2000 Guineas Day: Best bet, each-way selection and treble
Recommended bets include:
The first Classic of the season takes place at Newmarket on Saturday and it provides the top three-year-old milers the chance to assert their dominance in the division early on in the season.
A field of 15 has been declared and Bow Echo heads the betting.
It is set to be a cracker, with all the big names represented. Aidan O'Brien, Charlie Appleby and John & Thady Gosden will be locking horns and we could see a glorious return to winning ways in this race for Ballydoyle, with O'Brien having drawn a blank since 2019.
This preview tells you everything you need to know about Newmarket's seven-race card and also provides a best bet of the day, each-way selection and an acca.
Day 1 - Key info
First race: 1:10 Ellen Chaloner Stakes Feature race: 3:35 2000 Guineas
Opening up with a competitive Listed contest, the 111-rated Flora Of Bermuda is probably the one to beat there. A £100,000 heritage handicap over 6f is next on the agenda and the Suffolk Stakes follows swiftly after.
Superstar sprinter Asfoora makes her return in the Palace House Stakes and the main event, the 2000 Guineas, is next. The card closes out with three more handicaps, including a decent three-year-old race with a fair prize on offer.
Best bet of the day
Gstaad to win the 2000 Guineas (3:35pm) @ 7/2
Aidan O'Brien has struggled in this race in the last few years, but that trend will change sooner or later because he is the best trainer of his generation. Gstaad could be the one to buck the trend, as he was right up there with the best juveniles last term.
He got the better of stablemate True Love on debut at Navan last term and she has since gone on to win top-level races. The son of Starspangledbanner produced a monster performance to win the Coventry Stakes by three lengths after that.
O'Brien's colt was narrowly denied in three consecutive Group 1 events, including the National Stakes and the Dewhurst, but returned to winning ways when trying a mile for the first time in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.
His form is probably the best on offer.
Best each-way bet of the day
El Bodon in the Betfred Handicap (1:45pm) @ 22/1
All of El Bodon's three victories have come on the all-weather, but he has produced enough fair performances on the turf to suggest that victory is far from out of the question.
His last victory came off a 2lb lower mark at Kempton in February, so this rating should not be a problem.
This gelding finished second in the Greenham as a three-year-old and with that in mind, there is a significant chance he can outrun his substantial odds.
Day 1 acca
Everyone loves a Saturday accumulator and here are three strong fancies who can be combined into a treble and you can get a good price with LiveScore Bet.
Bet 1: Back Double Rush to win the Betfred Handicap (13:45) @ 1/1
Andrew Balding's Double Rush began the season with a very impressive success over course and distance in April and it is not often that horses win sprint races by almost five lengths. He is well in under a penalty here and should be going close here.
Bet 2: Back Asfoora to win the Palace House Stakes (14:55) @ 10/3
Asfoora makes her debut for a new yard here, but regular rider Oisin Murphy is still on board. The seven-year-old mare is the only Group 1 horse in the field and, provided she is sharp enough for this excursion, it is hard to see her getting beaten.
Bet 3: Back Gstaad to win the 2000 Guineas (15:35) @ 7/2
Clearly a mile suits Gstaad and he proved that by winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf in the autumn. He has the ability to win here, provided he's fit enough first time out.
