Final Declarations in for the Qipco 2000 Guineas Part One

It looks as though it is finally game on in the Qipco 2000 Guineas at Newmarket on Saturday with the final declaration stage having trimmed the final two from the field. We are down to a 13 horse contingent set to navigate the 1m distance on the Rowley Mile.

Having already waxed lyrical about the likes of Frankel (Galileo) and his key challengers like Casamento (Shamardal) and Roderic O'Connor (Galileo), we'll be taking a quick look at each contender in the field to try to get a gauge on just how things are expected to shape up.

Broox (Xaar) is coming out of the #12 position and is widely-considered to be the longest shot on the board. Effectively competing for a place position in the opinions of many, William Buick gets the mount on the bay, who is out of a Bishop of Cashel mare. Campaigned exclusively in France prior to the Guineas, the Group 3 winner is also Group 2-placed. He's shown the propensity to be a bit rank at times and this likely explains why they've sent him to the front on several of his occasions. It's actually how he pulled off the Group 3 win at Maison-Lafitte though it should be noted it was a mere 5.5f. The 150/1 price tag is indicative that this horse has never even raced beyond 6f and doesn't show much ability to handle a distance or ground.

Casamento is one of the better spoilers in the race and there will likely be some happy ante post punters who backed him a week ago when his future was still up in the air. Godolphin have opted for the Guineas over the Dante Stakes and this one seems likely to handle further than 1m in his career and already boasts a Group 1 score at the distance. Stamina issues won't trouble him and I have a genuine appreciation for his tactical speed. Dettori knows how to get the job done here and I expect him to push Frankel all the way and be best-poised to capitalize on a mistake from the leader. He is also an excellent addition to the bottom end of your forecast ticket if you fancy Frankel to deliver on expectations. Look for him at 14/1 now but I expect shorter at the off. He will be coming out of the #10 stall.

Dubawi Gold (Dubawi) had some question marks over top of him as to whether he was actually going to line up or not, but he has survived the final declaration stage – prompting a price drop from 50/1 to 40/1. Still good value and likely to be a wiseguy each-way option, you do have to respect his 2/2 record in his seasonal preps – a pair of easy listed scores at Lingfield. Racing out of the #5 stall, he's versatile and deserves respect for his ability to win on the front-end or running late. He looks well out of the mix from a ratings standpoint but could get up for a slice if the stars align.

Frankel is the 800 pound gorilla in the room and many punters are already looking beyond the Guineas and pairing him up in special bets to win the Epsom Derby and several other classic contests. The only issue with Frankel is obviously the price so many expect this one to be a race for 2^nd place. The betting w/o Frankel market is looking competitive and continues to offer up some great value. One thing that works against Frankel is the fact that he enters out of the #1 stall. This complicates his break a bit as the gate will be moved into the center of the track- he may drift to the left sharply if he doesn't break correctly. Anybody who's watched a few races will tell you there's no sure things in this game and anybody can be beaten on their day. Look for Frankel around 1/2 at the moment.

Lightly-raced Fury (Invincible Spirit) gets Johnny Murtagh for this one and lines up for only the third time in his career. He took a big step up in his second race last year when conquering the Tattersalls 500,000 2YO Trophy. Not bad for a contender coming in off the Div II circuit and you have to respect the fact that he outran 26 others that day. His 20/1 price delivers some value and it really must be admitted that he is still a bit of an unknown quantity having just graced the flat season with his presence for something like two weeks. His debut came on September 18 and his seasonal bow came on October 2 in the aforementioned Tatt's 2YO Trophy. I would not be surprised to see him there-or-thereabouts and he really did get the better of much of last year's two-year-old crop. He's hit off the layoff before and will have improved over what he showed last year. He is truly one of the more mysterious horses in the mix.