ITV Racing Tips: 2000 Guineas is of course the ITV centrepiece

The Classic generation sit their first big examination today with the Betfred 2000 Guineas, from Newmarket (15:35).

It's the centrepiece of ITV's seven-race LIVE coverage on Saturday, which includes a couple from Goodwood plus the historic Hunt Cup, from Thirsk.

Stacks to gets excited about then, and as sponsors of all the five Classics it's fair to say we're very excited indeed. It's the 1000 Guineas tomorrow, but the colts have first crack at making their mark in the history of the sport this afternoon. 'Can't wait' doesn't remotely do it all justice.

Enjoy!

Horse Racing odds

Full ITV schedule

13.45 Newmarket - 6f Betfred (Handicap)
14.20 Newmarket - 1m 1f Betfred Suffolk Stakes (Handicap)
14.55 Newmarket - 5f Palace House Stakes (Group 3)
15.35 Newmarket - 1m Betfred 2,000 Guineas (Group 1)

13.30 Goodwood - 6f Chelmer Stakes (Listed)
14.05 Goodwood - 1m Conqueror Stakes (Listed)

14.40 Thirsk - 1m Thirsk Hunt Cup (Handicap)

Rationale;

13.30 Goodwood - Fitzella @ 2/1

Listed action at Goodwood - and a Hugo Palmer-trained three-year-old daughter of Too Darn Hot, with two wins from her seven starts to date.

Fitzella is fresh from a respectable 3.25l fifth in the G3 Nell Gwyn at HQ 17 days ago on seasonal reappearance, over 7f. She drops to 6f today but she's proven to be effective at both this trip and the minimum, and often makes the running.

Good ground is forecast so if putting her best foot forward she might just take a bit of pegging back. This is predominantly a fast, downhill sprint and tailor-made for such tactics when the stars align.

The excellent David Probert, nicely settled back into UK racing after a stint abroad, has the riding assignment. The drop into Listed company merely heightens interest.

13.45 Newmarket - Addison Grey @ 11/2

First visit to HQ on Betfred 2000 Guineas day, for a classy 6f sprint handicap.

I backed Addison Grey at Newbury 15 days ago and harboured hopes of glory until the very last moments. Rossa Ryan was on board, as he is today, and the selection failed by a head to beat 15 rivals in a rung below this, class-wise.

That was his first start since being gelded last October, and it was a career-best effort for the four-year-old Havana Grey offspring. There's surely more to come then and he's won here before, albeit on the July course.

Three wins from seven starts is further evidence of his quality, and trainer Clive Cox is a master (had a winner at Kempton on Thursday, and struck yesterday, too). Cracking heat for a handsome prize of £51k.

14.05 Goodwood - Blue Bolt @ 5/4

Our second visit to beautiful Goodwood takes in another Listed heat, at a mile.

Blue Bolt is our selection, a Juddmonte-owned Andrew Balding-trained four-year-old Blue Point filly. The owner's main man Colin Keane has jetted in to ride.

The selection is a genuine Group-class performer, placed in both a G1 and a G2, and winner of a Listed heat at Sandown last summer. She's best-in on official marks with everything bar She's Perfect, but that rival hasn't run for 321 days and might be slightly flattered at being rated 2lb superior to our pick.

It's a level-weights affair of course today, but Blue Bolt's most recent efforts were her best; not something that can be said for her most likely obstacle in terms of taking this.

Blue Bolt herself has an absence of 210 days to overcome, but Andrew's yard have been popping in winners nicely since turf hostilities commenced and I'm sure she'll be straight for this. NAP material for me.

14.20 Newmarket - Botanical @ 13/2

Another high-calibre handicap, over 9f. We're paying 1/5 odds, FOUR places each way, and for me that's an angle well worth considering.

Trainer Karl Burke is a potent force at any stage, but is purring along nicely right now at around a 24% strike-rate over the past 14 days. He saddles Botanical in this, a six-year-old Lope De Vega gelding, running in the famous colours of the late Sheikh Mohammed Obaid.

