Gstaad is a heavy odds-on favourite to maintain modern trends and land the first Curragh Classic of 2026 in Saturday’s Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas.
Aidan O’Brien is pursuing a 13th success in the colts Classic and looks to have a firm grip too on Sunday’s 1,000 Guineas with the Newmarket heroine True Love joined by Precise among 16 entries left in the race after Tuesday’s latest acceptance stage.
An O’Brien success in that will complete his first clean sweep of Europe’s top 1,000 Guineas contests. As well as True Love’s English Classic success, Diamond Necklace landed the French version a week later.
The champion trainer pulled off a similar feat in the 2,000 Guineas races all of 24 years ago, although Gstaad is a 4-9 favourite to follow a more modern pattern.
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Three of the last four Irish Guineas winner have scored at the Curragh having previously finished runner-up in the Newmarket version. Field Of Gold was a controversial second to Ruling Court at Newmarket before securing Classic glory in style at the Curragh. Rosallion did the same in 2024, as did Native Trail in 2022.
Gstaad was eight lengths clear of the rest of the field when runner-up to Bow Echo at Newmarket earlier this month and is a clear betting choice among 13 entries left in the Curragh race this weekend.
The Newmarket third, Distant Storm, is an option for Godolphin as is Pacific Avenue. O’Brien has also left in last season’s Futurity winner Hawk Mountain, who’s more likely to wait for the French Derby. Thesecretadversary and Power Blue, fifth and seventh respectively in Newmarket, also figure.
The only Newmarket 2,000 Guineas runner-up O’Brien has saddled in the Curragh equivalent was Giant’s Causeway 26 years ago. He wound up second again behind the Godolphin runner Bachir.
This weekend’s third Group One prize is the Tattersalls Gold Cup and here too O’Brien looks like saddling the favourite with Minnie Hauk. Last year’s dual-Oaks winner returned to action with a success over the course and distance earlier this month in the Mooresbridge Stakes.
O’Brien has twice before pulled off the top-flight hat-trick over a single weekend in 2008 and 2011.
Both days feature in World Pool betting and once again Saturday’s card will be a marathon nine-race programme. The 2,000 Guineas meeting was included in the World Pool for the first time last year.
The length of the card generated criticism in terms of a lack of spectator appeal for racegoers, although betting turnover generated by the World Pool could be worth well over €500,000 for the Irish Tote, as well as the Curragh and Horse Racing Ireland.
Ryan Moore has obvious picks with Gstaad and Minnie Hauk but faces a potentially difficult choice of what filly to ride in the 1,000 Guineas.
He opted for Precise at Newmarket only for her to fade to seventh, beaten five lengths by her stable companion. O’Brien, though, has forecast significant improvement to come on the back of that comeback effort.
O’Brien has said the plan is for Precise and True Love to run in the Irish Guineas and recently admitted it “won’t be straightforward” for Moore to pick between the pair at the Curragh.
He has also left the regally bred Drop Dead Gorgeous in the Classic, although that filly also holds an engagement in the Group Three Heider Gallinule Stakes on the same card.
In other news, there was uncertainty on Tuesday about the future relationship between Westmeath-based Brazilian trainer Robson Aguiar and the AMO Racing chief Kia Joorabchian, who are set to combine with Power Blue in Saturday’s 2,000 Guineas.
Aguiar told Thoroughbred Daily News (TDN) that the majority of 100 per cent AMO-owned horses he trains had been moved. However, Joorabchian rejected any talk of a split in a lengthy relationship between the pair.
Aguiar saddled his first winner under his own name at Dundalk in November but had been a crucial part of the AMO team as assistant to Adrian Murray.
“I have always given him full support, and we continue to do so,” Joorabchian told TDN. “We did not move 10 horses out of his stables. We moved three. I have bought at least 30 horses from Robson and am the biggest owner and investor in his yard.”
He also rejected suggestions any problem was due to the Aguiar-trained outsider Your Song beating AMO’s What A Girl Wants in a stable one-two at Naas on Sunday.
