2024 Newmarket Guineas Meeting Preview – DS
2024 Newmarket Guineas Meeting Preview & Tips
First of all, some news. From here on in we’ll only be posting one horse racing preview every week. It’ll most likely be the live ITV Saturday cards but I’ll try to cover the biggest and most important races wherever possible. This weekend is a huge one with the 2000 and 1000 Guineas at HQ (as well as the Thirsk Hunt Cup). You can check out our 2024 Newmarket Guineas meeting tips below.
1.45 Newmarket – William Hill Handicap (Heritage)
It looks like it is going to be beautiful, good ground at Newmarket this weekend. There are showers forecast but not enough to change the going. We start off in this 6f handicap and there’s a host of familiar faces involved.
The old boy Summerghand is the 5/1 fav after his eye catching effort over C&D two weeks ago. He was a shade unlucky in the run that day and if Danny Tudhope can chart a clearer passage, he ought to be bang there again off a mark of 95, 7lbs lower than his last winning rating.
Nice Price
Another one that ran well last time out is Sterling Knight but unlike Summerghand, he is a nice e/w price. At Doncaster (6f sft) he finished off his race very strongly after meeting a bit of trouble and while the ground will be different here, he has won in all sorts of conditions.
Ed Dunlop has booked David Probert for the ride. He has won twice on this son of Camelot, including off 90 at Windsor last year. Sterling Knight races off the same rating today and he’s drawn close to Apollo One so he should have a decent target to aim at if he goes to the front as he usually does.
This 5yo is a hold up horse so as ever, a degree of luck will be required. He has never run on the Rowley course but he has won over straight six furlong tracks before so there should be no issues as far as the course is concerned. If he can repeat the level of form he showed at Donny, Sterling Knight can hit the frame here at odds of 16/1.
2024 Newmarket Guineas Meeting Tip: Sterling Knight e/w @ 16/1 (5 places) nb
2.05 Goodwood – Conqueror Fillies’ Stakes (Listed)
We have very different conditions at Goodwood. The ground is heavy so it’ll be tough going for the eight fillies in this 8F Listed contest. The one I’ll be taking a chance on here is Royal Dress for new trainer James Tate and Ben Coen.
This Night of Thunder filly was formerly trained by Richard Hannon and she is rated just 87. That leaves her with a lot to find on paper with most of the principals but a couple of them would probably prefer a sounder surface. Royal Dress has won on heavy (and soft) before and she also has course form in the book.
Course Form
Last June she ran in a handicap here on fast ground over 6f and she finished second behind Frankness. A couple of months later she ran in a better race over a mile (gd/sft) off 86 and she was only beat 1.5l behind Choisya (and 0.75L by Novus). She was getting 4lbs from Choisya that day and she is off levels with her today, but she is now 5lbs better off with Novus.
Given that there was so little between them in that contest, it is hard to understand why she is 20/1 and those two rivals are 7/2 and 4/1 and at the head of the betting. Yes, they have had a run already this term but James Tate can ready one first time up, just like he did with Electric Storm for this owner at Bath last week (2nd in a Listed race after a similar break). With track and ground to suit, hopefully Ben Coen can steer Royal Dress into the places at odds of 20/1.
2024 goodwood Tip: Royal Dress e/w @ 20/1
2.20 Newmarket – Suffolk Stakes Handicap (Heritage)
This should be run at a decent clip and if he is ready to rock on his seasonal return, the bottom weight Mustazeed could go well here. This 6yo son of Territories has won on ground varying from heavy to good and he won his first two starts last season, his first two runs for Harry Eustace.
Both those wins came over 10f at Newbury, off 77 and then off 83. He proved he could be competitive off his revised mark of 88 at the backend of last season when running big races at Newbury and Doncaster in September/October. Both those runs came on heavy but as I mentioned earlier, this horse is versatile ground wise.
Saffie Osborne is riding very well and she finished third on her only previous ride for Eustace. The form of Mustazeed’s 10f good ground win at Newbury last May is mustard (Sweet Reward 2nd off 78 now rated 90; Andaleep 3rd off 86 now rated 91) and he returns to action with his trainer in fine form. He won first time up last year, hopefully he can repeat the trick at odds of 33/1.
