2000 Guineas tips: Newmarket and Thirsk preview and best value bets for Saturday May 1
By Matt Brocklebank
Racing betting tips: Saturday May 1
1pt win Al Muffrih in 1.50 Newmarket at 20/1 (Hills)
1pt win Tom Collins in 2.40 Thirsk at 8/1 (888Sport)
1pt win Van Gogh in 3.40 Newmarket at 10/1 (General)
Saturday’s QIPCO 2000 Guineas is undeniably weaker for the defection of Dewhurst hero St Mark’s Basilica but despite the various form lines and intriguing narratives going on elsewhere, 10-time winning trainer Aidan O’Brien still has a typically strong grip on the first Classic of the season.
Dewhurst runner-up Wembley, presumably the choice of Ryan Moore, looks a more than able deputy given his consistent, high-class form shown at two, while Battleground – the mount of Frankie Dettori, who went close on Wichita for O’Brien in the same race last year – is another big player based on what he did in 2020. He could quite conceivably be favourite come Saturday afternoon an
Shamardal Filly Tops Tattersalls February Day 1 bloodhorse.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bloodhorse.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
6:53PM, FEB 4 2021
There may have been an unfamiliar feel to the start of this year s February Sale, with Covid-19 restrictions forcing Tattersalls to hold the two-day auction entirely online, but once selling got under way there was a distinct sense of business as usual, with offerings from the Godolphin draft once again proving a major draw.
The consignment from Sheikh Mohammed s operation duly supplied Thursday s session topper as Avenue Bloodstock s Mark McStay went to 120,000gns for the well-related Beautiful Illusion.
The four-year-old daughter of Shamardal was a talented runner while under the care of Charlie Appleby, winning twice on the all-weather at three. She was last seen running in France having switched to the stable of Henri-Alex Pantall.