Irish 2000 Guineas Guide 2021

Lucky Vega represents Jessica Harrington and looks to be a star in the making having been a smart juvenile and coming back for his seasonal debut this term in fine style.

As a two year old the son of Lope De Vega won two of his first three events, with one of them including a victory in the Group One Phoenix Stakes over 6f at The Curragh.

He was tried at 7f and it did not work, but on his final start as a youngster he was a very close second behind Supremacy in the Group One Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket.

Stepping up to a mile for the first time on seasonal debut this term, he finished a close third in the 2000 Guineas, inching closer the further he went.

If handling the soft ground he is a live player off the back of that run, with many having to reverse the form with him.

The three year old was seen more frequently than most of the runners heading into the race and he has been fairly consistent to date in his seven runs, winning once and placing in all of his five starts as a juvenile, but flopping on his seasonal debut this term.

Having got off the mark four starts ago at Roscommon it looks as though soft or heavy ground could be the best surface for this colt.

However, he has been versatile running well on good ground aswell having finished second behind Thunder Moon two starts ago in the Group One National Stakes at The Curragh and next time out gave another career best in the Dewhurst Stakes when a narrow second to stablemate St Mark's Basilica.

He reappeared this season as the favourite for the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and ultimately flopped only beating a few home, with him not giving his running at all.

Back on a softer surface and having had that run out the way he should give a much better effort and is a live player.

The first of two Jim Bolger runners is the 2000 Guineas winner Poetic Flare, who has already been seen three times this season and it looks as though this soft ground is against him.

Having been seen three times as a juvenile, winning two nice events, the son of Dawn Approach was saved for this season and on seasonal debut landed a Listed 2000 Guineas Trial at Leopardstown over seven furlongs.

Off the back of that he went to Newmarket for the Classic event and in the final strides managed to land the event in fine style.

Having landed a hat-trick of wins, Bolger was looking for more glory with the horse last time out in the French 2000 Guineas, but the soft ground went against him and he faded into sixth.

Getting similar conditions here he looks up against it, but having already beaten most the field this season he is still a superb performer that could bounce back.

The English raider for Charlie Appleby has been saved for this event having skipped the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket, but like many in the field the softer conditions may be against him.

The son of Lope De Vega cost 750,000gns as a yearling and made an impressive debut as a juvenile when winning a good seven furlong maiden at Ascot.

He backed that up next time out at Newmarket in the Group Three Tattersalls Stakes when staying well to beat a good field, but on his final start last term in the Group One Criterium International at Saint-Cloud the soft ground went against him and he only beat one home.

La Barossa came back this term a more mature horse and on debut finished a narrow second to stablemate Master Of The Seas, who went on to frank the form by finishing a narrow second in the 2000 Guineas.

He looks a very smart individual, but the soft ground will not be what he wants.

Battleground for Aidan O'Brien, although needing to bounce back from his seasonal debut, still holds bundles of ability and looks to be overpriced in the market.

The son of War Front was an exceptional juvenile, needing his debut at Naas over 6f when a fair fifth, but after that went on to be one of O'Brien's best two year olds last season.

On his second start he went to Royal Ascot for the Listed Chesham Stakes over 7f and he revelled in the extra trip to get off the mark for his career.

He then backed that up at Glorious Goodwood in the Group Two Vintage Stakes, pulling away from a good field in the final stages.

The colt was saved until November for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf and finished a superb second behind a home runner, giving a superb run on his first try over a mile.

Having apparently wintered well, it was all systems go for the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket but only beating one runner home left a lot to be desired.

The three year old needs to bounce back in a big way but getting back onto slower ground is a positive and we think that run was too bad to be true.

Van Gogh, the third of the A P O’Brien entries comes here boasting a Grade one victory thanks to an impressive four length success in France upon heavy conditions.

Prior to this he was beaten by 1 1/2 lengths by the smart One Ruler over 8f at Newmarket and having been off for six months, he returned in the 2000 Guineas at flat racing HQ.

