2,000 Guineas: latest Horseracing betting

Punters wagering on the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket on Saturday must be keenly aware of the single most important thing that affects the betting market on the first Classic of the year - hype. Click here for a free £200 to bet on the 2,000 Guineas with Canbet Only six of the 15 runners to have stood their ground on Thursday have been seen out this season so what you are effectively betting on is form from last year, and comments made by the horses' connections over the last few months. It's a tricky call to make, especially when you consider that only two favourites have won this contest since 1993. That must bring sharply into focus the possibility that unbeaten colt New Approach, who is as short as 13/8, could easily get beat on the big day. Don't get me wrong, Jim Bolger's superstar was sheer class last year, and on that form is clearly the one to beat, but he'll have to be tuned to the minute to win this contest and at that price, I would want to know that he had trained on from a two-year-old. Aidan O'Brien's Jupiter Pluvius had been talked up in recent weeks but the market spoke volumes earlier this week when his stablemate Henrythenavigator was heavily backed. As it happened, Jupiter Pluvius was pulled out on Thursday. Henrythenavigator broke the Ascot two-year-old track record when winning the Coventry Stakes last year, and if you cast your mind back to last June, he shot to favouritism for this contest after that performance. Two poor runs followed, and his price of 14/1 now reflects those outings, but both were on soft ground, something he didn't seem to relish. John Gosden's admirable Raven's Pass showed punters that he still is a Group 1 colt when narrowly losing the Craven Stakes at Newmarket just over two weeks ago. That was one of the best renewals of that race for some time, and although Twice Over prevailed at the finish, both colts ran a seriously fast time. The trouble with Raven's Pass is the going, and when he was beaten by New Approach in the Dewhurst last season, the going description was good to soft. If the rain holds off - it looks like it won't - Raven's Pass would be the bet of the race at a juicy-looking 4.8 on the exchanges. There are others in the Classic with decent chances such as Godolphin's Ibn Khaldun, who has put together a string of four wins, and Sir Michael Stoute's Perfect Stride looks a big price at 12/1, but it may actually pay to look further down the betting list for value. There have been nine horses who made the frame in the last six years who were priced at 25/1 or longer - half of the placed horses. Of those horses in question, six of them had won a Group race, or at least placed in one, while Norse Dancer had come fourth in two Group races, Rebel Rebel had won a Listed event and Olympian Oddyssey had been place in one. Two who fit that description are Hughie Morrison's Stimulation and Jeremy Noseda's Strike The Deal. Stimulation showed he had trained on by winning the Listed European Free Handicap at Newmarket last month and had placed behind Beacon Lodge in the Group 3 Horris Hill Stakes in soft ground at Newbury last year. Strike The Deal's chances are less obvious - his price of 66/1 reflects that - but he finished twice behind one of the smartest horses of last year in Dark Angel in the Mill Reef and Middle Park, and was a placed horse in other Group races last season. Like Natagora in the 1,000 Guineas, New Approach is by far the most likely winner, but for those who want a flutter at fancy prices, both Stimulation and Strike The Deal offer massive each-way value. Verdict: 1pt each-way Stimulation @ 14/1; 1pt win Strike the Deal @ 129/1; 1pt each-way Strike the Deal @ 66/1 Click here for a free £200 to bet on the 2,000 Guineas with Canbet Canbet offers the best in Asian Handicap and Live "In-Play" betting. £200 Free when you join!