Fancy French Filly To Win English 1,000 Guineas

The 2013 English 1,000 Guineas looks a much more competitive race than its 2,000 Guineas cousin and, once again, there are decent grounds for opposing the probable favourite.

Hot Snap moved to the top of the 2013 English 1,000 Guineas market following her two-and-a-quarter-length victory over Sea Lantern in the Nell Gwyn Stakes at Newmarket last month.

Race watchers were impressed with the manner in which Hot Snap, making only her second appearance, beat the Group One-winning daughter of Red Clubs over seven furlongs and there is a school of thought that the Henry Cecil-trained filly will improve substantially. After all, Hot Snap ran green for much of the Nell Gwyn Stakes. However, one can poke holes in the form of that race and, also, Hot Snap appears to be not the most straightforward of rides.

At the likely odds, What A Name stands out as the best bet in the 2013 English 1,000 Guineas. What A Name is set to make her first appearance outside France having registered three wins, one second and one third in her five starts on home soil. As a rule, France-trained horses like softish ground but What A Name’s best performances have been on sound surfaces. What A Name’s high cruising speed has captured the attention of race watchers and, with the weather forecast suggesting that Newmarket’s Rowley Mile course will be good at worst for the second English Classic of the year, she is worth an interest at odds of around 5-1.

While it is difficult to see Sky Lantern reversing the Nell Gwyn form with Hot Snap, let alone defeating What A Name, there are a few other 2013 English 1,000 Guineas that are sure to attract some support from the betting public.

Just The Judge is one of only two unbeaten fillies in the 2013 English 1,000 Guineas having won her three races as a two-year-old, including the Rockfel Stakes at Newmarket. The Charles Hills-trained filly has done nothing wrong and she is bred to get the stiff Rowley Mile eight furlongs. But Just The Judge’s odds are more based on style than substance at this point in time and, therefore, she is passed over.

The same applies to Moth, which is trading at single figures even though she failed to win either of her juvenile races and she has only a Curragh maiden win to her credit. The Coolmore team has supplemented Moth for the 2013 English 1,000 Guineas so, obviously, she is working classily at home, while she is another filly which should enjoy the forecast going. However, Moth is sufficiently short.

Maureen will have her supporters following her victory in the Fred Darling Stakes at Newbury two weeks ago in which she beat, among others, the previously undefeated Rosdhu Queen. Maureen showed that she has trained on from two to three but her one poor performance came on Newmarket’s Rowley Mile course in September 2012 when she finished ninth, four lengths behind Rosdhu Queen. English Guineas winners of both genders usually have previous good form at Newmarket so Maureen’s Cheveley Park Stakes flop is a worry, as is the decision of Richard Hughes to ride Sky Lantern.

In terms of English 1,000 Guineas trends, the pick of them is that only three of the last dozen winners were born after the first week of April. Just The Judge has to overcome that statistic since Faraday Light gave birth to her on 19 April 2010. All of the other 2013 English 1,000 Guineas market leaders were born in January, February or March of 2010.

Finally, Magical Dream is worth a passing mention since she ticks a lot of the most common English 1,000 Guineas boxes. O’Brien runners in English Classic are always worthy of some respect and it would not be a huge surprise if Magical Dream ran a big race at long odds. The daughter of Galileo has to find quite a bit on her two-year-old form, including more than three lengths on Sky Lantern, but if anyone can get Magical Dream ready first up, it is Ballydoyle master.