Rock backed for Guineas glory

Rock of Gibraltar is a red-hot favourite to make history for Aidan O`Brien in the Entenmann`s Irish 2000 Guineas tomorrow.

The Sagitta 2000 Guineas winner, owned by Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, is quoted at 2-7 by local bookmaker Cashmans to complete a clean sweep of colts` Classics for his trainer, whose Landseer won the French equivalent earlier this month.

He was among just seven final declarations made for the Curragh contest, in which he will be ridden by Michael Kinane _ who missed Newmarket through suspension.

O`Brien, who has won three of the last five runnings of the one-mile race, saddled the first three home last year and could well do so again if the betting is any guide.

His Century City (to be ridden by Seamus Heffernan) is 8-1 second favourite, with Della Francesca (Colm O`Donoghue) 14-1 joint third favourite and Nostradamus (Paul Scallan) a 33-1 chance.

Outlining plans for some of the colts he took out of the Guineas, O`Brien said: 'Castle Gandolfo and Creekview are possibles for the Prix Jean Prat.

'And Tendulkar will probably go for the Greenlands Stakes, along with Lahinch.'

Jimmy Fortune rides sole British challenger Foreign Accent, who finished seventh in the Greenham Stakes at Newbury for John Gosden, with Johnny Murtagh on John Oxx`s Ahsanabad and Pat Smullen aboard Dermot Weld`s Sights On Gold.

Foreign Accent was impressive when landing a Doncaster maiden last year and Gosden said: 'The problem with these backend maidens is that sometimes the winners look better than they are but I do think he is a nice horse.

'You have got to admire Ballydoyle for the way they do these things and I think they are going to be tough to beat all season,' Gosden said. 'They already look like they are going to have a strong hand for something like the St James`s Palace Stakes.

'But sometimes you have got to go and try to beat them and I`m keen to give it a go.'

Ireland has been badly hit by rain of late but racecourse manager Paul Hensey forecast ground 'no worse than soft' for this weekend`s meeting.

'I walked the straight and the round course and it is no worse than soft on either and I have no doubts about racing this weekend,' he said.

'The forecast is mixed, with heavy showers in places tonight which we may or may not get. But we should get a lot of wind and the Curragh is a wide-open space so 24 hours of wind can make a big difference.'

Entenmann`s Irish 2000 Guineas, Cashmans betting: 2-7 Rock of Gibraltar, 8-1 Century City, 14-1 Della Francesca, Foreign Accent, 16-1 Ahsanabad, Sights On Gold, 33-1 Nostradamus