Paul Ferguson has 2 selections for us on Saturday; Frankel (15:10 Newmarket) and Estourah (14:25 Thirsk)
Hardly an original selection, but Frankel (3:10) is very hard to oppose in the Qipco 2,000 Guineas this afternoon at Newmarket.
Henry Cecil’s colt looked an exceptional juvenile last term and he proved he trained on when easily landing the Greenham on his reappearance at Newbury a fortnight ago.
Cecil’s runners were generally in need of the run at the time, so he can be expected to have come on a bundle. The likely strong pace will also be in his favour, as it will help Tom Queally settle him in the early part of the race.
The Galileo colt could well be destined for greatness and I can’t help imagining him taking the opening Classic of the season in very impressive fashion.
The day’s other selection comes up at Thirsk, where Estourah (2:25) can land the 1m4f maiden for Saeed Bin Suroor and Ted Durcan.
The Derby entry is the trainer’s only runner on the card and he has a 50% strike-rate at the track (5 winners from 10 runners) during the past five seasons.
The Dalakhani colt chased home Sadler’s Risk (winner off 82 last month) and Derby hopeful Sea Moon at Leicester on debut, before again finishing behind a Sir Michael Stoute Derby contender, Carlton House, at Newbury in late October.
He was third that day, just 2 lengths off Yaseer, who won next time and more recently finished a respectable third in the Craven Stakes at HQ.
A reproduction of those two efforts ought to be good enough to enable him to strike at the third time of asking.
Saturday’s selections:
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