On his seasonal debut in the first British Classic event of the season he was a fair eighth on quicker ground than he would of liked, doing his best work close home.

Aidan O’Brien does appear excited about him thanks to his excellent work over the winter and growth into a big powerful horse and he stated he will certainly come on for that run.

His ability to act in the mud does signify that he will easily stay further but despite this may still have the pace to be competitive here, especially getting his ideal conditions

All in all, he rounds off a very appealing trio from the AP O’Brien yard.

An interesting contender is Mac Swiney who is the second and final runner trainer Jim Bolger with colt likely to come on a fair bit for his seasonal debut.

The son of New Approach was a smart juvenile topping off last season at Doncaster in the Group One Vertem Futurity Stakes, when taking the event in heavy ground.

He returned as a three year old this term looking set to go for the Derby having ran in the Group Three Derrinstown Derby Trial over 10f at Leopardstown.

However, after finishing a tame fourth behind the impressive Bolshoi Ballet, it looks as they have reverted back to the mile with him.

That bad run can also be put down to a respiratory infection being found after the race and now getting back to a mile on testing ground he won't be far away.

Experienced handler Kevin Prendergast fields just the one runner in this seasons renewal of the race with Monaasib for Shadwell looking a possible each way player.

The three year old was a smart juvenile towards the back end of last year, finishing a close second in a big fielded 6f event before stepping up to a mile in the Group Two Beresford Stakes over C&D and finishing a narrow second to superstar High Definition.

This season the son of Bobby's Kitten returned with a smart third over 7f at Leopardstown in the Listed 2000 Guineas Trial, not being beaten far by the English 2000 Guineas winner Poetic Flare.

If coming on for that run he looks a big each way player with this master Irish trainer knowing better than most how to train a horse for this race.

One of the bigger priced runners in the event is the Joseph Murphy trained Agrimony, who has been seen three times in his short career and has raced to a good standard in all of them.

The colt was first seen in September last year over a mile at Punchestown on soft ground and he finished a fair second to a nice type for Joseph O'Brien.

Having been saved for this term he returned over 10 furlongs in April and again finished second in a Maiden this time behind the talented Wordsworth.

Soft ground seems to be the key to this horse as he got off the mark last time out over a mile at Gowran, beating market rival Emporio.

This demands much more but with some bookies offering extra places he is not the worst each way bet in the world.

A rare runner in Ireland for Hugo Palmer sees the The Rosstafarian go for the handler with the smart Colin Keane booked to ride having won the winner of the race last term.

The three year old has been seen three times during his career, Twice as a juvenile starting at Salisbury when getting off the mark over a mile on good to soft ground and then he backed that up a few weeks later at Pontefract when a decent third on soft ground behind some nice types.

The colt returned this season in the Group Three Craven Stakes and finished a fair fifth on extremely quick ground behind winner Master Of The Seas who has since franked the form.

Getting back onto a softer surface should bring improvement but he does have to reverse the form with La Barrosa which looks a tough task.

The penultimate runner of the event is the Donnacha O'Brien trained Emporio who has to step up a fair bit to get involved in this off the best of his form.

The son of Zoffany will love the soft ground and was a fair juvenile finishing second on all three of starts as a youngster, with the best of them coming on his final start last term when behind Arturo Toscanini on heavy ground.

Back for this term the three year old finished a tame sixth in a Maiden at Gowran Park over a mile, seeming to need the run, but last time out finished a smart second behind rival Agrimony.

Although a talented he doesn't look like a horse that can mix it with some of these and his price of 50/1 reflects that.

Finally the big 66/1 outsider of the race is the Andrew Slattery trained Rebel Step who was raced a fair bit as a juvenile and he struggled in ordinary races.

This season he has been seen three times, finishing fourth on seasonal debut at Dundalk over a mile and then over the same C&D was a better second.

He was last seen finishing a decent second in a Handicap event over a mile and overall he looks to need a miracle to get involved.