THE Godolphin colts have dominated the market for today’s Qipco 2000 Guineas.

Native Trail has been favourite for the first colts’ classic – it comes upon you quickly doesn’t it? – since he won the National Stakes at the Curragh last September, and nothing has happened in the interim to dethrone him from that position.

Charlie Appleby’s horse obviously looked very good in winning the National Stakes, coming three and a half lengths clear of Point Lonsdale and Ebro River.

Then he went back to Newmarket and won the Dewhurst, and he proved his wellbeing this season by winning the Craven. It’s the quintessential Guineas profile.

And, just in case he under-performs, he has his stable companion lining up with him, albeit 14 stalls away from him. (He couldn’t be any further away.)

If the ball had hopped a little differently, Coroebus would be unbeaten in three runs, he was just caught by Royal Patronage in the Royal Lodge, but he made no mistake on his final run last season in the Autumn Stakes.

Unbeaten

But Luxembourg is unbeaten in three, and the 5/1 or 11/2 that is generally available about him is more than fair.

Impressive in winning his maiden at Killarney last July, Aidan O’Brien’s colt was impressive again in following up in the Beresford Stakes, and he rounded off the season by winning the Group 1 Vertem Futurity Trophy at Doncaster in October.

He did well to win as well as he did that day, he made his ground on the far side, he picked up well on the soft ground when Ryan Moore asked him to, and he stayed on strongly to win by almost two lengths, leaving the impression that he had more in hand than that.

A half-brother to Leo De Fury and Lady Dahlia, and out of a sister to Forgotten Voice, he will probably be able to step up in trip as the season develops, but he showed lots of pace at Doncaster.

Also, interestingly, while the Vertem Futurity Trophy has been a source of Derby winners in the past, three of the last four winners won the Guineas at Newmarket - two of them trained by Aidan O’Brien - and the other, Mac Swiney, won the Irish Guineas.

Luxembourg’s stable companion Point Lonsdale was tempting at a much bigger price. He has three and a half lengths to find with Native Trail on their running in the National Stakes, but he may have underperformed that day, and, a brother to Broome, he is bred to be better over a mile than over seven furlongs – the distance over which he has raced exclusively to date – and probably over even further.

That said, even at the shorter price, slight preference is for Luxembourg.

Handicap

Turntable looks overpriced in the nine-furlong handicap earlier in the day. Chris Wall’s horse is six now, but he rounded off last season with a performance that was up there with the best of his career to spring a bit of a surprise in a handicap over today’s course and distance, and he is only 3lb higher today.

He goes particularly well at Newmarket. His record on both tracks reads 14121, and he is two for three on the Rowley Mile.

Fast Medicine is obviously a well-handicapped horse, the handicapper raised him by 11lb for his win at Nottingham two weeks ago, but he gets to race today under just a 5lb penalty, so he is 6lb well-in. But Turntable stayed on well from the rear to win that race last September at a track at which early pace is usually rewarded, and he could out-run decent odds today.

Turntable, 2.25 Newmarket, 8/1 (generally), 1 point win,

Luxembourg, 3.40 Newmarket, 11/2 (generally), 1 point win