QIPCO 2000 GUINEAS

(Group 1)

THERE may not have been much to spare but Aidan O’Brien’s Churchill, long-time ante-post favourite for the Qipco 2000 Guineas, landed the opening classic of the season at Newmarket last Saturday.

The bookmakers scarcely had a look in as the 6/4 chance came home a length and a neck ahead of market rivals Barney Roy and Al Wukair.

In a steadily-run race, the winner’s stable companion Lancaster Bomber made the running with Ryan Moore gradually moving Churchill towards the stands’ rails.

There was never any doubt that the gap would come and, as Lancaster Bomber edged right, Ryan Moore quickly took over on the favourite and went for home.

The challenging group made their efforts towards the centre but Barney Roy stumbled on the run down into the dip and did well to limit the winning margin to a length.

French challenger Al Wukair also kept on well but was never going to reach the winner, while Ballydoyle’s overall strength was underlined yet again as Lancaster Bomber finished only inches behind in fourth.

This was O’Brien’s eighth success in the race, breaking John Scott’s record from way back in the 19th century.

Churchill is yet another classic winner by Galileo and Godolphin had to play second fiddle again, though some would be more than happy to see Barney Roy handed a chance of revenge over a mile.

Whether that will happen must be doubtful, with Churchill quite possibly heading for Epsom and the Investec Derby. Messrs Tabor, Smith and Magnier will be in no hurry to make a decision before the various trials have taken place and are understandably savouring this latest triumph.

“My horse does everything the right way,” Moore observed. “He’s a beautiful athlete and through the race he filled me with a lot of confidence. He’s beaten the best at two and he’s put up the best performance so far at three. I think he’ll keep on performing and improve on today.”

ALWAYS IN CONTROL

The former champion jockey is seldom far out in his assessments and repeated viewings of last week’s contest suggest that, though hardly scintillating, Churchill was always in control in the final furlong.

Apart from the National Stakes, his victories have always been by conservative margins and connections will be more than happy to see him doing just enough. Interestingly, last week’s victor is the first O’Brien-trained Dewhurst winner to follow up in the Guineas since Rock Of Gibraltar in 2002.

The latter stayed at a mile and won four more Group 1s, of course.

“I’d like to think he’d get the Derby trip but I don’t know,” said Tabor. “We have plenty of other horses who could be Derby horses. If something comes out of the pack and looks exceptional, do we run Churchill as well? We just don’t know at this stage.”

Breeding pundits will not see Churchill as a Blue Riband winner because the dam’s side is all about speed. Meow won two of her five starts and finished second in the Queen Mary at Royal Ascot but did not race after her juvenile career.

She is out of the very fast mare Airwave, who won the Cheveley Park Stakes at two and the Temple Stakes at three.

The going rate with bookmakers is around 4/1, though Paddy Power offered 5/1, safe in the knowledge that there will be hardly any ante-post involvement before the owners make a decision.

It looked as if all the runners ran to their mark on Saturday, the one slight disappointment being Craven winner Eminent, who finished a modest sixth.

He will no doubt take on some of these rivals again in the top mile races but, with the possible exception of the winner, it seems highly unlikely that this particular Guineas will have much influence on the Derby.