2000 Guineas 2013

Literal form is hard to quantify this early in the season and a 4 runner race doesn’t help.

I think Pru’s comments as already highlighted give the best analysis of Toronado’s chances and am very interested in any paddock judges views of how he looked.

It does look like a 2 horse race for the 2000 Guineas at the moment. Still with Dawn Approach (unbacked!) for me.

Wentworth Andy ?

Lee

Thank you both for the information you provided.Must have the book! Where is Wentworth now?Not a word about him this year I was very impressed by his turn of foot last year. Now I can no longer watch them running since the bookmakers took over.So I rely on the reports of the Racing Forum.I believe that Intello changed gears at least twice at Newmarket when going on to an easy win.My Irish source was very impressed.

Wentworth has an entry on Friday at Sandown. Think they were talking about a tilt at the French Derby for this year although my memory seems a bit scrambled these days…….

Literal form is hard to quantify this early in the season and a 4 runner race doesn’t help.

I think Pru’s comments as already highlighted give the best analysis of Toronado’s chances and am very interested in any paddock judges views of how he looked.

It does look like a 2 horse race for the 2000 Guineas at the moment. Still with Dawn Approach (unbacked!) for me.

Yes, it’s hard to weigh up the form with total confidence but my point is that it seems all too many are willing to accept that the form holds, rather than admit that it might not be that great.

I hold my hands up and admit that I am not a student of timings and I don’t have the hours in the day to commit to examining sectionals etc. Therefore I cannot confirm nor condemn your man Pru’s opinion I tend to go by instinct and performances of horses who ran against the subject subsequently.

I had marked out Dundonnell as a horse to avoid this season, based on the trainer and the fact that I am not sure the horse would progress much this year. If you look back to the Champagne Stakes where Dundonnell was supposedly a bit unlucky in that Toronado got first run, the proximity of three horses in behind with subsequently pretty whiffy form would be a worry for me. Tha’ir, Maxentius and Birdman are not my idea of anything special and they are all thoroughly exposed. I doubt Dundonnell will run in the 2000 Guineas and I would rate his chances as exceedingly slim if he does. I agree totally that Toronado looks the only one to be a danger to Dawn Approach. I had harboured hopes that Moohaajim might emerge as a danger and an each-way option but that was well scotched in the Greenham. I find Marco Botti a hard listen with his Super Mario Brothers accent and he is now officially off my list of trainers to consider when placing a bet. "Woo-hoo, Neeeeeeentendo!!"

"That is my attempt at levity. I have the utmost respect for the Hannons and you can never write off Aidan as they have such strength in depth. They just need something to step up a bit on last year." That was Jim’s next attempt at levity I suppose.He enjoys razzing up Aidan.

It must be confessed that beyond the top two in this race, dangers are hard to come by.

Can’t have Mars doubt he would have the acceleration to win a guineas, looks more like a 10 furlong horse.

Cristoforo Colombo is rather a dark horse, he’s by Henrythenavigator who chinned the sire of Dawn approach in the same race. And O’Brien often seems to pull a rabbit out of his hat in the Guineas.

He looked the type last year to really fill out and go forward as a three year old, and was generally running at sprint distances. He’s also been running on unsuitable ground most of the time.

Set against that however is the rather powerful feeling that the race that he struggled to keep tab on the leaders in, the Middle Park, you put Dawn Approach or Toronado in that race and they would have skated up.

Also he’s only one one of his six starts- hardly the profile of a guineas winner. But if there is one to upset the front two applecart he would be the one.

Maybe we should be looking for the horse in the guineas who looks most likely to be juiced up? who in the field looks most muscular

The best decision he could make now would be to return his horses to Cecil’s care.

Not wishing to spoil the sentimental love of Henry Cecil or be at all distasteful, but I think this would be a very short-sighted move. Cecil’s health is very fragile and he must therefore be somewhat unsuitable for the long-term owner-trainer relationship Sheikh Mohammed would look to forge. I hope Henry Cecil is around for many years to come, but "hope" is the operative word here.

Godolphin’s use of Saeed bin Suroor and Mahmood al Zarooni shows how highly they value youth and investment in the long-term.