The first Classic of the season takes place at Newmarket in the UK on Saturday and a field of 11 has been declared for the 2000 Guineas. There are three Irish raiders amongst them and one of the most interesting is Jessica Harrington’s Green Impact.

Winning at Group 2 level as a juvenile, he had just three starts last season and took a step forward with each. Further progress is therefore likely as a three-year-old and you wouldn’t want to rule out a huge run from this son of Wootton Bassett.

Harrington has never won the 2000 Guineas so we’ve profiled her colt and assessed his chances of rectifying that.

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Plenty to like about his pedigree

Green Impact is a first foal out of a well-bred daughter of Galileo and by one of the most exciting up-and-coming sires, Wootton Bassett. His dam is half-sister of the Group placed Alphabet, who was a very competitive sprinter for Aidan O’Brien.

You would imagine that he’s going to want further in time, given his middle-distance pedigree, but his sire was a Group 1 winner over 7f as a juvenile and Green Power appears to have inherited enough speed to compete over a mile for now.

Progressive at two

He began his career in a maiden over 7f at the Curragh in June, and the colt showed plenty, eventually finishing second. Only beaten by a neck that day, he only just failed to catch the winner and probably would have done so with an extra stride or two.

The form of that race has worked out exceptionally well, with the next eight horses home all winning subsequently. Green Impact went one better in good style next time and managed to get the better of the Futurity Trophy runner-up Delacroix.

Several subsequent winners have also come out of that race, which makes the form rock solid, and fully supports the theory that he’s capable of competing at the top level.

Group 2 success

Group 2 success swiftly followed in the KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes over a mile on Irish Champions Weekend at Leopardstown. Shane Foley initially sent him forward to make the running, but Bernard Shaw took up the running after the first furlong.

Harrington’s colt continued to race prominently and was a little too keen, but he still had enough left in the tank to hold on by half-a-length from old rival Delacroix.

He’s going to need to settle better in the Guineas, but he should be wiser and more mature with another winter on his back. The performance left room for improvement and it’s entirely possible that the best is yet to come.

Next stop, Classic glory?

Impressive Craven Stakes winner Field Of Gold heads the market, but he would be the first Craven winner to follow up in the Guineas since Haafhd in 2004. It would be no surprise if he was to come out on top, however, given how dominant he was last time.

Ruling Court and Expanded are next in the betting, with the former winning well at Meydan on seasonal debut and the thoroughly unexposed Expanded finishing second by a neck on just his second start in the Dewhurst.

Champion two-year-old Shadow Of Light is inexplicably friendless in the market and National Stakes winner Scorthy Champ shouldn’t be discounted either. Green Impact has the scope to improve again and could be the solid each-way play in the race.