Gearing Up for Guineas Festival
The horse racing industry is busy gearing up for the QUIPCO Guineas Festival, which is to be hosted at the Newmarket Racecourse on 30 April and 1 May 2011. It is the two Guineas races that will be drawing the fans, namely the 1000 Guineas and the 2000 Guineas. The 1000 Guineas is run for fillies over a distance of a mile, and while the 2000 Guineas is open to fillies, it is usually run by colts only. There are a few horses that have already been named as favorites for the race and punters are excited to see how horses such as Frankel will perform.
The 2000 Guineas is a flat horse racing event, and is known to be one of Newmarket Racecourse’s most popular races. To start with, it seems that horses Strong Suit and Zoffany will no longer be competing in the 2000 Guineas, and the reasons for these decisions are unknown. Glor Na Mara was also withdrawn by his trainer Jim Bolger. It came as a surprise to many, as the names of nineteen horses competing were released. Dubai Prince and Wootton Bassett will also be absent from this year’s event. At the Greenham Stakes, Strong Suit was not able to match the speed and performance given by Frankel, thus Frankel has moved up the ranks to being one of the strong favorites for the 2000 Guineas. The line-up for the QUIPCO 2000 Guineas is therefore as follows: Frankel, Roderick O’Connor, Dream Ahead, Pathfork, Saamidd, Fury and Casemento as confirmed entrants.
Many fans are disappointed at the withdrawal of Strong Suit, but trainer Richard Hannon explained that due to his disappointing performance last week, they had made the decision not to race him. There is also a good chance that Nerbaas and Ecliptic could join the line-up, and Jessica Harrington commenting that she is happy with the training and performance of Pathfork, but added that they will be keeping their eyes on Frankel, as he does seem to be the horse to beat. Harrington will also have a filly in the 1000 Guineas, Laughing Lashes, and is also optimistic about her capabilities. The 2011 QUIPCO Guineas Festival will have a star studded line-up in both events, and will also feature various other facilities and entertainment for punters to enjoy between races.
