Garswood primed for QIPCO 2000 Guineas

Garswood impresses when winning the CSP European Free Handicap on Newmarket’s Rowley Mile last month under jockey Tony Hamilton. Image courtesy of racingfotos.com.

Garswood will face 12 high class rivals in the QIPCO 2000 Guineas at Newmarket on Saturday when he bids to become the first Yorkshire-trained winner of this prestigious Classic for 19 years.

Garswood warmed up for the big race with an impressive two and a quarter length victory in the CSP European Free Handicap at Newmarket on 17 April.

He is trained at Malton in North Yorkshire by Richard Fahey and Robin O’Ryan, his long-serving assistant, reports that everyone in the stable is very excited ahead of Saturday’s big race.

"Garswood did his final piece of work earlier in the week and we are very happy with him,” O’Ryan reveals. "We had great belief that he was a good horse before he ran in the Free Handicap and were delighted with his victory.”

A speedily-bred son of Dutch Art, Garswood’s best 2012 performances came over five furlongs. "He has made giant strides mentally since then,” O’Ryan explains. "He was just so laid back that we had to run him over five furlongs to wake him up and make him competitive.

"He is such a relaxed horse and we are confident that he will see out the one mile trip on Saturday."

When told that no Free Handicap winner has followed up in the Guineas since Mystiko in 1991, O’Ryan simply says: "We don’t worry at all about statistics.”

Which is just as well. The last Yorkshire-trained 2000 Guineas winner was Mister Baileys in 1994 and before that you have to go back to Nearula, in 1953, to find a victory for the White Rose County.

Dawn Approach, the brilliant unbeaten champion two-year-old, stands out among Garswood’s dozen opponents. Trained in Ireland by Jim Bolger, he has not raced since landing the Dubai Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket last October.

The other leading contender is Toronado, trained in Wiltshire by Richard Hannon. He proved himself a very high-class horse when landing the Group 3 Novae Bloodstock Insurance Craven Stakes by no less than four lengths at Newmarket on 18 April.

Aidan O’Brien, victorious in the race six times including last year with Camelot, goes into the race triple-handed with Cristoforo Colombo, the mount of Joseph O’Brien, George Vancouver and the once-raced Mars