Irish Runners in 2000 Guineas The first British Classic of the season takes place at Newmarket on Saturday afternoon and there are three Irish raiders amongst a field of 11 declarations for the 2000 Guineas on the Rowley Mile. Aidan O'Brien has won the 2000 Guineas a record 10 times, though the Ballydoyle handler hasn't prevailed since Magna Grecia won in 2019. The most recent Irish-trained winner was Jim Bolger's Poetic Flare in 2021. Three Irish yards are represented in Saturday's big race and we've got the lowdown on the trio of would-be Classic-winning colts crossing the Irish Sea. 2000 Guineas Betting Offer If you have already signed up to William Hill, check out more of the best betting sites and casino bonuses Expanded (Aidan O'Brien/Ryan Moore) Five renewals without a win in this race is a veritable famine for Aidan O'Brien and the longest winless streak he has endured since King Of Kings won his first in 1998. The Ballydoyle chief ruled out leading contender Twain last week and that leaves Dewhurst runner-up Expanded as his only representative. This Wootton Bassett colt won on debut at the Curragh (7f, good) in October last year and, remarkably, was fired into the Dewhurst at Newmarket seven days later. He ran a blinder at 12/1 in the end-of-term Group 1, denied a neck by Shadow Of Light for Charlie Appleby and William Buick despite that rival having the benefit of four runs behind him including a decisive Middle Park Stakes win at Newmarket. Ryan Moore felt his charge might have prevailed if the Godolphin second-string Ancient Truth hadn't hassled him mid-race, while O'Brien described him as "a made Guineas horse" following his Dewhurst run. There could be much more to come after just those two juvenile starts and his trainer knows how to get one ready for this test. Green Impact (Jessica Harrington/Shane Foley) Another of Wootton Bassett's progeny, Green Impact won two-from-three last season and signed off with a Group-race success. He was narrowly denied on debut at the Curragh (7f, good) in June at the Irish Derby Festival but made no mistake in defeating Ballydoyle inmate Delacroix into second over a mile at Leopardstown the following month. He beat the same rival over the same course and distance to win the Group 2 KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes during Irish Champions Weekend in September and Delacroix has advertised that form very positively in all three starts since, including winning the Ballysax Stakes on his comeback in March. The most successful Irish-based female trainer in the history of the sport, veteran handler Jessica Harrington is still searching for a first Classic on British soil and hopes Green Impact can tick that off her bucket list this year. He could develop into a Derby horse given his breeding but Harrington has no fears about the mile trip right now. "I do think Green Impact definitely looks like a Guineas type" she said. "He's done well [over the winter]. He can quicken up off a good, fast pace and he's a big, strong horse so he can take all the hustle and bustle of a race like that. I think he has enough pace for the Guineas." Scorthy Champ (Joseph O'Brien/Dylan McMonagle) Joseph O'Brien won this race on Camelot as a rider and now will bid to add the 2000 Guineas to his burgeoning CV as a trainer. Scorthy Champ defeated the subsequent Breeders' Cup Juvenile first and third in the Vincent O'Brien National Stakes at the Curragh last season, as he overturned previous form with Henri Matisse. By Mehmas, he is a brother to the smart 7f winners Malavath and Knight, and this mile trip should be optimal for him in his Classic campaign. He wasn't doing a lot in front in that National Stakes win, so the form can be upgraded a notch, and his trainer has identified this contest as his premier target, with the Derby at Epsom deemed likely to stretch his stamina too far.
