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John Gosden aims Kingman at Solario but attacks 'hype' heaped on colt

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• Kingman as Guineas favourite is 'nonsense', says trainer
• Sir Alex Ferguson's If I Had Him wins Jersey prize

Kingman, widely seen as one of this season's most exciting two-year-olds, is due to return to the track on Saturday in Sandown's Solario Stakes, when his claims to be a serious Classic contender are likely to be given a thorough test. The colt made an electrifying debut when scoring by six lengths at Newmarket in June but his trainer, John Gosden, said on Monday that some observers had allowed themselves to be carried away by the performance.

"He's been fine," Gosden said as he returned to his Newmarket base from the sales ring at Doncaster. "I named the Solario as his target after he won last time and we've stayed with the plan.

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Kingman heads 2,000 Guineas market after Greenham victory at Newbury

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• Kingman wins Classic trial by four lengths for John Gosden
• 'He's pleased me in everything he's done,' says Gosden

Kingman is the new favourite for the 2,000 Guineas, having seemed in a different class to his rivals in the Greenham Stakes. The race, which had looked highly competitive beforehand, was one of three on the card won by the trainer John Gosden, whose string appears in unstoppable form.

The Newmarket man has sent out 13 winners in eight days but Kingman was the most significant by miles, whizzing four lengths clear under very little pressure from his jockey, James Doyle. The trainer was moved to offer an extravagant compliment: "He's got without doubt the highest cruising speed of a horse I've ever trained over this trip," Gosden said.

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John Gosden delighted with Kingman but issues warning over fast ground

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• Kingman 2,000 Guineas odds cut after positive post-race news
• Gosden does not expect multiple winners at Craven meeting

John Gosden confirmed on Sunday that Kingman had come through his exertions on Saturday without a problem. The colt turned in an exhilarating performance to win Newbury's Greenham Stakes by daylight, becoming clear favourite for next month's 2,000 Guineas.

"He's in good form, I'm happy with him," said Gosden, which will be reassuring news for Kingman's fans, since his last season was ended by ankle surgery. Kingman is now likely to be aimed at the first Classic of the year, though the trainer does not want to risk him on fast ground, with that operation in mind.

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Richard Hannon adds Night Of Thunder to 2,000 Guineas lineup

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• Hannon believes colt 'will improve' on second to Kingman
• Stable already have leading fancy Toormore in Guineas

Richard Hannon capped a fine week's work with a double here on Saturday and will be doubly represented in the 2,000 Guineas in a fortnight's time following the news that Night Of Thunder has been committed to the race.

The colt appeared to be put in his place by Kingman at Newbury last weekend but connections believe they have reason to hope for a better effort in the Newmarket Classic and will not take what might be seen as an easier alternative in the French Guineas.

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Aidan O'Brien's Australia tantalises as Flat season jumps into unknown | Greg Wood

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Guineas meeting marks real start of 2014 Flat season, with O'Brien's intriguing colt Australia set to grab attention

From Sandown via Punchestown to Newmarket and Chester, the transition from jumping to the Flat over the next two weeks will be all but seamless. There are no fewer than 12 Grade One National Hunt contests at Punchestown's festival meeting between Tuesday and Saturday, when the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket will be the first Group One of the British Flat season, and it can be difficult to stop and reflect when there is always so much to anticipate.

The 2013-2014 jumps campaign did not leave a long sequence of images etched on the memory as some have done in recent years, though the afternoon at Towcester in early November when Tony McCoy rode the 4,000th winner of his career stands out as a moment when racing, and a fair proportion of the general public too, paused to appreciate one of the truly extraordinary sporting careers.

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Escalating Ascot victory highlights controversial interference rules

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• Hanagan insists runner-up should have been awarded race
• John Gosden hoping for rain for Guineas favourite Kingman

A senior steward acknowledged that there was "frustration" over the rules on interference after a controversial finish here on Wednesday in which the Royal Ascot-bound Escalating held off Kibaar after knocking his rival sideways. The result was allowed to stand and Paul Barton, Britain's head of stewarding who served on the panel here, insisted that was the right decision as the rules are presently framed.

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Owners' president Rachel Hood blazes the trail in a traditional sport

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Pioneering woman whose husband John Gosden trains 2,000 Guineas favourite Kingman instrumental in championing greater diversity in racing

Come Saturday morning, the tension in Rachel Hood's Newmarket home will have reached boiling point as the president of the Racehorse Owners Association and her husband trainer John Gosden prepare hot favourite, Kingman, to run in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket.

Through pursed lips, Hood concedes the tiniest of smiles. "The trainer becomes increasingly taciturn as you get towards the big day," she says, aiming for diplomacy. "It's an exciting prospect, a horse like Kingman. But he's had his issues. He won the Greenham very well, so it would be lovely to think that can continue, but with horses you don't know … John's a very sweet person. I think [the pressure] is a nice problem to have. I'm up and I hope that helps him. No doubt he can cope perfectly well without me. It'll be fine. If it goes well, then great. Let's hope it does."

