Best bets for day two QIPCO Guineas Festival 2020 - Friday 5th June

As I said yesterday it looks a little different and feels a little different, but it is still the QIPCO Guineas Festival at Newmarket’s Rowley Mile and today the Pattern class races begin. It’s another big TEN race card and it’s good-firm going.  

I am swerving the first two heats and the first race of interest to me is the Group Three 6f Betway Abernant Stakes at 2.25. 2017 and 2018 winner and third last year Brando is clear on ratings and treads a familiar path starting his season in this albeit later in the calendar than usual. With the cooler weather the ground has even come right for him and he is impossible to ignore, I took 11-8 happily.  

At 3.00 we have the mile Listed Betway Paradise Stakes. Lord Tennyson was tipped by me on his belated debut at four over a mile at Chelmsford back in February before the lockdown and he duly won. This is an obvious step-up in class and as I said at the time I find it very interesting that Godolphin and Gosden have kept him in training so long, especially as they gelded him last November, so they surely most think they can win races with him. Dettori rides and 10-1 might look huge later. Sangarius is your jolly dropping down from the 1m2f he won over when taking the G.3 Hampton Court Stakes when last seen at the Royal meeting last year. The drop in trip is questionable to my eyes and he is there to be taken on, I think. Mythical Magic is a Group performer who I have tipped in the past, but he has a habit of finding one too good.  

It’s the big one at 3.35 the Group One Hurworth Bloodstock Coronation Cup Stakes over 1m4f. No-one who knows me will be surprised I am on Ghaiyyath. He advertised his well being taking the G.3 Dubai Millennium Stakes at the Carnival and we all know he goes well fresh so the subsequent enforced layoff of no concern at all. I have 6-4. Defoe mugged my tip Kew Gardens last year at usual venue Epsom but will have to settle for a place this season. Stradivarius is a star but wants a mile further and this is surely nothing more than a run to get hi straight for Ascot whilst Anthony Van Dyck was never quite as good after the Derby and Aidan O’Brien will have had to work some magic over winter for him to win against this field.  

The rest of the card is best watched I think so it’s the three for Friday.  

Be lucky