2,000 Guineas betting tips
- City Of Troy to win 2,000 Guineas – 4/6 with bet365
- Haatem to win 2,000 Guineas – 33/1 each-way with BetMGM
- Torito to win Suffolk Stakes – 5/1 with BetUK
The opening British Classic of the season takes place on Saturday at Newmarket, as the colts are in action on the Rowley Mile in the 2,000 Guineas Stakes. The 1m contest is the opening leg of the British Triple Crown.
Eleven runners have been declared for this year’s contest, including last season’s Dewhurst Stakes winner City Of Troy. He is the sole entry for Aidan O’Brien and is a strong favourite on horse racing betting sites to give the Irishman a record-breaking 11th success.
British trainer Richard Hannon has two runners in the field. He will saddle Grand Criterium winner Rosallion and Craven Stakes winner Haatem. Those two horses will be ridden by Sean Levey and James Doyle respectively.
The race was won last year by Chaldean who carried the Juddmonte colours to victory. Those same silks will be worn by Rossa Ryan on board the Middle Park Stakes runner-up Task Force.
Here is a look at our selections for the 2024 2,000 Guineas Stakes and the Suffolk Stakes, one of the supporting races on the card.
2,000 Guineas tip: Unbeaten City Of Troy can prove his greatness
No horse has generated a bigger buzz heading into the 2024 Flat season than City Of Troy. There is a real feeling from Ballydoyle that this colt could be special and set to achieve some great things this year.
The unbeaten three-year-old’s first test of the season will come in the 2,000 Guineas. O’Brien has opted against including a pacemaker or any other runners from his stable. That might be a sign of how confident he is in the son of Justify.
City Of Troy showed plenty of speed during the Dewhurst Stakes last October where he beat Alyanaabi by just over three lengths. Once Ryan Moore pushed the button on his horse, he got a great response.
The Derby is going to be the next step after this race, and if O’Brien believes he has the stamina to stretch further, he could even be a Triple Crown contender. There are going to be lots of options available to the Ballydoyle team should he get off to a winning start to his season.
O’Brien and Moore are two men who know all about British Classic success. They will both be relaxed ahead of this race and with just 10 rivals to beat, it should not get too tactical. The talented colt is odds-on with all the major betting sites to win 2,000 Guineas and add his name to the famous roll of honour at Newmarket.
Newmarket tip 1: City Of Troy to win 2,000 Guineas – 4/6 with bet365
Craven winner can put in another strong performance
It is not often that the Craven Stakes winner is an outsider on horse racing betting apps for the 2,000 Guineas, as the race at Newmarket is often one of the strongest trials for the British Classic. However, that’s the position Haatem finds himself this year.
Richard Hannon’s runner could not have been any more impressive last month on the Rowley Mile. He was up with the early pace and was still able to stretch away from his rivals in the final couple of furlongs.
With three wins from four starts, Rosallion is ahead of Haatem in the pecking order in Hannon’s stable, but the experienced trainer heads to Newmarket with two strong chances of upsetting City Of Troy.
At the prices, Haatem looks great value at 33/1 with BetMGM and is a strong each-way option in this year’s 2,000 Guineas.
Newmarket tip 2: Haatem to win 2,000 Guineas – 33/1 each-way with BetMGM
2.20 Suffolk Stakes tips
There are some strong supporting races on 2,000 Guineas Day at Newmarket, including the Suffolk Stakes, a heritage handicap over 1m1f at 2.20. This is a valuable prize for Torito to claim on his opening start of the season.
The four-year-old from John and Thady Gosden’s stable is lightly raced, as he has only featured five times in his career. He recorded victories around this distance at Nottingham and Epsom last year.
On his final start of his campaign, the son of Kingman finished fourth of 16 runners in the Group Three Hampton Court Stakes at Royal Ascot. He did not get a clear run in that race, otherwise, he would have gone close to victory.
Gosden’s runner has been gelded over the winter and there could be much more to come from him. He's worth consideration at the prices on gambling sites with BetUK offering 5/1 he'll put himself back in contention for some group races this season with a win.
Newmarket tip 3: Torito to win Suffolk Stakes – 5/1 with BetUK
2,000 Guineas free bets
There's a busy weekend of racing to come with the Guineas Festival, the conclusion of the Punchestown Festival and the Kentucky Derby, and there are opportunities to earn free bets for wagering on these events via new customer offers from bookmakers.
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Before joining NetBet or any new betting sites, check the terms and conditions of the sign-up offer. If you do have a bet on any of this weekend's racing, please gamble responsibly.
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Last Updated: 2nd May 2024, 04:00 PM