It’s Betfred 2000 Guineas day at Newmarket on Saturday 3rd May and the first Classic of the season is set to be a hugely competitive renewal. There’s a bumper nine-race card taking place at Flat HQ and our in-house tipster Steve Chambers picks out his best bets of the day for what should be a fabulous afternoon of action.
2:20pm Newmarket – Betfred Suffolk Stakes
Harry Charlton’s Hand Of God hasn’t been seen since winning the Golden Gates Stakes Handicap at Royal Ascot back in June, but the fast-improving Churchill gelding is set to make his seasonal reappearance in the Suffolk Stakes at 2:20pm and looks to be the one to beat. However, Arabian Light and APPROVAL look to be the main dangers and it’s the latter of that pair that’s worth siding with here.
Seventh in that aforementioned Golden Gates contest last season, the son of Le Havre bounced back to form with aplomb when winning impressively at Goodwood on his last start and a repeat of that effort should see him go close. He has a significant weight pull against Hand Of God in this contest, so he should be more than capable of reversing that form and the William Haggas-trained raider can kick off his season with a win.
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3:35pm Newmarket – Betfred 2000 Guineas Stakes
Field Of Gold couldn’t have been any more impressive when winning the Craven Stakes and is entitled to be a warm order to hand John & Thady Gosden their first win in the 2000 Guineas, but he’s awfully short and could be worth taking on with a value alternative. Aidan O’Brien has a sensational record in the first Classic of the season having lifted the trophy on ten occasions. He’s not saddled the winner since 2019, but in EXPANDED he has a hugely exciting colt that could just progress immeasurably last season and duly land this prize.
One that is likely to improve for further later in the season, the son of Wootton Bassett has only raced twice in his life and his second in the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket at the back end of last season shows he can deliver the goods on the undulations of the Cambridgeshire and the Ballydoyle inmate is sure to kick on this season. His two career runs came in the space of a week together, so it was a great run in the Dewhurst to back up a win on debut, but a winter on his back is sure to have strengthen him up and he could well be staying on the best of the field here to down the Gosden team.
4:40pm Newmarket – TrustATrader Handicap
Richard Fahey’s UNCLE DON was very smart as a two-year-old as having downed the subsequent Group winner Big Mojo in a Beverley maiden he then went and finished second in a Listed event at Ayr. He was unable to land a blow in the 2-Y-O Trophy at Redcar when finishing seventh on his last start, but down in handicap company for the 4:40pm contest he can return to winning ways.
He will have the burden of top weight in this 6f contest, but Ryan Moore will take the ride, which is a huge positive, and having shown much more than many of his rivals could just simply outclass them here. Hoodie Hoo and Invictus Gold should prove to be notable dangers to the Fahey charge, but the cream can rise to the top and Uncle Don can bound to glory for Middleham Park.
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