The 2014 2000 Gns

It's a hard race kingman was frankel like the way he has won his races so far then there is Toormoore European 2 year old of the year done nothing wrong. Coventry and dewhurst winner war command had 1 bad race in Ireland . Outstrip the breeders cup juv winner Australia the hype horse and Kingston hill the RP trophy winner this is going to be a hot race where it can produce 6 or 7 group 1 winners in time . Can't wait for it hope Australia wins it but hope to see the next superstar

 

Really excited about this race, I think we have potentially got two really good horses in Australia and Kingman, and if both turn up in top form, along with the other big guns, we could see one of the most competitive Guineas fields for a long time.

I like Kingman, he looks a real miler and I hope he continues his good form.

 

I wouldn't want to rule out Toormore

 

I would.

 

At the moment it looks a match race between Kingman and Australia.

 

I'm with Ron. Toormore ran greener than I'd have expected. He may still figure in the race. If it's good to firm he may have a big chance.

 

Australia looks the most hyped up horse ever to come out of Ballydoyle (and that's one heck of an achievement). I don't take huge interest in the flat or flat form but from what I've seen and heard his isn't really stacking up to much. As I'm heading to the Epsom Derby this year I'll be interested how he gets on over the mile as surely he'll be much better suited to the mile and a half.

 

Beef or salmon yeah I he is hyped but the way he dismissed free eagle was frightening

 

I think he's serious horse, as to how good, well who knows. But from what we've seen so far, I still think Kingman would have the wood on him over the Guineas trip.

 

Cyclonic only thing for me is that free eagle was not suited to te small field Australia should be undefeated apart from the mishap with the start on debut

 

Cyc, you often use the phrase "to have the wood on". It's clearly an Australian phrase and I think I've heard it on an Australian commentary but could you tell me what it means and from where the phrase originated, please. Thanks Cyc.

 

2000 Guineas Preview: A new King to be crowned at Newmarket

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By Tony McFadden -- published 29th April 2014

Tony McFadden previews the first classic of the 2014 Flat season, the 2000 Guineas

Kingman surged to the head of the Guineas betting with an ultra-impressive win in the Greenham, annihilating a strong-looking field with a performance that suggests he is right out of the top drawer, his strong-travelling style and devastating turn of foot marking him down as a formidable miler.

“Everyone probably knows we always thought he was the best horse we've ever had”. Were Aidan O’Brien ever to desert the tried-and-tested dark suit and shades for the more casual personalised t-shirt approach, this is the slogan that I would recommend be emblazoned on the front. Australia, a 525,000 guineas yearling son of Champion race mare Ouija Board, is the latest horse from the Ballydoyle battalion to carry the ‘best-ever’ burden, a label that, purely in form terms, seems awfully premature.

Australia undeniably created a fantastic impression during his juvenile campaign, showing marked run-by-run improvement as he finished his light campaign (just three runs) with an emphatic six-length success over Free Eagle in a one-mile Group 3 at Leopardstown, deposing Dermot Weld’s charge at the head of the ante-post betting for the Derby. Australia travelled powerfully at Leopardstown, unleashing a potent turn of foot to scorch clear, and he did look a top prospect, but his pedigree – by star sire Galileo out of the much-feted Ouija Board – would suggest that he will ultimately produce his very best over middle distances, and he may well have to be the greatest O’Brien has trained if he is to win a strongly-contested classic at a trip short of his optimum.

Australia, exciting prospect though he is, makes little appeal at odds of 4.5 for the Guineas, and he probably isn’t even the best betting proposition from his own yard as last year’s Coventry Stakes and Dewhurst winner War Command is available to back at a double-figure price despite having established himself as one of last season’s leading juveniles. In stark contrast to his scintillating Coventry Stakes success, War Command was only workmanlike in the Dewhurst, but he always looked in control and the rain-softened ground offers some mitigation, if any is needed, for the slightly underwhelming performance. A strongly-run mile on a sound surface is likely to see War Command to maximum effect and his physique – described as a strong, good-topped colt – offers encouragement that he will progress as a three-year-old. He will have to progress if he is to win the Guineas, though, as at Newbury we witnessed the emergence of a potential behemoth of a three-year-old miler: Kingman.