2024 Newmarket Guineas Meeting Tip: Mustazeed e/w @ 33/1 (5 places)
2.40 Thirsk – Thirsk Hunt Cup (Class 2)
The 10yo Redarna won this race on his seasonal return back in 2022. That win came off a mark of 91 on good to firm ground, he is back to try and regain his crown off 3lbs lower. This time, Dianne Sayer has given Redarna a prep run and it was a more than decent effort at Musselburgh.
He finished fifth over 7f, just 4L behind the winner Limarty Dreams and 2L behind his old rival On A Session. When he won the race in 2022 On A Session finished second and was in receipt of a pound from Sayer’s charge. At Musselburgh, Redarna was giving him 7lbs, so that piece of form suggests he still retains a lot of his old ability.
Joanna Mason takes over in the plate and she is usually pretty good on hold up horses. Redarna is drawn in stall 6 so she should be able to drop in and get him covered up and hopefully deliver a challenge in the final furlong. Winning might be beyond him at the ripe old age of 10 but he’s proven over C&D, he shaped well last time and at odds of 20/1, I think he’s worth chancing e/w.
2024 thirsk hunt cup Tip: Redarna e/w @ 20/1 (5 places)
2.55 Newmarket – Palace House Stakes (Group 3)
I’ve long thought that Tees Spirit was a Group level sprinter but he seemed to lose his way a bit last season. The winner of the 2022 Epsom Dash, he first came to my attention when I was studying Moss Tucker’s form for the Prix de L’Abbaye. He beat Mossy (and Erosandpsyche & Ano Syra) in a Listed race at Tipperary (5f gd) and that form is top notch.
Good or good to firm ground is vital for this son of Swiss Spirit. He got those conditions on his seasonal return over today’s C&D and he hacked up in that handicap under today’s jockey Mia Nicholls off 91. She admittedly isn’t the strongest of jockeys yet but she’s improving and she gets a good tune out of this fella.
This will clearly be more difficult than last time in this better grade but I am hoping similar front running tactics are employed. This lad is all about speed and he is unlikely to face much competition for the lead. If he breaks well from stall 5, I can see him making a bold bid and at odds of 16/1, hopefully Tees Spirit can hold off the finishers and reward e/w support.
2024 Newmarket Guineas Meeting Tip: Tees Spirit e/w @ 16/1 NAP
3.35 Newmarket – 2000 Guineas Stakes (Group 1)
We are already on Inisherin at 66s ante post and I am happy to stick by him (reasoning here). Obviously, the hype about City Of Troy has been relentless. Aidan O’Brien has been talking about Triple Crowns, winning Grade 1 dirt races, his beautiful temperament, his great mind and all the other usual cliches he comes out with. Is he telling the truth this time?
We’ll find out on Saturday but I am hoping Inisherin bursts the City Of Troy bubble. Hopefully it’s a cracking race and we get a decent run for our money.
2024 Newmarket Guineas Meeting Tip: Inisherin already advised @ 66/1
Sunday
3.40 Newmarket – 1000 Guineas Stakes (Group 1)
On Sunday the feature at Newmarket is the 1000 Guineas. We landed a lovely place at 50/1 with Matilda Picotte last year and this year, I am going to take a punt on Sacred Angel at similar odds. Charlie Johnston’s horses are in fine fettle right now and this horse has the form in the book to be competitive here.
She is by a top sire in Dark Angel and her dam won a Listed sprint in her racing days. Sacred Angel did all her racing at 6f last term. She beat Pretty Crystal by 3L at Ascot last July in a G3, she then ran with credit on ground that didn’t suit at Deauville in a G1 behind Vandeek. Her last 2yo start came here in the G1 Cheveley Park and she was beat 1.75L into third behind Porta Fortuna and Pearls And Rubies.
Re-Opposes
Porta Fortuna re-opposes here and it’ll be interesting to see how close they are to each other over this longer trip. The O’Brien horse has already tried a mile and she saw it out well, beat just 0.5L at the Breeders’ Cup in November.
Sacred Angel’s pedigree suggests that 8f might suit her well. Her half-sister won over 10f in France and while her dam was a sprinter, her half sister was a winner at 8f to 11f so there is every chance she’ll stay a mile.
Charlie Johnston’s horses are flying, Jason Hart was on board for her win at Ascot and she’ll get her favoured good ground. So, at odds of 50/1, Sacred Angel is the e/w selection.
