The 217th renewal of the 2000 Guineas takes place on Saturday. Aiming for the winner of the Classic, as well as many more across the cards, Andrew Mount takes you through the day with his best bets.
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Posted: 2.05pm, Friday, May 2nd
2.55 Newmarket – NO HALF MEASURES (1.5pt win – 9/2 William Hill, 4/1 generally) & RUMSTAR (0.5pt win – 11/1 generally)
NO HALF MEASURES did really well to finish fifth of 16 from her poor high draw (stall 12) in Prix de l’Abbaye at the end of a busy three-year-old campaign and several other high-drawn runners from that Group 1 contest have run well since. Richard Hughes’ filly – seems to handle any ground and it’s not inconceivable that she could be coming here with an 11 from 11 record, as she’s had excuses for her defeats…
2nd (10-1) behind odds-on shot when green on debut and best of closers at Wolverhampton
5th of 7 – beaten 2L at Sandown when short of room
3rd of 28 in Palace Of Holyrood – won race on far side
6th of 25 btn ¾ L at Longchamp – poorly drawn in stall 10
5th from poor drawn in Prix de l’Abbaye
Ryan Moore, two from two on her, has been booked again. RUMSTAR’s four wins have come on turf when drawn on the outside of the field..
5/5 Bath
16/16 Goodwood
11/11 today’s course and distance
1/6 Ascot
…and he’s worth a saver from stall 1 of 11.
3.05 Punchestown – FORTUNEDEFORTUNATA (1pt e/w)
Gordon Elliott’s FORTUNEDEFORTUNATA, sent off as the 10-1 third favourite for the Midlands National seven weeks ago, has a poor record on left-handed tracks and it was no surprise to see him trail home more than 32 lengths behind the winner in fifth. The eight-year-old has won just once from 15 starts when racing left-handed but has form figures on right-handed tracks of 1193621 (3-7) for a profit of £40.00 to a £1 level stake at SP. I thought the Irish National would suit but he wasn’t rated high enough for that race and today’s 3m7f contest could be right up his street. Slower ground would have been preferable, but he won his sole course chase outing (3m3f) and the extra distance could compensate. I’ve saved on spring horse YOUR OWN STORY, whose record form March to May reads 1512622212 (2-10), with the latest defeat by half a length.
4.40 Newmarket – UNCLE DON (1.5pt win – 7/1 generally)
The bias on the straight course was stronger than ever at Redcar’s meeting on October 5th, with a GoingStick reading of 7.0 on the far side but only 5.7 on the stands’ rail, suggesting that high-drawn runners had little chance. It was surprising that only Invictus Gold (stall 20 of 20) was pulled out of the William Hill Two Year Old Trophy but far from surprising to see low draws dominate, with the first six coming from stalls 5, 2, 3, 7, 8 and 4. Richard Fahey’s UNCLE DON (stall 13) emerged best of the high draws in seventh place and looks set for a good season. His three other juvenile runs produced a 5f Beverley win and a pair of runner-up efforts, including in a 14-runner Listed contest at Ayr and he’s worth a bet with Ryan Moore booked. I’ve saved on THE DRAGON KING.
6.10 Hexham – WELL EDUCATED (1pt win)
WELL EDUCATED trailed home last of seven at Haydock a fortnight ago but that run, his first for 151 days would have been needed, something that was reflected in his significant market drift. George Bewley’s nine-year-old tends to perform best over hurdles in the March to October period, winning seven of his 31 such starts for a profit of £2.71 to a £1 level stake at SP. When returned to the track within three weeks of his previous outing his record reads 111P41154236 (5-12) for a profit of £14.08. Those who returned a Betfair SP of 9.1 or shorter had form figures of 111511 (5-6). Three of those wins came here at Hexham and he ran a fine race in this contest last year, only weakening close home into a 22-1 six-length fifth on his return from a 191-day absence.
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Andrew Mount’s Best Bets
2.55 Newmarket – NO HALF MEASURES (1.5pt win – 9/2 William Hill, 4/1 generally) & RUMSTAR (0.5pt win – 11/1 generally)
3.05 Punchestown – FORTUNEDEFORTUNATA (1pt e/w)
4.40 Newmarket – UNCLE DON (1.5pt win – 7/1 generally)
6.10 Hexham – WELL EDUCATED (1pt win)
Andrew Mount’s Horse Racing Tips – Saturday, 3rd May
Andrew’s Angles – How to Make the Best of Racing in May
One recurring theme in the hugely entertaining Barstewards Enquiry podcast concerns trainer Charles Hills and how his runners tend to go off the boil from the end of June. I thought I’d used this week’s column to check this out and to look for other trainers whose runners typically perform well in the first half…
Tue 29 Apr 2025Looking For More Racing Info? Check Out Our Racecards & Top Tips Sections
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