Kingman surged to the head of the Guineas betting with an ultra-impressive win in the Greenham, annihilating a strong-looking field with a performance that suggests he is right out of the top drawer, his strong-travelling style and devastating turn of foot marking him down as a formidable miler. Time analysis of the Greenham backs up the visual impression that the unbeaten Kingman is a Group 1-winner-in-waiting, and, encouragingly, his performances as a two-year-old, where he achieved the rarely-accomplished feat of running to a Timeform rating of 100+ on debut, also confirm that he is one of the most exciting prospects of recent times.

It would usually be a surprise to find the previous season’s leading juvenile, who retains an unbeaten record and limbered up with an authoritative C&D win in the Craven Stakes, available to back at 9.8, but Toormore’s price is simply a reflection of the quality and potential possessed by Kingman and, to a lesser extent, Australia. Toormore has not failed a test yet, impressing with the way he goes about his races, and were you to build a high-class horse from scratch he would tick all the boxes required. Whether he quite has that spark which distinguishes the very good from the great is something that remains to be seen, however, and the overwhelming feeling is that he won’t be able to live with Kingman if he really is the superstar that he looked at Newbury.

Like Toormore, Kingston Hill is also a Group 1-winning unbeaten juvenile, and he will make his return with his yard firing on all cylinders, but this is potentially a very strong renewal of the Guineas and the likelihood is that he will come up short, the manner in which he relished a heavy-ground one-mile contest as a juvenile casting some doubt as to whether he will possess the necessary speed for a race of this nature.

Spanish raider Noozhoh Canarias is also worthy of consideration, his excellent second in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere rendering concerns regarding the merit of his wide-margin wins in his homeland obsolete. Noozhoh Canarias ought to stay a mile but his free-going nature could leave him a sitting duck to Kingman’s explosive change of gear.

To steal a tongue-in-cheek quote from Timeform’s Flat Editor, David Johnson: do you back the horse that IS the best Gosden has trained or the one O'Brien says is the best he has? Everything Kingman has produced in his burgeoning career identifies him as a truly outstanding racehorse and he will prove as much given the opportunity in the Guineas. Toormore is a solid proposition, as is War Command, and the latter makes some each-way appeal for those looking for an alternative to Kingman

 

I still think War Command might be over pirced.

 

The flat just doesn't excite me like the jumps. Horses running around a track and being held up and the usual hard luck stories - blah blah blah! Most of these have had like 2 or 3 runs as 2 year olds and will run a handful of times this season and then they retire them at 3. Yeah great!! Meaning you can hardly attach yourself to these horses like the jumps who turn out for quite a number of years in comparison and you become more emotionally involved with them. Most of these flat horses are owned by very wealthy arabs and a lot of them annoy the tits off me too paying silly money!

 

On paper, looks the best 2000G field for a long time. You can make a strong case for at least 5 horses. I think Kingman has the edge but I think it will be a lot closer than people feel. Each Way Kingston Hill and Toormore have proved themselves and are my choices to bustle up Kingman.
No doubt Australia will now win in a canter!

 

All well and good but who wins?

 

I'd never rally thought about it Ron. I checked it out and as best I can find, it first appeared in connection with an assault in the 1930s. It seems some woman took to a bloke with a piece of wood for getting her father two years for shooting him. As to how it made it's way into every day life, buggered if I know, but it's been a big part of life as far back as I can remember. It just means that they have that extra advantage. It can be used on anything that looks to be a cut above the rest.

 

‘King’ Kieren booked to ride Night of Thunder.

Very interesting stat re this heat is the strong performance of massive longshots. In 2003, 2005 (twice) and 2008 horses placed at 100/1 plus last term the runner-up was a whopping 150/1 shot. Plus this impressive record was very nearly added to in 2011 when the 4th home trotted past the judge priced at 200/1!

 

Kingman on the drift !! Gosden starts talking about Australia ! Ground too fast to risk kingman but Luca cumani posts on twitter it's good ground after the bushes ! All confused myself but c'mon oz