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Talking Horses: today's best bets and all the latest racing news | Chris Cook

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Kingman's followers have fretted over whether he would be risked on good to firm ground in the 2,000 Guineas

Tony Paley: Kieren Fallon won a dramatic 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket on 40-1 outsider Night Of Thunder despite the winner swerving across the track in the closing stages.

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Kieren Fallon wins 2,000 Guineas on shock victor Night Of Thunder

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• 40-1 outsider won for first-season trainer Richard Hannon
• Jockey beats favourite to take his fifth colts' Classic

Kieren Fallon won a dramatic 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket on 40-1 outsider Night Of Thunder despite the winner swerving across the track in the closing stages.

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Kieren Fallon wins 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket on Night Of Thunder

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• Fifth colts' Classic success for veteran jockey
• Winner swerved across track in closing stages

Kieren Fallon's ability to grab the headlines remains undiminished at the age of 49, as most of those here were stunned to discover when he conjured a 2,000 Guineas victory from the 40-1 shot Night Of Thunder. The outsider beat the two hotpots in the race, Kingman and Australia, by less than a length and delivered Classic glory at the first attempt for his trainer, Richard Hannon Jr.

It was an unsatisfactory race, in that the field split into two groups, who each raced hard against the rails with an acre of grass between them. Connections of Kingman claimed that their horse had beaten all those on his side of the track, implying that he may have been unlucky, but this is true only inasmuch as Night Of Thunder ended up on the stands' side after veering across the track; he began on the far rail, close to Kingman, and stayed there until the final 100 yards or so.

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Ryan Moore lands Chester Cup on Suegioo for Dr Marwan Koukash

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• Koukash celebrates one-two from five runners in race
• Anipa is shock winner of the Listed Cheshire Oaks

The Chester Cup saved its most gripping drama for the last of its 18 furlongs on Wednesday, as Suegioo edged past Angel Gabrial despite being carried across the track as his opponent drifted off the rail, but one spectator at least could watch with equanimity. Dr Marwan Koukash, whose love of this track borders on obsession, owned five of the 17 starters in Wednesday's feature race, and since both horses were carrying his colours, Koukash was already certain to be celebrating a third Chester Cup success in seven years.

Suegioo was a worthy winner under Ryan Moore, and even in the current change-averse environment in the stewards' room, Marco Botti's runner would probably have been awarded the race if his run had come up short. As it was, Sueigoo stayed on to win by half a length from Angel Gabrial, whose rider Jamie Spencer had ridden a typically confident race, sitting last in a big field on one of the country's tightest tracks before sweeping past the entire field in the space of three furlongs to lead on the turn for home. All Spencer received for his effort was a four-day ban for careless riding.

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Talking Horses: Thursday’s best bets plus the latest racing news

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The 2,000 Guineas favourite Gleneagles will be seen at The Curragh on Sunday after trainer Aidan O’Brien confirmed the colt will be part of the Ballydoyle string working after racing

Tony Paley: The 2,000 Guineas favourite Gleneagles will be seen at The Curragh on Sunday after trainer Aidan O’Brien confirmed the gambled-on colt will be part of the Ballydoyle string working after racing.

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Newmarket changes course layout to avoid field splitting in 2,000 Guineas

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• Stalls for the first two Classics of the season set to be on the stands rail
• Switch comes after Night Of Thunder won messy renewal of race in 2014
Kieren Fallon wins 2,000 Guineas on 40-1 outsider

Newmarket has announced changes to the course layout for the Qipco Guineas Festival, with the stalls for the first two Classics of the season set to be on the stands rail rather than the centre of the track.

The fixture, which takes place on 2 and 3 May, will also see the introduction of a false rail three metres off the permanent stands side rail which will cut in at the three-furlong pole.

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Ryan Moore will be busier with Ballydoyle, Aidan O’Brien confirms

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• Joseph O’Brien struggling to get his weight down for Flat racing
• Gleneagles worked with O’Brien at The Curragh on Sunday
• Ryan Moore refuses to quell Ballydoyle speculation

Joseph O’Brien said on Sunday that he expects to take his first ride on the Flat since late February in a Listed event at Dundalk on Wednesday evening, but his father, Aidan O’Brien, who employs him as stable jockey to his powerful Ballydoyle stable, also confirmed on Sunday that Ryan Moore is likely to ride more regularly for the yard this season as his own son continues to struggle with his weight.

“We’ve a good relationship with Ryan [who rode the stable’s Ruler Of The World to win the Derby in 2013] and we always have,” O’Brien said. “We used Ryan more last year than we did the year before and hopefully it will be that way again this year, we’ll use him more this year than we did last year. We’re delighted Ryan is there and he is riding for us.

