Sport

O'Brien's Camelot and Maybe head Guineas' confirmations

AIDAN O’BRIEN’S ante-post favourite Camelot features among the 22 confirmations for the Qipco 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket on Saturday…

Tue May 01 2012 - 01:00

AIDAN O’BRIEN’S ante-post favourite Camelot features among the 22 confirmations for the Qipco 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket on Saturday.

The son of Montjeu was a brilliant winner of last year’s Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster on just his second career start and he has headed the market for both the Guineas and the Investec Derby during the winter.

The Ballydoyle team have two other possible runners in Power and Furner’s Green.

Another fascinating contender for Ireland is the John Oxx-trained Born To Sea, a half-brother to the great Sea The Stars who won this in 2009 before going on to win the Derby and the Arc. Jim Bolger’s Parish Hall has arguably the strongest form in the race having won the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket last October, beating the likes of Power, Most Improved, Bronterre and Trumpet Major.

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Richard Hannon has both Bronterre and Trumpet Major engaged in Saturday’s Classic.

Bronterre was beaten at odds-on in the Greenham Stakes at Newbury on his comeback, but Trumpet Major impressed in his trial, the Craven Stakes. The champion trainer also has Coupe De Ville and Redact in the mix.

Roger Charlton is set to saddle his much talked about Newbury maiden winner Top Offer, while Abtaal, French Fifteen and Hermival are all contenders for France. Other interesting possibles include Caspar Netscher, Boomerang Bob and Fencing.

The sole supplementary entry is the Jeremy Noseda-trained Talwar, an easy winner of a Lingfield Listed race last time.

O’Brien’s ante-post favourite Maybe is among 21 fillies left in the Qipco 1,000 Guineas on Sunday following the confirmation stage. The daughter of Galileo heads the market thanks to going through her juvenile campaign unbeaten.

She won five times, culminating in the Group One Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh at the end of August. O’Brien has three other possibles in Leopardstown 1,000 Guineas Trial winner Homecoming Queen, Up and Wonderful.

Lightening Pearl, winner of the Cheveley Park Stakes, could try to give Co Meath handler Ger Lyons Classic glory while the other Irish-trained entries are Jim Bolger’s Alla Speranza, David Wachmans’s Fire Lily and Kevin Prendergast’s La Collina.