncaster.
I respect MITBAAHY after his best-of-the closers 25-1 fourth of 14 in the Abernant Stakes over 6f at the Craven meeting – his first run for Charles Hill – but he’s been well found in the betting and there’s always the chance that Jamie Spencer will overdo the waiting tactics.
3.35 Newmarket – INISHERIN (0.5pt ew – 40/1 William Hill, Coral)
I’ve no strong opinion in Saturday’s big race and, while I’m probably clutching at straws in opposing odds-on favourite City Of Troy, there is hope in his pedigree that he won’t make a three-year-old, as progeny of Justify have a much better record at two. Even if he bolts up by half the track, Frankel-style, there are still two places up for grabs and the race has a great each-way shape to it. Alyanaabi and Haatem have possibilities, but I’ll chance Kevin Ryan’s INISHERIN, as he’s the biggest price of the trio. The son of Shamardal ran a blinder on his debut, going down by half a length when 50-1 in a 17-runner course and distance maiden. The winner, Bellum Justum, was rated 84 that day but followed up at Listed level and is now on a mark of 104. Inisherin himself rocked up at Newcastle 161 days later where he comfortably justified 4-6 favouritism, again over a straight mile. The runner-up landed a Newmarket handicap by ten lengths on his next start and trainer Kevin Ryan has a history of big-priced horses running well in the Guineas, including 125-1 runner-up Hi Royal last year.
4.10 Newmarket – YOUTHFUL KING (1pt win – 12/1 bet365, 11/1 generally)
YOUTHFUL KING has been in my tracker since his 200-1 Sandown fifth in September 2021 on his second career outing and he surprised me a couple of weeks later when scoring on Lingfield’s Polytrack at 16-1. I didn’t have a penny on that day, as progeny of Fountain Of Youth usually struggle on the all-weather (4.2% strike-rate, as opposed to 9.5% on turf) and his four subsequent victories have all come on fast turf. The Luke Dace-trained five-year-old has been campaigned exclusively on synthetics since his 20-1 fifth in the Group 3 Winter Hill Stakes at Windsor last summer and very much caught the eye with his 14-1 fifth of 14 in the 1m3f Virgin Bet Every Saturday Money Back Roseberry Handicap. Early pace was the key ingredient in this valuable Class 2 contest, with the winner and runner-up described by the Racing Post as ‘led, headed and raced in second after 1f’ and ‘prominent, led after 1f’. Youthful King (‘slowly away, in rear on inner’) kept on well at the business end to finish four lengths behind the winner and looks interesting now back on grass, even if he could have done without yesterday’s rainfall.
Andrew Mount’s Best Bets
1.45 Newmarket – WALLOP (1pt ew – 25/1 generally)
2.55 Newmarket – TEES SPIRIT (1pt win – 16/1 bet365, William Hill)
2.55 Newmarket – SIGNIFICANTLY (1pt win – 16/1 bet365, William Hill)
3.35 Newmarket – INISHERIN (0.5pt ew – 40/1 William Hill, Coral)
4.10 Newmarket – YOUTHFUL KING (1pt win – 12/1 bet365, 11/1 generally)
InisherinAndrew Mount’s tips for Saturday, 4th May 2024.
Andrew Mount’s Myth Busters – City Of Troy is a good thing for the Qipco 2000 Guineas
The 2000 Guineas is possibly the most hotly-anticipated race of the year, with favourite City Of Troy all the rage for the race. However, with firms going odds-on about his chances, Andrew Mount debates whether he is such a good thing in his latest Myth Busters column. The Aidan O’Brien-trained CITY OF TROY had a…
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