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Tryster heads an all-star cast at Lingfield All-Weather championships

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• Charlie Appleby could go home with four or five winners
• Ervedya cut for 1,000 Guineas after Prix Imprudence success
• Ride Like The Wind possible for 2,000 Guineas after Djebel win

A feature of the first All-Weather Championships Finals Day at Lingfield on Good Friday last year was the faintly wide-eyed look on the faces of several track executives as they absorbed the immediate and undoubted success of their new £1m card. A course that struggles to get more than 500 paying spectators at most of its midwinter meetings was packed to capacity with nearly 9,000 in attendance, compelling evidence that the market for watching quality horses in competitive races is not limited to turf.

A year later, Lingfield’s hospitality areas and private boxes are sold out for its second Good Friday, and racegoers turning up to pay on the day are being advised to arrive early as the gates were closed before the third race last year. The £50,000 apprentice event which opened proceedings last season – the only handicap on the card – has been replaced by a £150,000 conditions sprint for three-year-olds, taking the total prize money to £1.1m. The inaugural Finals Day was an undoubted success, but the second has the potential to be another forward step, with Channel 4 Racing showing the first five races live too.

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Gleneagles shortens as 2,000 Guineas favourite after Faydhan flop

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• John Gosden loser pulled out of Newmarket Classic
• Frankie Dettori celebrates Nell Gwyn win on Osaila

Gleneagles, Aidan O’Brien’s leading hope for the 2,000 Guineas, strengthened his position as the favourite for the Classic without leaving Ireland on Wednesday when Faydhan, a 5-1 chance before racing, showed little hint of Group One potential as he finished only third of five in the European Free Handicap. Faydhan was immediately ruled out of the 2,000 Guineas by John Gosden, his trainer, and could be aimed instead at Royal Ascot in June.

Faydhan still has just two races behind him, having beaten a subsequent Group Two winner on his only start last season, but his inexperience is one of the few positives to clutch at after his defeat at odds of 1-2. His nine-month stint towards the top of the ante-post Guineas betting concluded in less than a minute and a half, as Home Of The Brave, from the Hugo Palmer stable, made all the running under James Doyle to beat Tupi by one and three-quarter lengths.

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Richard Hughes points Kool Kompany at French or German Guineas

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• Hughes confident he will ride Ivawood at Newmarket
• Exciting Godolphin runner Tryster on course for Brigadier Gerard

It can be dangerous to write off a Classic trial just because it is won by an outsider, but the most telling verdict on the Craven Stakes here on Thursday seemed to be offered by Richard Hughes, after his front-running victory aboard the 14-1 chance Kool Kompany. Hughes feels that the French or German 2,000 Guineas might be a better target for Kool Kompany than the English equivalent here on 2 May, and had a simple response to the suggestion that he is more likely to be aboard the same stable’s Ivawood in the Guineas a fortnight on Saturday. “I will be,” he said. “No fear about that.

Kool Kompany is built like a rodeo bull and was a tough, willing and reliable juvenile last season, when he raced nine times at up to six furlongs and won twice at Group Two level. His victory here implied that he will carry those qualities over into his three-year-old campaign too, but it was a race that unfolded very much on his – and Hughes’s – terms.

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Gleneagles’ price shortens for 2,000 Guineas as trials fail to convince

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• Bookmakers unimpressed by Newmarket and Newbury trial winners
• Aidan O’Brien’s three likely 2,000 Guineas runners all shorter in betting
• McCoy departs Ayr on his long goodbye

Every spring the cream of the British three-year-olds are brought out of winter hibernation to determine if their owners’ aspirations of 2,000 Guineas glory are still realistic, or merely pipedreams.

Last week at Newmarket and Newbury some of England’s finest thoroughbred prospects made their seasonal debuts and in all three trials for the first colts’ classic the strong fancies were soundly beaten.

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Richard Hughes expects Ivawood to have fitness edge in 2,000 Guineas

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• Jockey thinks colt was not ready for Newbury trial
• Rider talks up Tiggy Wiggy chances in fillies’ Classic
• Richard Hannon’s hopefuls suffer surprise defeats

The bookmakers no longer fancy Richard Hughes’s chances of a Guineas victory in his final season, both his Classic mounts for this weekend having been beaten in their trials, but the champion Flat jockey was convincing here on Monday as he explained why both may run well above their odds.

The jockey was speaking at an event to launch the new-style Flat jockeys’ championship, for which 10 enormous Stobart lorries were parked around the paddock, each with the name and image of a different jockey gloriously displayed along the sides.

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Talking Horses: Thursday’s best bets plus all the latest racing news

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Godolphin have announced that Maftool and Belardo will miss Saturday’s 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket in favour of the French equivalent

The idea of a rivalry between two racehorses always seems a little odd, since the horses themselves neither know nor care about the score in their head-to-head. For what it is worth, though, Hurricane Fly and Jezki have now lined up against each other eight times in all, with Hurricane Fly winning five times and Jezki twice, while the eighth and most recent meeting between the pair was in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham last month, when neither could land any kind of blow on Faugheen.

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