Betfred Guineas Festival Saturday Tips: O’Brien ready to set new records on the Rowley Mile

The first Classic of the British Flat season takes place on Saturday afternoon with the 2000 Guineas taking centre stage.

The Guineas is part of a bumper nine-race card which also includes the Group 3 Palace House and some competitive handicaps.

We have selections and analysis from three of the races from Goodwood including an Irish raider that has solid claims in the feature race. Find my Betfred Guineas Festival Saturday Tips below.

15:35 Newmarket - Gstaad @ 10/3

It looks like a cracking renewal of the 2000 Guineas on Saturday and it’s a race that Aidan O’Brien has won no fewer than 10 times.

He relies on just one runner to do the business this year, last season’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner, Gstaad.

He was highly progressive throughout last season, following up a maiden success with a breathtaking win in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot. He was then only narrowly denied in three subsequent Group 1s, including the Dewhurst over seven furlongs on the Rowley Mile.

He was denied a clear run at a crucial point of that contest and that’s a piece of form that has worked out nicely with a couple of those in behind winning recent Guineas trials.

He proved he stayed a mile when winning at the Breeders’ Cup and he was good value for the winning margin when taking that contest. He is lacking a recent run but all of O’Brien’s previous Guineas winners were also having their first starts of the campaign, so it’s hardly a major concern and he looks ideally drawn in stall seven.

13:45 Newmarket - Double Rush @ 4/6

Double Rush looked like a potential Group horse when bolting up on his debut for Andrew Balding over this course and distance and he’s going to be hard to beat with just a 5lb penalty to carry.

He won that race by just under five lengths and that distance could have been further so he’s officially 8lb well in here, due to go up to a mark of 105 after this contest. He’s also entitled to come on for that return and he can take this prize before he goes on to Group company.

14:55 Newmarket - Quinault @ 7/1

Newmarket’s Rowley Mile course often plays to the strengths of front-runners and Quinault may be capable of dominating the Palace House Stakes.

He was impressive when making all the running at Doha on his penultimate start and he was beaten only a length in a course-and-distance Group 3 subsequently. He’s well worth another try at a stiff five furlongs given the amount of early speed he shows in his races and he has very little to find on ratings to be at least in the mix for the places.

If he can get his own way in front, which isn’t out of the question, then odds of 15/2 look attractive with Betfred paying four places on the race.

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