2026 2000 Guineas Trial Preview

Below is the preview he has produced for today’s 2000 Guineas Trial at Leopardstown and it is the work you will receive for the next 6 months by signing up for £50. for the whole flat season (until 31st October).

 

Win, lose or draw today though, it is always about the long term profit and as his results show over the last three years, he proven and established. 

 

 

 

Sunday sees three Group 3 races at Leopardstown, the first of which is the Ballylinch Stud Red Rocks Stakes. This is a seven furlong race for three year old colts and geldings and is a trial race for the Irish 2000 Guineas which will be held on the 23rd of May at the Curragh. 

 

I think it’s odd that this trial race is over 7 furlongs (reduced from 1 mile since 2018), yet the actual 2000 Guineas race will be run over a mile. This is probably the reason why only one winner of this trial race from the last sixteen participants to go on to contest the Irish 2000 Guineas has won the title, a fact surely to be mindful of when they announce the price of the winner for the Irish 2000 Guineas.

 

This race has been dominated by the Aiden O’Brien yard in the past decade. Seven of the last nine winners have come from this yard and Ryan Moore has been the jockey on six of them. It’s no secret that the yard dominate the top level of UK & Irish racing with the embarrassment of riches they have from their impressive breeding stock and they look to hold all the cards once again this year with four entrants in the current lineup of eleven. Let’s have a look at their chances who are all drawn together in the middle of the track.

 

Ryan has decided to sit on FLUSHING MEADOWS for this one, and is currently joint favourite with POWER BLUE. POWER BLUE will be carrying a 3lb penalty for his Group 1 success in last years Phoenix Stakes over six furlongs. 

 

FLUSHING MEADOWS lto 2nd placed effort over C&D in the Group 3 Tyros Stakes wasn’t overly noteworthy. Contested by only 4 runners, he tracked the pace of the winner NORTH COAST, but was unable to quicken and pass, and subsequently eased down in the final half furlong.

 

I’m sceptical of POWER BLUE ability of being able to transfer a performance of a straight six furlong sprint to a seven furlong left handed track and for me, the jury is definitely out on trainer Robson Aguiar ability in this level, having failed to get his string performing amongst class 1 company this year. Most notably, BUCANERO FUERTE dismal effort in listed company at Cork last weekend.

 

TROJAN WARRIOR currently around 8/1 is taken by Wayne Lordan, a jockey who is a good number two and rides Leopardstown better than most. I don’t think TROJAN WARRIOR beat much on his only run at Curragh last year over 6 furlongs and would seriously have to improve to be competitive today. I think Lordan’s position as number two is seriously under threat from the younger Jack Cleary. This youngster came to the fore at the end of last season, ending up with an impressive 23% win strike rate for the O’Brien yard with 18 winners from 79 races.

 

Cleary takes DORSET who is currently 6/1 (time of writing) and looked physically quite impressive winning last time out over C&D in the Group 3 Killavullan Stakes back in October. DORSET made all that day, setting impressive fractions and finding more when challenged by fancied stable companion DAYTONA. Cleary was jockey on board DORSET that day and finished the day riding four winners on the card. The Killavullan Stakes has been a good trends indicator with 5 winners of this race going on to take the Leopardstown trial.

 

WARSAW currently around 12/1 is the 4th arrow today from the O’Brien quiver and he looked to be going well in Group 2 company last time out in the Coventry at Ascot back in June, but faded when the pace quickened around the last furlong and a half, finishing 10th place around 3 lengths behind 6th place POWER BLUE. WARSAW steps up in trip today and is ridden by Ronan Whelan, a jockey whose majority of wins have come between 7 furlongs and a mile but I have reservations about his ability in this company.

 

Of the others, I think GERYON currently around 8/1 appears to be the biggest danger. He finished 2nd on two occasions in Group 2 company last year behind a very good CONSTITUTION RIVER over straight 7 furlongs and HAWK MOUNTAIN over a mile. GERYON beat HAWK MOUNTAIN on his debut over 7 furlongs back in August and like DORSET is a physically imposing type. My reticence over GERYON is that he has only run at the Curragh in his 3 starts and had to reigned in going into the bend over a mile and I’m not certain if he will handle the bend at Leopardstown today despite the Ger Lyons yard being in good recent form.

 

I think the early pace will come from DORSET and likely will be tracked by FLUSHING MEADOWS and GERYON. DORSET has previously shown that he can maintain a strong gallop and I think with his imposing physique, may prove hard to pass today. DORSET should be able to maintain his early effort to the line and having previous winning C&D form employing such methods, could once again repeat the feat. With so many coming back from a break, it is a lottery as to which horses are fit and ready for the task but my advised bet would be