2,000 GUINEAS TRIAL:TOMORROW'S 2,000 Guineas Trial at Leopardstown may be a Group Three prize but it has a Group One pedigree in terms of throwing up future top-class winners and Free Judgement could be the latest to follow in some illustrious footsteps.
Grey Swallow (2004), Refuse To Bend (2003) and Saffron Walden (1999) have all won this before going on to classic success and Free Judgement’s trainer Jim Bolger scored with Creachadoir three years ago who later went to score at Group One level for Godolphin.
Free Judgement is already a Group Three winner having landed the Killavullan Stakes here at the back-end of last season.
That followed on a decent effort in the Dewhurst Stakes and while very soft ground might be a question mark, it was encouraging to see Bolger’s three-year-old Reiteration win at the Curragh last weekend.
The classically-bred Viscount Nelson boasts a Champagne Stakes second but Johnny Murtagh has elected to ride Black Quartz while the promising Noll Wallop should be better when extending in trip.
Murtagh’s riding arrangements for the 1,000 Guineas Trial also look like being significant as the champion jockey has deserted the 14 to 1 Oaks favourite You’ll Be Mine in favour of the Moyglare Stud Stakes runner-up Famous.
You’ll Be Mine could be withdrawn if the ground conditions get even softer.
Aidan O’Brien runs two others in the race but possibly the most interesting filly in the field could be John Oxx’s Karasiyra, an entry for the Irish 1,000 Guineas, who broke her maiden over this course and distance last November.
The Alhaarth filly had finished fourth to You’ll Be Mine on her debut prior to that and appears to have the sort of progressive profile that usually appeals in a contest like this.
Oxx has already nominated Behtarini as a name to follow this year and the Aga Khan owned colt can kick off his classic season with an overdue success in the mile and a quarter maiden.
Behtarini kept running into good ones in maidens as a juvenile finishing runner-up to both Jan Vermeer and Chabal.
He has an entry for the Epsom Derby and those aspirations are unlikely to survive a defeat this weekend.
It’s a year and a half since New Phase last ran on the flat but Dermot Weld’s horse has been in good form over hurdles and the Curragh trainer’s decision to bring him back to the level for the 10 furlong handicap can pay dividends.
Hampshire Express only made it to the fourth flight of the Coral Cup at Cheltenham last week but can bounce back to form in the conditions hurdle at Downpatrick tomorrow.
