You do not mean Anodor who was 5/6 fav, and finished 3rd behind Royal Marine and Broome in the Lagardere.

Shalaa was very similar to Calyx who won several Gp 1 and Gp2 6f races, then got injured, but never ran in the Guineas after.

prix djebel

i remembered i backed the formline earlier with french fifteen and unravelled my confusion

what about sacred life ? he was the little runt last year and calyx is it this year !  thats what i was getting at

Shalaa had a much speedier pedigree and always looked like a sprinter. Calyx is bred to be a miler and has a much greater chance of staying a mile than Shalaa ever did in my view.

quorto looks the one gotten away mio

^ Maybe they are just very confident on Royal Marine - he's the strongest in the market over the last week. Hamdan alos has Mohaather and Madhmoon in the mix.

I'd have liked to see Persian King (PK) here however, I can understand why PK is staying at home: The French 2000G is a much easier race to win, assuming the likes of Magna Grecia (MG), Skardu (S) and Ten Sovereigns (TS) run here; Royal Marine (same ownership as PK) is a definite here, all being well.

Skardu could still be improving. And PK only just beat MG on favoured ground; TS is also another formidable adversary, if staying 8f.

He was a very pacey type as a 2yo so I can see why some believe he won't stay. Physically he didn't look like a sprinter to my eye last year and interestingly in this short interview before the Coventry posted below, Gosden says he was worried 6 furlongs may catch him out on debut as he is going to want 7 furlongs later in the year.

I think he is very much like his sire who I was a big fan of. Kingman had a fantastic turn of foot and was retired too early. Gosden says Kingman was a sprinter/miler who would have been equally happy in a July Cup and I think Calyx is the same type with a high cruising speed and a good turn of foot so I am hopeful he will switch off well through the race and get the trip.

We haven't seen him since last June so can't know how he has developed since then, but my view with these well bred horses is that they should be given the opportunity to prove they stay the trip they are bred for, and as such I think it would be a travesty to avoid the Guineas if the horse is fit and ready to run after his injury given how mediocre the race looks compared to what it could have been.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3G9O8s5DBk

I keep reading that the key players are missing but, while there's no doubt that TDH and Quorto were more sure to stay, for me the race still has the fastest two 2yos of last year in Calyx and Ten Sovereigns. Possibly neither of them will stay but I'd side with Ten Sovereigns as the one most likely to get a mile. Physically, to me at least, he looks less of a sprinter than Calyx and that long stride also suggests he could be more than just a speedster. With some stamina doubts about the pair then it's possible one of the slower runners could pick up the pieces but I just couldn't back any of the others when there are two potentially above average winners in the field. It's pretty rare to get a Guineas with two runners who have already run fast enough to win most recent runnings so I'm very much looking forward to it.

Yes, on the pedigree side of things you'd have to say Calyx ought to have more stamina. I just think pedigree is a pointer to how a horse might develop physically and to what its racecourse requirements might be up until further evidence. Looking at both of them as 2yos, however, Calyx looked more of a typical sprinter physically. And while he wasn't exactly a tearaway he did appear fairly keen to get on with it and not necessarily one who would benefit from more being ridden with more restraint. Whereas Ten Sovereigns also showed natural speed but looked like he could be put anywhere his jockey wanted in a race. All subjective but that's how I saw it.

I believe the plan for Calyx was the Morny next with the final aim of the season being the Dewhurst which is why Gosden says he will step up to 7 furlongs later in the season in the video clip I posted.

That was before Too Darn Hot appeared on the scene though so we don't know if they would have changed their plans and run in the Middle Park instead.

I believe the plan for Calyx was the Morny next with the final aim of the season being the Dewhurst

Yes he did say that. Even so, just over a week ago he was talking about starting him off in the Pavilion Stakes over 6f. I know he came up with reasons about him being off a long time, but I don't see it as something he would normally do after a layoff unless the runner was in fact a sprinter. If there were obvious doubts about Calyx on breeding then I could understand the wariness. There isn't so there is obviously something particular to Calyx as a specimen that gives Gosden doubts. He could be wrong of course.

Gosden has just said that he is bred to be a miler and is training like a miler but it would be unfair to the horse to run him in the Guineas post injury after such a long time off the track.

It seems to me Gosden placed all his eggs in one basket and it's all gone wrong for him. If he didn't already have Too Darn Hot as the short priced fav for the Guineas, I think Calyx would have been trained for the Greenham and would now be the short priced fav for the Guineas.

Mohaather is the latest one. He's doubtful as he's met with a setback - he was found lame.

Readers of my lay threads will know i was a massive fan of Ten Sovereigns last year (I was over for his Middle Park win) in fact i vaguely remember stating he was the fastest 2 year old of the season before he ran in it (i still stand by that). I thought he would be aimed at the usual 3 year old sprint races this season to start with (aka Sandy Lane and Commonwealth Cup) although there is stamina on the dam side and he stayed on well at Newmarket (ran a little green as well). AOB knows the time of day, although i'm a little surprised a stablemate is preferred in the betting. I hope Donnacha keeps the ride, i like him as a jockey although i don't have issues with RM.

Will TS get a mile in the 2000 guineas ? He may not have to with so many of the main protagonsits being pulled out on a regular basis, his class could see him win. I think he's good, and could be very good, let's see. I stated recently i had an ante-post bet on him (Corals UK - 9/1) but i can't trade of course and would let it ride even if i could, it wasn't a significant amount anyway. I also had a similar bet on Persian King (probably a NR) and Fairyland in the 1000 guineas (both at better odds on my previous betfair account).

I will be very surprised if that slowboat Magna Greca starts shorter than TS. Coolmore can't know for sure if TS will stay, but they don't lack confidence in his ability, past betting has told us that. I know he's top class, his Middle Park time told me that. There is no way they're going to think Magna Greca is in the same league. If they have zero confidence in TS staying then why bother running him? Expect a big move for TS.

Likelly to be very quick ground with zero rain forecast and barely a drop this weekend in the area - Ten Sovereigns might not like that too much.

why do you think magna is a slowboat Figgis mate? does he not show up well on your figures?