Irish 2000 Guineas Tips and Betting Preview

The Irish 2000 Guineas is now less than a week away and it's a much more wide open affair than what we saw on English shores a few weeks ago when Camelot powered home over relatively unsuitable ground to set up what could very well be a spectacular season of flat racing. This contest will surely be a true test of quality and the very competitive odds market certainly adds an element of spice for those looking to cash in.

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Hermival is considered by many to be the slim favourite for this one and you'll find him as low as a 4/1 listing with several bookmakers and a 5/1 price with a few others. 

He was a competitive third in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and was only beaten by a 2.5 length margin. He was a bit one-paced inside the final furlong and, on just his second start of the year, may very well have needed the race. 

Parish Hall had been competitive for this one for quite a while and his connections are using it as a seasonal debut for the son of Teofilo. A resounding victory to close out the season last year in the Group 1 Dubai Dewhurst is testament to the quality of this colt, but one always has to view outsized performances by two-year-olds with trepidation as they may just be a bit further along than many others. Born in February, Parish Hall might be one of these colts. 

Look for him around 5/1 or even 6/1 if he starts to drift. 

Coolmore representative Power, a son of Oasis Dream, had an excellent 2011 campaign and ran extremely disappointingly in the 2000 Guineas where he finished 17/18 when sent off at a 7/1 price tag. Certainly a disappointment to his connections and backers alike on that day, it may have been a bit too much too quickly and the ground conditions likely didn't suit him. 

This one loves the Curragh and has won 3 from 4 with the only loss being a half-length beat to the aforementioned Parish Hall. Look for him in the 6/1 margin. 

Other quality competitors include Takar at a 6/1 price tag, Trumpet Major anywhere from 4/1 to 6/1 while Born To Sea ranges from 6/1 to 9/1. Wrote has drifted significantly up to a price as high as 20/1 while Daddy Long Legs, whose last outing came in the Kentucky Derby, trades anywhere from 9/1 to 12/1.