O’Brien Guineas team still subject to change

Aidan O’Brien will wait until later in the week before making a final decision on whether to saddle both Puerto Rico and the supplemented Gstaad in the Betfred 2000 Guineas at Newmarket.

Dual Group One winner Puerto Rico looked to have assumed the position of the Ballydoyle handler’s number one contender for the Rowley Mile Classic after Breeders’ Cup hero Gstaad, along with Albert Einstein, were taken from the race last month – but it later transpired they were scratched due to an administrative error.

While the latter remains an absentee, Gstaad was reinstated at a cost of £30,000 ahead of Monday’s confirmation stage, but O’Brien insists he is not yet a guaranteed runner on Saturday.

Speaking on Monday afternoon, he told the Press Association: “We’re not sure yet. The current thinking was Puerto Rico would go there and Gstaad might go to the French (Guineas), but that’s not 100 per cent sure.

“We’ll see how they are the next couple of days and then decide. It’s very possible the two could go, we’ll see.”

Puerto Rico and Gstaad are two of four O’Brien-trained contenders, with Causeway and Flushing Meadows also on the list of 20 colts still in the mix.

Fozzy Stack’s Thesecretadversary and Robson De Aguiar’s Power Blue could also cross the Irish Sea, while the home team is headed by Bow Echo, who will put his unbeaten record on the line over the Rowley Mile.

George Boughey’s son of Night Of Thunder won each of his three starts last season and signed off with a victory in the Royal Lodge Stakes over the Guineas course and distance.

There is a second supplementary entry in Charlie Pike’s Padraig Dawn, who finished second in the Burradon Stakes at Newcastle on just his second career outing.

Charlie Appleby could be double-handed with Dewhurst third Distant Storm and the unbeaten King’s Trail, while Roger Varian’s Avicenna is another possible runner for Godolphin.

John and Thady Gosden’s Oxagon beat Avicenna into second in the Craven Stakes and also stands his ground.

Karl Burke may be triple-handed with Greenham winner Alparslan, Billecart and Hankelow, While Francis-Henri Graffard’s Samangan is the sole international raider.

Into The Sky, a length second in the Mill Reef at the back end of last season, represents Jim Boyle and Needle Match, fourth behind Alparslan in the Greenham, will attempt to reverse the form for William Haggas.

The field is completed by Andrew Balding’s Venetian Prince and Ismail Mohammed’s Lord Britain.

Sponsors Betfred are offering a £2million bonus to any horse that wins the Triple Crown of the 2000 Guineas, Derby and St Leger.

Betfred founder Fred Done said: “It was an honour last year to be the first company in history to sponsor all five British Classics and I can’t wait to do it all again this year.

“That is why I am offering the £2million Triple Crown bonus again. Nijinsky was undoubtedly one of the greats and it is about time we had another Triple Crown winner to celebrate.

“Can another horse rise to the occasion, make history, and do it again?