The three, Auguste Rodin, Cairo and Little Big Bear are all trained by Aidan O’Brien at Balldoyle for Coolmore partnerships.

Ten of the 15 three-year-old colts are Irish-bred.

QIPCO 2000 Guineas 4.40pm, Saturday 6th May 2023, at Newmarket.

Auguste Rodin (IRE) 3 9 2 M Tabor/D Smith/Mrs J Magnier/Westerberg Aidan O’Brien Ireland

Cairo (IRE) 3 9 2 D. Smith, Mrs J. Magnier, M.Tabor, Westerberg Aidan O’Brien Ireland

Chaldean 3 9 2 Juddmonte Andrew Balding Frankie Dettori

Charyn (IRE) 3 9 2 Mr Nurlan Bizakov Roger Varian Tom Marquand

Dubai Mile (IRE) 3 9 2 Ahmad Al Shaikh Charlie Johnston Daniel Muscutt

Flight Plan 3 9 2 Clipper Logistics K. R. Burke Daniel Tudhope

Galeron (IRE) 3 9 2 Teme Valley & Aura (Gas) Holdings Ltd Charles Hills Kieran Shoemark

Hi Royal (IRE) 3 9 2 Mr Jaber Abdullah Kevin Ryan

Holloway Boy 3 9 2 Mr Nick White & Mrs E Burke K. R. Burke

Indestructible (IRE) 3 9 2 Amo Racing Limited K. R. Burke

Little Big Bear (IRE) 3 9 2 D. Smith, Mrs J. Magnier, M. Tabor, Westerberg Aidan O’Brien Ireland

Noble Style 3 9 2 Godolphin Charlie Appleby James Doyle

Royal Scotsman (IRE) 3 9 2 Mrs Fitri Hay Paul & Oliver Cole Jim Crowley

Sakheer (IRE) 3 9 2 KHK Racing Roger Varian David Egan

Silver Knott 3 9 2 Godolphin Charlie Appleby William Buick

The post Three Irish trained colts among 15 confirmed for QIPCO 2000 Guineas appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

In an exciting enhancement to the two-day weekend meeting, which stages the first two Classics of the season, racing will now also take place on the Friday and run from April 29^th to May 1^st in 2022.

The QIPCO 2000 and QIPCO 1000 Guineas will remain in their current positions, with further details about Friday 29^th April including the race programme, what racegoers can expect off the track and ticket details announced in due course.

Sophie Able, Newmarket Racecourses’ General Manager, said: “We’re delighted to be enhancing one of British racing’s most prestigious Flat racing fixtures and a meeting which has shown sustained growth in the last decade.

“An additional day means more flexibility to optimise the meeting’s race programme both for participants and those who follow and bet on racing, as well as the chance to use the existing infrastructure to create another great day out for our customers.

“There are wider benefits too in terms of the shape of Newmarket’s early-season fixture list, more recovery time for the course itself and an easier operational switch onto the July Course.

“Most of all though, Newmarket at the beginning of May is a magical place to be, and this is another chance to see the home of horseracing at its very best.

“We’re excited about the opportunities for further growth this change will bring, and the benefits racing will see through subsequent reinvestment, and we hope everyone looks forward to a three-day QIPCO Guineas Festival next year as much as we will.”

Rod Street, Chief Executive of British Champions Series, said: “The QIPCO Guineas Festival is one of the highlights of the British sporting calendar and we welcome the fact that racegoers will be able to enjoy a third day of brilliant racing from the Rowley Mile.

“Whilst the circumstances in 2020 were very different, we have seen the interest that a three-day Festival is able to generate and very much view this as a chance to engage more people in one of racing’s most important events.”

The post Qipco Guineas Festival To Move To Three Days From 2022 Onwards appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

The Andrew Balding-trained colt got the better of Aidan O’Brien’s Wichita (15/2) and the previously unbeaten hot favourite Pinatubo (5/6f), who came into the race unbeaten in six juvenile starts, and with the highest two-year-old rating for 25 years.

A race run in record time saw outsiders Persuasion and Juan Elcano set the early pace, with the main players in the market, namely Wichita, Arizona, Kameko and Pinatubo in contention nearing the two-furlong pole.

Killarney-born jockey Oisín Murphy came wide on Kameko to outstay Wichita (Frankie Dettori) by a neck, while Pinatubo (William Buick), who had every chance, finished a further length back in third place.

A delighted British Champion jockey, Oisín Murphy, said of today’s victory:

“I’ve never won a Classic in Britain and it means the absolute world to me. It’s the stuff of dreams. It was a gutsy performance. He hardly blew a candle out afterwards – he must have a tremendous amount of ability.”

Andrew Balding, the winning trainer, was delighted with Kameko’s success, stating:

“He was doing his best work late on and this is his minimum. He will stay further than this. He has always looked smart and he always looked like he would be a better three-year-old as well.”

Following today’s Qipco 2000 Guineas win, Kameko was promoted to Epsom Derby favouritism for the July 4^th premier classic, with his trainer believing the Qatar Racing-owned colt will stay further:

“To me it looks the obvious choice, there would be a stamina doubt but there’s only one way to find out. He will certainly get a mile and a quarter, but there is a certain race over a mile and a half in July that would be quite appealing.”

The racing continues on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket on Sunday, with the second British classic of the season, the Qipco 1000 Guineas the day’s main contest.

The post “It’s the stuff of dreams” as Kameko lands Qipco 2000 Guineas for Oisín Murphy appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

The Ballydoyle trainer, who will bid to land his fourth successive victory in the Group 1 contest and eleventh in total, currently has Arizona, New World Tapestry, Royal Dornoch and Wichita remaining among the big race entries.

Speaking ahead of the first weekend of racing in Britain since March, O’Brien said:

“We won’t really know where we are until the horses get going. The horses have been ticking over, but obviously every time you think you had a target and put a sight on it, the next thing the target moves and you have to change again, so it’s a little bit tricky and horses do feel that.”

Arizona, a son of No Nay Never, who came home well in his races last season, is the perceived leading Ballydoyle contender for the Newmarket mile event:

“(He’s) been the horse on everyone’s mind all along and everyone is happy with him. He’s in good form and everything has gone well with him. He’s a big, rangy, scopey horse who we always thought would improve from two to three. We always thought a mile was going to be well within his grasp. I’m not sure how much further he will get.”

The post Arizona to lead Ballydoyle challenge for Saturday’s Qipco 2000 Guineas appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.