BetFred 2000 Guineas Stakes (Group 1)

NEWMARKET trainer George Boughey admitted that seeing Bow Echo (Billy Loughnane) land the Betfred 2000 Guineas at Newmarket meant the world to him, although the star colt’s well-publicised homework meant the win was little more than Boughey was expecting on the day. Sent off a 9/2 chance having been the subject of bullish reports in the days and weeks leading up to the first classic of the season, Bow Echo was settled behind a strong pace set by Billecart and Into The Sky before making a rapid forward move two furlongs out that saw him lead at the furlong pole.

From this point, he and joint-favourite Gstaad (Aidan O’Brien/Ryan Moore) pulled clear of the field. Gstaad ran on well, but Bow Echo unleashed a telling turn of foot to take the race by two and three-quarter lengths. The other joint-favourite Distant Storm (Charlie Appleby/William Buick) fared best of the rest, but was beaten a yawning eight lengths by the runner-up in a race where the brilliant winner fully lived up to his lofty reputation.

’He’s a good one’

Trainer Boughey said: “It’s pretty exciting. He’s a colt who has always shown us that. I felt like we’d almost gone a little bit overboard on what we thought of him before the race, but that’s what he was showing me. His lead horse might not be a superstar, but we’ve had some Group 1 horses who haven’t gone by him and the fact that he goes eight, 10 lengths past tells us that he’s a good one.

“He just exudes confidence. Special mention for the rider to hold his nerve and to do what he did. But this horse has stood out from the word go. He’s a very good horse.”

Referring to the cheers ringing out around the winner’s enclosure after the colt – racing in the colours of the late Sheikh Mohammed Obaid - had returned in triumph, Boughey said: “It means the world. To do it at home in Newmarket is amazing. It’s quite emotional. It’s very rare that you find a horse that trains like him and to have his pedigree to back it up was really what we needed.

“The confidence was pretty high, but his work suggested that, so it was over to Billy to execute a beautiful ride and he did that. Billy has an amazing affinity with the horse and I think he’s almost a difficult ride, because he’s so relaxed. For a horse to not commit in a Guineas when he’s fast asleep out there – he was trying to pick his gap and he executed it brilliantly.

Champion miler?

“Gstaad is a Breeders’ Cup winner and at the back-end of his two-year-old year I wanted to run him in a Dewhurst or a Breeders’ Cup, but Sheikh Mohammed Obaid was watching today and he’ll be telling me, ‘I was right!’ and he was. I think he’s a fast horse who stays, which is obviously a huge asset. He’s not in the Derby - he has always shown a huge turn of foot and I want to make him the champion miler, if we can.”

On jockey Billy Loughnane, Boughey added: “I sound like a bit of a broken record talking about Billy. He’s an outstanding jockey; he’s an outstanding human being. He’s the consummate professional as well - I think we’ve walked the track three or four times this week, we had a plan in our heads. I think he’s destined to be Champion Jockey and, to do it at the highest level like that, I think he’s showcasing his talents and I’m glad that everyone gets to see what we see three or four times a week.” As for his part, Loughnane said: “I can’t put it into words. I wanted to be a jockey ever since the day I could talk. I’ve put so much work in to get to where I am today and I’m so fortunate to ride a horse like Bow Echo.”

NIGHT Raider (Karl Burke/James Doyle) showed the benefit of a gelding operation, as he dominated the Group 3 HKJC World Pool Palace House Stakes from the drop of the flag. Always very speedy, the son of Dark Angel didn’t seem to be seeing his races out fully last year, but gelding may have helped him in that regard and he scampered up the final hill to register a half-length success over last year’s winner Rumstar (Jonathan Portman/Rob Hornby), with Shagraan (Clive Cox/Rossa Ryan) back in third, a further two and a half lengths adrift.

Winning trainer Karl Burke said: “He’s a high-class horse and we always knew he had a huge engine. He won his first two races over seven furlongs on the all-weather. We then tried to turn him into a miler and ran him in the Guineas. He was just too keen, too free and too fractious. Gelding has really made a man of him and brought him on in a perverse sort of way.

Tremendous

“He is 10 kilograms lighter than he was last year. He looked tremendous I thought in the paddock. Somebody asked me before the race would he handle the undulations and I said, if he jumps quick and gets in a lovely rhythm, he will handle the undulations well, and he did. He was a bit fractious in the stalls last year as a full horse and I think gelding has calmed him down a bit and made a man of him.

“He has been working really nicely, but he does a lot of his work on his own to be fair. He is the type of horse that you don’t need to buzz him up and work him with other horses. Richard Brown from Wathnan will be delighted, as he has had huge faith in him. I would say he will go to Royal Ascot now. He is in at York, but I would say that would come too quick. It might be that the five-furlong race (King Charles III Stakes) is easier than the six at Ascot.”

Balding’s 44/1 treble

Andrew Balding had only a passing interest in the 2000 Guineas, but he enjoyed a fruitful day, nonetheless, saddling three winners on the card including stable stalwart Flora Of Bermuda (James Doyle) in the Listed Ellen Chaloner Stakes.