Karl has only had the horse since October, having shipped in from George Boughey's, and he made his seasonal and stable debut five weeks ago at Donny in the Lincoln Handicap no less.

He was beaten just 1.75l by Urban Lion after trying to make all. That seems to be his preferred running style, and on the predicted better ground might make a bold bid to do similar over the Rowley mile-and-change.

He's won and run well at around 10f in the past and proved equally effective being held up, so it will be intriguing to see what tactics are employed by brilliant stable jockey Cliff Lee, outstanding on one of Steph Hollinshead's at Southwell on Thursday and boasting a current strike-rate of around a whopping 33%.

14.40 Thirsk - Flight Plan @ 6/1

The Hunt Cup, well over 150 years old, taking centre stage on one of Thirsk's great racedays. A warm 1m handicap, and we're paying 1/5 odds, FOUR places. Could well be a plan. 

Our selection took this last year, and hails from the mighty Karl Burke yard for whom today could be a sizzler. It's a six-year-old entire, another son of Night Of Thunder, by a Pivotal mare - Flight Plan.

He's had a pipe-opener for the season, at Newcastle four weeks ago on the all-weather (beaten 4.75l off a mark of 96, and dropped handily to 94 for today). Jockey Sam James knows him extremely well and drawn in the two box can take up a handy early position if required.

Tough old handicap of course but the yard are in good order and we know he likes the North Yorkshire air, being trained only about 25 miles away, at Coverham.

Historic race, on a day full of them. Fantastic stuff.

14.55 Newmarket - Rumstar @ 9/2

Another sprint, the G3 Palace House over 5f.

Some slick flying machines have taken this down the years - the likes of Paris House, Mind Games, Lochsong, Sole Power and Mabs Cross to name but a few. It's to a former champ that I'm looking for my idea of the winner - last year's hero Rumstar.

The six-year-old Havana Grey gelding took this off a mark of 107 last term, and bids for a repeat off 110 this afternoon. Once again it's on seasonal reappearance, so we know he goes well fresh or at least he certainly did 12 months ago!

He's been keeping some very tasty company of late and was just 2.5l off the G1 Nunthorpe heroine Asfoora at York in August for example. The globe-trotting mare re-opposes in a fairly big field (14 expected) and it should be a thrilling cavalry charge settled potentially by flared nostrils and noses.

Trainer Johnny Portman understandably loves his charge with a passion and jockey Rob Hornby certainly gets a terrific tune out of him. Great contest in prospect.

15.35 Newmarket - Distant Storm @ 9/2

And so to the showpiece race of the day. One of the season's highlight-reel standouts. The Betfred 2000 Guineas.

Can't resist a little saunter down memory lane as to some of the previous winners of this fabled prize, established in 1809. How about Crepello, Sir Ivor, Nijinsky, Brigadier Gerard, Dancing Brave, Nashwan, Rock Of Gibraltar - I'd better stop there or we'll be here until Derby day.

The 2026 renewal features just one from the race's most successful all-time trainer Aidan O'Brien (10 wins) - and that's his Starspangledbanner colt Gstaad. He's right up there among the market principals but so is another inmate from a yard that also knows what it takes to win this first Classic of the season - Charlie Appleby's Distant Storm.

Godolphin's Night Of Thunder hope is out of a George Washington mare, so the selection is by a 2000 Guineas winner, with the dam also by a 2000 Guineas victor. Talk about being bred for the task in hand ...

Four runs to date, and two wins. Took a G3 here convincingly in September, and was beaten 2.25l in the 7f G1 Dewhurst, already looking like he needed a mile or further, when last seen in October.

Charlie has trained three recent winners of this, and I can see a fourth on the horizon. Will Buick is of course on board and the yard runs King's Trail too, but unless huge improvement is forthcoming it looks very much like the stable second-string.

A moment to savour; an opportunity for the winning connections to dream about the Betfred £2m Triple Crown bonus; and an important piece of the season's Pattern race jigsaw will be firmly in place.

ITV Racing tips with Betfred Insights.