Ed Chamberlin reflects on the 2000 Guineas trials

Everything is bubbling up nicely for next week’s QIPCO Guineas Festival at Nemarket – particularly around the 2000.

Just look at the storylines that are developing ahead of its return to ITV.

The powerhouses will be there – Ballydoyle v Godolphin. Churchill has sat out the trials but he’ll have been watching on from County Tipperary and I just wonder if he’s sleeping a little less comfortably than he was.

It’s great that Godlphin have bullets to fire at this year’s first colt’s Classic – principally Barney Roy who was very impressive in the Greenham at Newbury on Saturday. He’s a big player but keep an eye out for the second home, Dream Castle.

He’ s still learning his trade and travelled like a very good horse there. He could go all the way – perhaps the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot might be a suitable summer target.

We’ve also got the Frankel progeny coming through to compete at the elite level – not only Dream Castle but Eminent who I headed over to see – along with trainer Martyn Meade – in Newmarket on Wednesday morning.

I was very impressed with what happened late on in the Craven – and after the line – when Jim Crowley had a job-and-a-half on to pull him up. My fear for him in the Guineas would be on quick ground – and Lucy Verasamy insists the warm weather will be back next week – he might just lack the natural speed to lie up with the best of these.

There’s also a fascinating raider from France in Al Wukair, trained by the peerless Andre Fabre. He was first to play his hand in the trials and was mightily impressive in winning the Prix Djebel at Maisons-Laffitte. 

Aidan O’Brien ran a few sighters at Newmarket and Newbury. It looked ominous for the rest when Whitecliffsofdover won the Free Handicap, but other than that the raiders cut little ice.

However, Kieren Fallon, who was a great guest on ITV this week, was so confident regarding Churchill that the enthusiasm became infectious.  It was great to pick his brains on the art of riding the Rowley Mile and talking tactics but there was no escaping the fact that at the end of the week, in his view – and mine – Churchill remains very much the one to beat.

On a sidenote Kieren  got everyone scrambling for their phones when comfortably predicting William Haggas would train a winner for the Queen at Newmarket on Saturday. Sadly for me he had two runners so I doubled them up – the first won, the second beaten by a 100/1 chance...

All eyes this week are on Sandown for the final day of the jumps season. It’ been an interesting rather than vintage campaign but it’s been a lot of fun broadcasting the second half of it for ITV. It already seems an age ago that we were broadcasting in a monsoon at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day.

Before we move onto my three highlights of the campaign, I have to mention the undoubted low point and that was the death of Many Clouds immediately after his win in the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham. 

The moment I was told he hadn’t got back up will haunt me forever but the abiding memory will be of the moving words trainer Oliver Sherwood delivered in the immediate aftermath.

It was a huge blow for his owner Trevor Hemmings and it was great to see his colours carried to victory by Vicente in the Scottish National on Saturday. It was a memorable interview with him afterwards and summed up what the great game is about – the unbelievable highs and sadly some time the savage lows. He belied his years as he literally bounded on to the TV set and the emotive interview afterwards was one of my highlights of the year.

My high points were:

3. The Cheltenham Festival. It was everything I’d hoped it would be and to speak to the greats of the game was very special. I particularly enjoyed JP McManus heading over following his 50th Festival success and being interviewed by the 20-time champion jockey who was speaking to his boss. It was a magical moment on a magical week and presenting from the paddock at Cheltenham was an amazing experience.

2. Sizing John’s Gold Cup win. The re-emergence of Robbie Power was one of the stories of the spring and Jessie Harrington is a legend of the sport. It’s all set up next year too for Sizing John could face a clash with stablemate Our Duke as he defends his title. Mick Fitzgerald and Luke Harvey weren’t the only ones who felt he looked every inch a Gold Cup horse in winning the Irish National.

1. One For Arthur winning the Grand National. No, not for the fact I tipped him up on these pages but it was the most brilliant of stories. His owners, the Golf Widows, showed we can all still live the dream and find a horse to win at the highest level. They are wonderful ladies although it seems they have other favourites at ITV. When we were at Musselburgh they sought permission from the racecourse to hug Oli Bell which provoked intense jealousy elsewhere in the team.

I’ve had to put a stop to that and while the cat’s away in America, I’ve made moves to ensure such favouritism never rears its head again! 

From a personal perspective it was an emotional winner. My late grandfather for years backed Scottish-trained horses in the National and only tasted success once with Rubstic. He’d have been delighted to see One For Arthur take the prize back up there and also proud that his grandson was presenting the TV coverage.

Finally, don’t rule out a dramatic late twist in the trainers’ title race at Sandown where I think Paul Nicholls has a huge chance of winning the Bet365 Gold Cup with Southfield Theatre. By rights Nicholls shouldn’t even be in there fighting with a dearth of Grade One horses to go to war with, but he’s a winner.

Sir Alex Ferguson is among his owners and there’s a bit of him rubbed off on Paul. He’s a serial winner who just won’t lie down. It’s an interesting angle ahead of Saturday.