Aiden O’Brien’s Minding sets the clear form standard for this year’s 1000 Guineas – the female equivalent of the 2000 Guineas over the same mile trip at Newmarket.
Yesterday his heavily-backed Air Force Blue got turned over as an odds-on favourite and Minding fits a very similar profile.
They were both dominant two-year-olds and have the task of training on at three, which Air Force Blue emphatically failed to do.
He may come right later in the season and I think very few of Coolmore’s horses are seen to their best this time of year.
Having not had a run and seen the ground dry overnight to ‘good’, Minding, brilliant though she might be, is quite easy to oppose given her liking for a bit of cut in the ground.
I’ve been on ground watch for Mark Johnston’s Cheveley Park Stakes winner LUMIERE, who was a hugely impressive two-year-old and has been the subject of glowing reports from connections all winter.
She has loads of speed, a perfect two-from-two record at Newmarket and is a very backable 6/1 to land what would be her second Group One.
At 25/1 and with the Hannon yard in good form, it’s difficult to rule out Illuminate either as she and Lumiere are very closely matched on form – half a length separated them in the Cheveley Park.
She’s only tried a mile once, on softer ground than she’d like over in America, where she appeared to stay the trip okay.
She might just be a real top-of-the-ground horse and I’d like to see it firm up more to back her, but she’s a lovely price and I wouldn’t want to put you off.
Midweek is an intriguing opponent from France.
Her trainer Criquette Head-Maarek rarely sends one over without a chance and we can guarantee she will stay the trip based on her French form.
Backable at 18/1, she is the most unexposed horse in the race and is well worth a bet if that’s the angle you want to take.
It’s not the one I’m taking; I’m going single-handed and sticking with the known course form and potential of Lumiere.
1pt win Lumiere @6/1, 15:40 Newmarket, Sunday
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