Field Of Gold and Twain among big guns still standing for Newmarket

Field Of Gold heads 17 confirmations for the Betfred 2000 Guineas at Newmarket on Saturday.

John and Thady Gosden’s grey was a hugely impressive winner of the Craven Stakes on his reappearance earlier this month and will attempt to emulate Haafhd, the last horse to do the Craven-Guineas double in 2004.

Owners Juddmonte also have Andrew Balding’s Greenham winner Jonquil and Harry Charlton’s Cosmic Year, but have stated they are very unlikely to run all three.

“He’s done well since winning the Craven and that was a race where they went strong and he did burst through from the back so maybe they overdid it in front, but he is pointing nicely and is in good order towards the Guineas at the moment,” said John Gosden, who has yet to win the race in his long and illustrious career.

“I will look forward to it, he has won a trial well but of course there are horses coming from Ireland who have not run yet this year and have very good form and they may just show our form to be inferior. There will be everything to play for, that’s for sure.”

The sponsors make Field Of Gold their 2-1 favourite at the five-day stage, followed by Aidan O’Brien’s Twain, who won his maiden and a Group One in the space of just eight days last year.

“He’s a unique type of horse that won his maiden and went back and won a Group One a couple of days after, so he really went into the Group One as a horse that didn’t have any experience whatsoever,” O’Brien told Betfred.

“It’s very unique what he did, it was very difficult to do and it was a little unfair of us to ask him to do it, but he came up trumps and did it.

“Everything’s gone very well with him so far, he’s from Galileo’s pedigree, he’s a Wootton Bassett, so there is a chance that he could be a Triple Crown runner, but I’m very happy with everything he’s doing at the moment.”

O’Brien has also left in Expanded, Camille Pissarro, Henri Matisse and Serengeti.

Joseph O’Brien’s Scorthy Champ will have his supporters, while Charlie Appleby’s Ruling Court and Shadow Of Light give the Moulton Paddocks handler two strong chances of winning the Classic for a third time in four years.

Jessica Harrington will rely on Green Impact, having taken out Futurity Trophy winner Hotazhell, while James Owen’s Wimbledon Hawkeye, second in the Craven, may also run.

Appleby’s Desert Flower is odds-on with some bookmakers for the Betfred 1000 Guineas.

She oozed class in remaining unbeaten at two, particularly when winning the Fillies’ Mile by over five lengths.

Aidan O’Brien’s Lake Victoria, a Group One winner over six and seven furlongs and then a mile at the Breeders’ Cup last year, leads Ballydoyle hopes. O’Brien could also run Bedtime Story, Exactly and Merrily.

Ger Lyons’ Red Letter also looks a filly with a lot of potential, with the Archie Watson-trained Duty First, so impressive in the Fred Darling, supplemented at a cost of £30,000.

Ollie Sangster’s pair of Simmering and Flight, Ralph Beckett’s Chantilly Lace and Saeed bin Suroor’s regally-bred Elwateen are also among the 15 possibles.