Awtaad awseome value to land Irish 2000 Guineas

Connections have also made no secret of the high regard in which Awtaad is held, and were very bullish about his chances in this after the Tetrach.

After just four starts he also remains unexposed and open to any amount of further improvement and, with a forecast of unsettled weather, Awtaad’s proven ability on soft and good ground is a big plus.

Galileo Gold bidding for Guineas double

Galileo Gold won the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket in good style and is not surprisingly a warm order to follow-up.

The Hugo Palmer trained colt pulled hard in the early stages, but after taking up the running at the two furlong marker ran on strongly to beat Massaat by 1 1/2 lengths despite drifting right.

That form sets clear standard, but you can’t help but feel that many of the leading contenders underperformed.

Galileo Gold’s headstrong antics in the early part of the race are also a cause for concern in this smaller field, and at the odds on offer I think he is worth taking on.

Air Force Blue looking to bounce back

Air Force Blue was sent off 4/5 favourite at Newmarket after ending last season as the top rated juvenile, but ran an absolute shocker to trail in a distant 15 length 12th of 13.

The Aidan O’Brien trained son of War Front was one of the first beaten, and found absolutely nothing when push came to shove two from home.
It was a display which was very hard to fathom, and Air Force Blue now has plenty to prove.

There is every possibility that it was just an off day, but it could also be that Air Force Blue has simply failed to train on.

Either way it wouldn’t be wise to back him with so many questions that now need answering, and Air Force Blue is also a very speedy type that may strike punters as more as a sprinter than a miler.

Related

For more horse racing content, check out our dedicated archive.

Coral’s top tip: Awtaad is on a serious upward curve and looks decent value to win a fascinating renewal of the Irish 2000 Guineas.