Can anybody stop Aiden O’Brien at the 2022 1000 Guineas?
Following an enthralling Grand National meet at Aintree in mid-April, the jump season has officially ended – meaning it is time for the speedsters to come to the fore in the flat campaign.
Deemed by many to be the jewels in the horse racing calendar within the UK and beyond, a move to flat racing sees the horse racing fraternity move to some of the most spectacular courses in the country and there are some remarkable flagship races that always make for compelling viewing.
Whilst the Epsom Derby or the Ascot Gold Cup often get their fair share of coverage, purists often see the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket to be one of the most important and significant races of any given season.
First raced more than 200 years ago back in 1814, the 1 mile dash at Newmarket in Suffolk is a fast and furious event, which captures the heart of the horse betting racing public.
Some of the biggest race horses to have ever competed in the UK racing scene have made their name at the 1000 Guineas and the stakes for horses, owners, jockeys, and trainers, could not be bigger once again in 2022.
There will, though, be one man they are all out to stop.
A man who has trained the last 3 winners of this race and indeed, 5 of the last 6 1000 Guineas champions – Aiden O’Brien.
On an incredible run that began in 2016 with Minding, O’Brien followed it up with an equally impressive win with Winter in 2017.
He returned to form in 2019, with Hermosa getting over the line first, before wins for Love in 2020 and Mother Earth in 2021, cemented his place in the folklore of this race for generations to come.
Attention naturally turns to 2022 and to which horses will challenge and whether Aiden O’Brien can be stopped at Newmarket again this term.
The principal challenger to O’Brien’s dominance this year is Inspiral, with the three year old tearing up the form book under the stewardship of John Gosden.
Sired from the legendary Frankel, Inspiral looks to have all the credentials to run a big race here and is the justified favourite at 11/4, as its unbeaten record goes on the line at Newmarket.
Heading up the O’Brien yard for this one is Tenebrism, an unbeaten American horse that certainly has got tongues wagging in the UK.
A win over course and distance in September 2021 was the moment which the racing world stood up and took notice of Tenebrism and with a rich history of winning this race within the yard, 4/1 looks a solid bet here.
Irish horses have long enjoyed success at Newmarket and in this race Discoveries looks to be the next cab off the rank for John Harrington and connections.
At the age of just 3, this horse looks to have an extremely bright future ahead of them and a win here at 8/1, would make the whole horse racing fraternity stand up and take notice.
Such is his success within this race that any Aiden O’Brien entry has to be taken seriously and Tuesday, is one of the strongest horses around.
The three year old has been lightly raced so far in his career but has impressed on both previous outings at Naas and at the Curragh and will certainly enjoy the trip here.
Coming in at 10/1, Tuesday is somewhat of an outsider in this high quality race but with O’Brien’s track record in this particular encounter, it could be a horse that features heavily throughout at Newmarket.