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ITV’s coverage does not kick in until the 1.45 race here, but proceedings are about to get underway with the 1.10, the Listed Chaloner Stakes over six furlongs. Unequal Love, who had some useful form as a four-year-old including a win in the Wokingham Handicap at Royal Ascot and a third-place finish in the Group One Sprint Cup at Haydock in September, made a successful seasonal debut in this race last year and is trading at around 11-10 for a repeat.
Preamble
Good afternoon from the Rowley Mile at Newmarket, the historic setting for the 2,000 Guineas, the first Classic of the new Flat season, later today.
Eleven runners are due to go to post at 3.35pm BST, and one will take the unique opportunity to add his name to a roll of honour that dates all the way back to 1809. The certain favourite is Field Of Gold, a striking grey, who bolted up in the Craven Stakes over the Classic course-and-distance last month, but he is opposed by several very promising three-year-olds with varying levels of achievement and experience to date.
The very live opponents to Field Of Gold, who will be bidding to give his veteran trainer, John Gosden, a long-overdue first victory in the 2,000 Guineas, include Shadow Of Light, who took Britain’s most prestigious juvenile event, the Dewhurst Stakes, last October, and Ruling Court, a “dark” horse in the manner of last year’s winner, Notable Speech, with just three runs to his name so far.
Shadow Of Light is one of just two juvenile Group One winners in the field – Scorthy Champ, the National Stakes winner, is the other – while Aidan O’Brien relies on Extended as he goes in search of a record-extending 11th Guineas winner.
Elsewhere on today’s televised card, a competitive renewal of the Palace House Stakes, a significant pointer towards the big sprints to come at Royal Ascot and beyond, is due off at 2.55pm, while a Royal meeting winner from last season, Hand Of God, makes his first start since in the Suffolk Stakes Handicap at 2.20pm.
The ITV action is completed by Thirsk’s feature event of the season, the Thirsk Hunt Cup Handicap, at 2.35pm, and a quick trip to Sussex for the Conqueror Stakes for fillies at Goodwood at 2pm.
The 2025 Flat season will have its first Classic winner in just over three hours’ time, and all the build-up as well as the race itself will get in-depth coverage as it happens here on the Guardian’s live blog.
