Andrew Asquith had a 12/1 winner in his ante-post column last week and has two more selections at Newmarket on Saturday.
Weekend View: Saturday May 2
1pt win King's Trail in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket at 10/1 (General)
1pt win Rumstar in the Palace House Stakes at Newmarket at 8/1 (William Hill, 7/1 General)
Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook Betfair Sportsbook
The first Classics of the season are upon up with Newmarket’s three-day Guineas meeting starting at headquarters on Friday, with the 2000 Guineas taking place on Saturday, followed by the 1000 Guineas on Sunday. The ground is currently good, good to firm in places, with watering set to commence to maintain that description.
The Betfred 2000 Guineas looks an extremely open renewal to me. Bow Echo currently heads the market and, while he’s done nothing wrong, he’s short enough in the betting in my mind, so I’ll be taking him on.
Distant Storm’s price is getting shorter all the while after the recent trails which saw Alparslan win the Greenham and Oxagon win the Craven, both of whom finished behind him on his final start in the Dewhurst won by the ill-fated Gewan.
Gstaad was supplemented at a cost of £30,000 on Monday following an administrative error which saw him and stablemate Albert Einstein incorrectly scratched from the race a few weeks ago and he was a length and half ahead of Distant Storm in the Dewhurst. He also went on to win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar, overcoming a wide draw to win with plenty in hand, and he therefore looks fairly priced at nearly double the odds.
Stablemate Puerto Rico is another to throw into the mix having finished last season rated just 1lb inferior to Gewan, Timeform’s champion juvenile colt in 2025. He tops Timeform weight-adjusted ratings for the 2000 Guineas and has more experience than most which should stand him in good stead.
I think this year’s 2000 Guineas is set up for one to leapfrog the standard setters, though, and it is KING’S TRAIL who I’m most excited about. It has become the norm for Charlie Appleby to mop up novice races at Kempton during the winter months with some more late-developing types and he’s another off that conveyor belt, starting odds on for his debut at the beginning of December and creating a deep impression.
That race looked a deep one on paper beforehand, with plenty of well-bred sorts representing big yard’s and, while acknowledging several had pedigrees suggesting they would need time and distance, it was still striking how King’s Trail put the race to bed despite looking very green.
It briefly looked like Colourband – a winner since – had stolen a march entering the final furlong, but King’s Trail quickened to get to his quarters and then quickened again to win going away in the style of a smart prospect.
He again started a short price when following up over the same course and distance in a valuable conditions event at the end of March, beating another promising type with much more in hand than the length margin would imply. Once more, his smart turn of foot was evident and proved the difference, looking a shade more professional this time and only asked to do enough once quickening into the lead. The runner-up was an expensive purchase at the breeze-ups and also looks a nice prospect, while the race was also supported by a good timefigure.
Appleby had won that race with a certain Notable Speech in 2024 and you can definitely draw similarities with King’s Trail’s performance. He will now bid to emulate his stablemate by graduating out of that conditions event into a 2000 Guineas and I think he has the raw ability to do so.
It was something out of the ordinary when Notable Speech won the Guineas having raced solely on the all-weather previously, but he represents a yard who have won three of the last four renewals of the 2000 Guineas, and has trodden the same path successfully before, while it also says plenty about the regard in which King’s Trail is held.
We are yet to scratch the surface of how much ability King’s Trail possesses and his push-button turn of foot will continue to stand him in good stead now moving up the ranks.
Earlier on Saturday’s card I’m hoping RUMSTAR can follow up last year’s success in the HKJC World Pool Palace House Stakes. He was a bit in and out last season, as many of this crop of sprinters can be, but it was hard not to be impressed by his success 12 months ago, and this will surely have been his first date in the calendar for a while.
It may not have been the strongest renewal 12 months ago, but neither is this one really, barring multiple Group 1 winner Asfoora, who will be having her first start for Lemos de Souza. She invariably comes into her own later in the year, though, and she looks an opposable favourite to me.
Rumstar appeared to be carrying some condition prior to this race last season, but it didn’t stop him running away with the race having been isolated on the far wing throughout, and the way he stretched clear in the closing stages suggested he was in for a fruitful campaign.
He did manage to win another pattern event in the Coral Charge at Sandown where he confirmed previous form with She’s Quality and he acquitted himself well in the Nunthorpe at York despite being behind the likes of Asfoora, Ain’t Nobody, Frost At Dawn and Night Raider.
Rumstar had a poor draw in the Prix de l’Abbaye – also won by Asfoora – on his final start and could never get involved sporting first-time cheekpieces. I think you can put a line through that effort and I’m expecting a much better effort returned to the Rowley Mile where he has an unbeaten record having also won the Cornwallis Stakes as a juvenile.
Furthermore, Jonathan Portman has his string in terrific order at present, with five of his last 11 runners all winning at the time of writing, so Rumstar should be ready to roll.
I’ll be taking a deeper look at the 1000 Guineas and the remainder of the card in my Sunday column, which will be out on Saturday afternoon.
Preview posted at 1440 BST on 28/04/2026
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