Best bets for the QIPCO Guineas Festival at Newmarket this weekend Saturday 30th April and Sunday 1st May

For the 1,000 Guineas and 2,000 Guineas my thoughts in full can be read on the Classics page; spoiler alert I really want Native Trail on Saturday!  The going at HQ is Good-good to firm in places. ITV will be showing coverage of the big races Saturday and Sunday and there is plenty to get involved with over the Bank Holiday weekend if you choose to up and down the country. 

There is always the chance of an update over the Bank Holiday weekend so do check back for more possible punts Sunday and Monday but my bets, as it stands, can be found below.  

Best bets for the QIPCO Guineas Festival at Newmarket – Saturday

They get underway at 1.15 over at HQ with the Listed 6f Read Ryan Moore On Betting.Betfair British EBF Kilvington Stakes. Flotus is a shade odds-on already at Friday lunchtime having been second in the Group 1 Cheveley Park over C&D when last seen. She was caught on that day by 1,000 Guineas favourite, and my tip for that race, Tenebrism and anywhere near that sort of effort on her seasonal debut and she will win hard held. She can’t be backed at the price though and no-one appears to have the minerals to go Evens.  

The 1m2f Betfair Daily Rewards Suffolk Handicap at 2.25 is interesting to me as Dhahabi returns to the track after 18-months on the side-lines. I backed the colt on all three of his starts back in 2020 including when last seen finishing third in the mile G.3 Autumn Stakes. I have mentioned before he cost a cool 3.1 million Guineas and it is a pedigree to die for being by Frankel out of Fleche D'or with his grand sires being Galileo and Dubai Destination and grand mares Kind and Nuryana. Clearly, they like him at Moulton Paddocks to have kept him in training, Appleby has said the held him in high regard before the setbacks that lead to him missing his entire three-year-old campaign, and I took a bit of the 7-2 on Friday afternoon about him winning this.  

At 4.50 they face a mile for the Betfair Exchange Handicap. Its Appleby and Buick again as King Of Time looks to have an outstanding chance making is handicap debut off a mark of 86. He won his two starts to date over a mile at Lingfield despite slight greenness in the style of one that might turn out to be Pattern class eventually. My notes simply read 'Tipped on debut when won at Lingfield. Keep an eye on will win more races.' He can win this before a step-up in class and I have the 5-4.

Best bets for the QIPCO Guineas Festival at Newmarket – Sunday

They get underway again at 1.15 on Sunday, at this time I have just one bet other than Tenebrism in the 1,000 Guineas The Listed Betfair Pretty Polly Stakes over 1m2f looks a decent race with a few that might prove Group class eventually lining-up. With The Moonlight won a couple of All-Weather races before finishing third in the Listed Montrose Fillies' Stakes last autumn at HQ. The form of the race isn’t exactly red hot though and she might be up against a good on here in the shape of Crenelle. She only started her career at the start of April when she was third in a messy race in which she finished second but was demoted at Southwell on the All-Weather. The grey daughter of Kingman was out again just 11 days later and won a maiden here at Newmarket by a neck but with what appeared to be a bit left in the tank – front two well clear of the rest. This could be close but my preference, just, is for the Juddmonte owned filly at the 7-4 available on Friday.  

Be lucky