Trainer Aidan O’Brien holds the key to both Guineas races at Newmarket this weekend.
Pre-post favourite Camelot features among the 22 confirmations for Saturday’s 2000 Guineas while stablemate Maybe, favourite for the 1000 Guineas, heads 21 nominations for the fillies event the following day.
Camelot was a brilliant winner of last year’s Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster at just his second career start and he has headed the market for both the Guineas and the Derby during the winter.
O’Brien has two other possible runners in Power and Furner’s Green.
Another contender for Ireland is the John Oxx-trained Born To Sea, a half-brother to the great Sea The Stars who won this in 2009 before going to win the Derby and the Arc.
Jim Bolger’s Parish Hall has arguably the strongest form having won the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket last October, beating the likes of Power, Most Improved, Bronterre and Trumpet Major.
Maybe went through her juvenile campaign unbeaten in five starts culminating in the Group One Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh at the end of August.
O’Brien has three other possibles in Leopardstown 1000 Guineas Trial winner Homecoming Queen, Up and Wonderful.
Lightening Pearl, winner of the Cheveley Park Stakes, could try to give County Meath handler Ger Lyons Classic glory while the other Irish-trained entries are Jim Bolger’s Alla Speranza, David Wachmans’s Fire Lily and Kevin Prendergast’s La Collina.
Godolphin have a strong hand in the shape of Discourse and Lyric Of Light who both have 100 per cent records for trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni.
Discourse won the Sweet Solera Stakes at the second of her two starts while Lyric Of Light’s three successes included the May Hill Stakes at Doncaster and the Shadwell Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket.
Trainer Ralph Beckett was happy to add Moonstone Magic, his Fred Darling Stakes winner, to the Classic field due to the unsettled weather forecast.
The Trade Fair filly was unraced as a juvenile but has won both her starts this term on soft ground.
An eight-length winner at Leicester in mid-April, she followed up in tremendous style in the Newbury fillies’ Classic trial eight days later.
