Architect Tips goes through the five most backed horses ante-post for the 2000 and 1000 Guineas at Newmarket since the start of the flat season.
Auguste Rodin
- Trainer: Aidan O’Brien
- Jockey: Ryan Moore
- 2000 Guineas Odds: 13/8
% Ante-Post Bets for the 2000 Guineas: 36
Trained by Aidan O’Brien, and favourite for Saturday's Qipco 2000 Guineas, is the exciting Auguste Rodin who conquered all before him last season, in which he concluded his two-year-old campaign with a straightforward success in the Group 1 Vertem Futurity Trophy when last seen at Doncaster. He is the most backed horse across both Guineas races via oddschecker.
Despite being viewed as more of a Derby type by connections, he will be well-suited to a stiff mile at Newmarket and if the rain arrives, expect his price to shorten. He ticks a lot of boxes and conducts himself in the utmost professional manner on a racecourse, which has been a key part of his progress.
After finishing second on his debut, he won his maiden at Naas before taking a Group 2 on Irish Champions Weekend and then ploughed through the heavy ground to bag his Group 1 at Doncaster. The form has taken a couple of boosts since too, as the second Epictetus won a Listed event at Epsom, while the fourth Dancing Magic subsequently ran well in the Craven Stakes to take third.
The Deep Impact colt has the perfect blend of speed and stamina alongside the will to win, which are key ingredients for a potential winner of this prestigious contest. His position at the top of the market has continued to strengthen week after week, in which he is now 13/8 and that is partially due to the absence of Nostrum, who was billed to be one of his biggest dangers.
Aidan O’Brien is the most decorated trainer in the history of the race, winning it a monumental 10 times and rider Ryan Moore has high hopes this son of Rhododendron will prove himself to be a "special" horse on the Rowley Mile this weekend. In addition, a lot of his fan club agree, given he has attracted 36% of all ante-post bets on the 2000 Guineas since the start of the Flat Season.
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Tahiyra
- Trainer: Dermot Weld
- 1000 Guineas Odds: 10/3
% Ante-Post Bets for the 1000 Guineas: 22
Tahiyra has not been seen since beating Meditate in the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes, but that hasn't deterred her backers through oddschecker - 22% of all bets on the 1000 Guineas since the start of the Flat season have gone the way of the unbeaten Aga Khan-owned filly.
The three year old daughter of Siyouni bolted up on debut at Galway and was then saved for the Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh, where she beat Meditate with loads in hand. That form looks bombproof, as the second was last seen winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in great style.
Her trainer is keeping all options open but she has long been touted by many as the one to beat in the 1000 Guineas should she line-up. She has a feel-good factor about her and her two impressive performances last year, especially last time, cemented her position at the top of the market. She is classy, exciting and a big season most certainly awaits her.
Chaldean
- Trainer: Andrew Balding
- Jockey: Frankie Dettori
- 2000 Guineas Odds: 6/1
% Ante-Post Bets for the 2000 Guineas: 13
The third most backed horse is Britain's top juvenile last term, Chaldean, who has taken 13% of 2000 Guineas bets and is currently third favourite at 6/1 for Saturday's race. He was expected to make a winning return in the Greenham Stakes, when sent off the 5/4 market leader but after being slightly hampered as the stalls opened, Frankie Dettori was surprisingly shipped out the side door.
Whilst the initial and obvious reaction would be to suggest that unfortunate incident would knock his credentials, that certainly isn’t the case, especially when you reflect on what he achieved last season. He completed a sequence of wins, including when beating Royal Scotsman in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket over seven furlongs.
He has yet to tackle a mile but I can’t see why it would be an issue as it should bring about improvement if anything. He never looked like getting beaten despite being challenged by the Richmond Stakes winner when winning his Group 1 despite racing keenly, plus the form of his two previous easy wins over Indestructible have been positively advertised.
Chaldean beat Karl Burke’s charge twice last season and the second bolted up in the Craven Stakes on his reappearance this season, so you can see why he is still popular with punters through oddschecker despite his incident last time out. He would be a fitting winner should he prevail for Frankie in the final year of his career.
Mammas Girl
- Trainer: Richard Hannon
- 1000 Guineas Odds: 6/1
% Ante-Post Bets for the 1000 Guineas: 13
The Richard Hannon-trained Mammas Girl entered the picture as a leading candidate for the 1000 Guineas after a last-to-first success in the Nell Gwyn Stakes last time out and whether you take her success with a pinch of salt, with the time-figure not exactly fast, she deserves some recognition for her success, given she did the job impressively from a visual perspective under Sean Levey to keep her unbeaten record firmly intact.
Held up in rear, once the tempo of the race lifted, she began to really hit top gear and she picked up strongly inside the final furlong to motor past all of her rivals to win going away by two-and-three-quarter-length, looking better the further she went. Bookmakers were quick to react, cutting her price into 6/1 for Classic glory having been as big as 50/1 prior to remaining unbeaten last time and the form has been upheld with the fifth winning earlier this week.
Her winning performance undoubtedly attracted the attention of punters too, as 13% of all ante-post bets have gone the way of Richard Hannon’s filly since the start of the Flat Season, the second most backed for the 1000 Guineas and her trainer will be looking to win this race for a second time.
The last time Richard trained the winner of the race was with Billesdon Brook in 2018 and he appears to have a strong chance of lifting the prize again this year with this daughter of Havana Grey.
Little Big Bear
- Trainer: Aidan O’Brien
- Jockey: Wayne Lordan
- 2000 Guineas Odds: 9/2
% Ante-Post Bets for the 2000 Guineas: 12
Little Big Bear has not run since a setback prevented him from the opportunity to prove himself beyond sprint trips after his brilliant seven-length Phoenix Stakes win over six furlongs when brushing aside Persian Force. However, 12% of punters fancy him to make up for lost time in the 2000 Guineas.
His stamina for a mile remains inconclusive, as he hasn’t yet raced beyond six furlongs and his breeding doesn’t provide much conviction about him appreciating the distance either but the way he has hit the line strongly in each of his four wins has left the impression he could actually improve for it. All of his best work has been at the finish, so it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that he casts aside any stamina doubts.
After finishing second on debut when narrowly denied by a short-head, he then landed his next four races, taking the Windsor Castle at Royal Ascot before stepping up in grade to claim the Anglesey Stakes and then the Phoenix Stakes, where he impressively put daylight between himself and the rest of the field. Whether he will stay one mile, only time will tell, but last year’s top juvenile could justify the support he has received from punters through oddschecker.