Other winners for the Kingsclere handler were Double Rush (Shane Foley) and Spanish Voice (Oisin Murphy), which provided a 44/1 treble for the in-form stable.

Flora Of Bermuda and Double Rush are both entered for the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Newmarket Sunday

Betfred 1000 Guineas Stakes (Group 1)

HER SP of 5/1 may have suggested she was the Ballydoyle second string behind Precise, but True Love (Aidan O’Brien/Wayne Lordan) was playing second fiddle to no-one as she produced a dominant display in the Betfred 1000 Guineas, powering out of the dip to race to a length-and-three-quarter win over Evolutionist (Karl Burke/Shane Foley), with Venetian Lace (Charlie Johnnston/Jason Hart) running the race of her life in third, another half-length away.

Winner of the Queen Mary and Cheveley Park Stakes as a juvenile, there had been some question of whether the speedy True Love would stay a mile, but she matched the pick of her form upped to seven furlongs in the Priory Belle Stakes at Leopardstown on last month’s return and proved even better over the Rowley Mile, travelling powerfully in midfield before making stylish progress from the bushes, showing no lack of stamina as she forged clear inside the final furlong.

This represented an eighth success in the fillies’ classic for O’Brien, just short of the record held by ‘The Emperor of Trainers’ Robert Robson, which has now stood for 199 years.

Prominent prep race

Pointing out the significance of the Priory Belle as a prep, O’Brien noted: “The race that this filly won last time - nearly all of our 1000 Guineas winners had won that race on the way here. Obviously, there were the few of them like Love who didn’t have a run, but any of them that had run before winning here, that was the race they won then came to Newmarket.”

On her suitability for the Guineas trip, he added: “You couldn’t be sure she was going to get a mile, as she was a Queen Mary winner. It is very unusual for a Queen Mary winner to get a mile and Wayne gave her a beautiful ride. When she was able to win over seven furlongs at Leopardstown, where she got no cover, there was always a chance she could get the mile. The lads through the winter thought she might stay it because she is very relaxed in all her work.

“Usually, those horses that are sprinting-bred you can stretch them too far, but Wayne was very patient on her today. This place, more than any track in the world, is very unforgiving. There is nowhere to hide out there. It is very open and the pace is usually on. It is hard for them to go slow as they just go at it automatically in those races, so I couldn’t be happier really. She is very classy.”

THE main supporting contest at Newmarket on Sunday was the Group 2 Betfred Dahlia Stakes over nine furlongs, and victory went to the 18/1 chance Jancis (Willie McCreery/Sean Levey) in the colours of Chilean owner/breeder Arturo Cousino. Favourite Falakeyah (Owen Burrows/Saffie Osborne), successful in the Pretty Polly 12 months earlier, raced exuberantly and set a strong pace which she was unable to maintain and that suited the winner, who was held up in the early stages and stayed on strongly as others began to wilt.

The winner led a furlong out and stayed on best to beat Cathedral (Kevin Philippart de Foy/David Egan) by a length and three-quarters. The runner-up fared best of those to race prominently and is worth marking up. The front two came a long way clear of the others, headed by Survie (George Boughey/Ryan Moore).

Like a fine wine

Lightly raced for a five-year-old, Jancis - named after renowned wine critic Jancis Robinson – had won the Group 3 Brownstown Stakes in 2024 and, although failing to score last season for McCreery, ran her best race first time up when second in the Victor McCalmont Memorial at Gowran, and clearly comes to hand early.

A triumphant Willie McCreery said: “Today was an early target if the ground was right – you can’t run her on soft ground, and it just knocks her back by running her on it. But she loves that quicker ground. They went a good gallop, and I thought at one point she wasn’t going to get there, but she showed a lot of heart.

“I am delighted with her and she loved that ground. After winning a Group 2 today, that aim would be to get a Group 1 now. We’ll go to Royal Ascot. Arturo has a farm in Chile and will be over for Ascot. He is a longstanding owner and those colours have been in his family for over 90 years. Arturo has a vineyard and every time Jancis wins, we get a case - so we try to win as much as we can, as it’s beautiful wine!”

Lizzie caps Pretty weekend

Having won the Newmarket Stakes with Ancient Egypt on Friday, trainer Charlie Johnston struck again at listed level when Spinning Lizzie (Silvestre de Sousa) made all the running for a six-length victory in the Oliver Brown Pretty Polly Stakes over a mile and a quarter, and he made it four winners for the meeting when Evanesco took the closing handicap on Sunday’s card.

Johnston said: “I wasn’t certain that the step up in trip would suit and it’s a bit like with Ancient Egypt - you’ve got to be adaptable and think on your feet. This filly came here during the Craven Meeting to gallop and finished just behind Venetian Lace, so we left there thinking she was clearly in good fettle.

“The plan has been to start in the Michael Seely at York, but when I saw the entries for this race on Monday morning, I thought it was worth a look.” Spinning Lizzie holds an Irish 1000 Guineas entry, but is unlikely to revert to a mile having proven her stamina here.