HAYLEY TURNER: Can you believe the Guineas are on this weekend? How fast did that come around! For the jockeys this meeting is when the season really gets underway, they will now all be flat out now until September at the earliest.
QIPCO gave a fascinating insight to the Guineas by using Ryan Moore riding the course and distance with a head camera on. Have a gander (it’s on the Champions Series twitter feed.)
I have been asked to do a similar thing for the Darley July Cup and the Coolmore Nunthorpe. I hope to pull it off as well as Ryan did.
I doubt very much that Ryan would want to be on anything else in the 2000 Guineas. What I love about Aidan O’Brian are his pre and post race chats, he always seems very open and informative. After quoting that Air Force Blue was very special and something he had never had before, I think we all got a bit excited. The application of a tongue-tie is no big deal; he runs a lot of horses in them, they basically stop the horse from getting their tongues over the bit, which helps with their breathing and the jockey also has better control.
The more lightly raced colt of the field, Marcel, has been overlook slightly.
1: Because Foundation was the talk of the race when he won the Racing Post Trophy. Foundation had no luck in running, but that did happen three furlongs out and was no guaranteed winner.
2: Because Peter Chapple-Hyam has not made a song and dance about Marcel which is not out of character. He lets his horses do the talking.
I’m still holding out hope for Lancelot du Lac in the Palace House. His second at Lingfield on Good Friday was impressive considering the track wouldn’t bring out the best in him. A straight five furlongs with a bit of juice in the ground is right up his street. I mentioned before that I rode him in the July Cup last year; he only got beat four lengths. I think if I had let him bowl along that day he would have been even closer, let’s hope Robert Winston gets those orders.
I’m looking forward to the Jockey Club Stakes. Simple Verse is going to have her biggest task yet. She beat the boys to win the Leger but this time she’ll have to do it with a penalty. Big Orange is a tough horse, I’m just not sure the drop back to 1m 4f is going to be in his favour. I think Big Orange will make it a test. A typical James Fanshawe horse Star Storm has done nothing but improve. He came out of the winter months looking stronger. Tom gave him a peach last year to arrive late but win going away. That will have done his confidence the world of good. (The horses, not Tom’s!)
Minding is the obvious one for the 1000 Guineas on Sunday, particularly with her form holding up so well with Nathra winning the Nell Gwyn with ease. As well as being an impressive Group 1 C&D winner last year.
If the ground doesn’t get too soft, which it rarely does for this meeting, I don’t think Ballydoyle should be over looked. She won the Prix Marcel Boussac which is a race that has been won by stars over the years, Zarkava being one of them. She is a strong stayer over a mile.
If all else fails my snooker tip is going well! Ding Junhui is well on course to make it to the final!
Have enjoyed all the action from Punchestown this week. Big congrats to Katie Walsh for her first Grade 1 win.
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