The 1000 Guineas will have its smallest field for 35 years as only ten fillies were declared for the Classic at Newmarket on Sunday, 4th May. The contest takes place just one day after the colts’ equivalent over the same course and distance.
The long term favourite for the race has been declared though in the shape of Desert Flower for Charlie Appleby and William Buick. The Godolphin filly was extremely impressive in winning all four starts as a juvenile, winning by an accumulative 17 lengths across her quartet of races. They included a 5½-length rout in the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile over track and trip which stamped her clearly as the one to beat for this race.
However, she is not the only unbeaten filly for a powerful operation. Ballydoyle and Aidan O’Brien may have something to say about Desert Flower’s dominance of the market with Lake Victoria having won all five of her races to date. The daughter of Frankel has won three of those at Group 1 level between 6f to 1m, including the Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh (7f), Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket (6f), and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies’ Turf at Del Mar (1m).
Both Chantilly Lace and Elwateen are undefeated too, though each have only had one start for Ralph Beckett and Saeed bin Suroor respectively. The latter is a rare runner in the Shadwell Estate silks for bin Suroor.
Ger Lyons joins O’Brien in saddling a runner for Ireland: Red Letter was fourth to Lake Victoria in the Moyglare Stud Stakes, but wasn’t beaten far and has been kept fresh since. Simmering was second that day for Ollie Sangster but has to leave a disappointing run in the Group 3 Fred Darling Stakes on return behind her. Sangster also saddles Flight, who was third to Desert Flower in the May Hill Stakes at Doncaster and is set to be the mount of Oisin Murphy.
That race was won impressively by Archie Watson’s Duty First. She may have been a 33/1 shot that day, but she won by more than three lengths and could easily have improved, with runner-up Hey Boo also taking her chance for Jack Channon. Remaat is the final runner in the race for Andrew Balding, having finished third in the Nell Gwyn Stakes on her reappearance at Newmarket last month.
2025 1000 Guineas Runners
| Number | Horse | Trainer | Jockey |
| 1 | Chantilly Lace | Ralph Beckett | Rossa Ryan |
| 2 | Desert Flower | Charlie Appleby | William Buick |
| 3 | Duty First | Archie Watson | Hollie Doyle |
| 4 | Elwateen | Saeed bin Suroor | Jim Crowley |
| 5 | Flight | Ollie Sangster | Oisin Murphy |
| 6 | Hey Boo | Jack Channon | George Bass |
| 7 | Lake Victoria | Aidan O’Brien | Ryan Moore |
| 8 | Red Letter | Ger Lyons | Colin Keane |
| 9 | Remaat | Andrew Balding | Jason Watson |
| 10 | Simmering | Ollie Sangster | Dylan Browne McMonagle |