The first Irish classic of the flat season returns to County Kildare this weekend, as the 2025 Irish 2000 Guineas gets underway.
Some of racing‘s finest stars will showcase their talent across the three-day weekend featuring 24 races – including three Group Ones.
The first of which is the Irish 2000 Guineas – the feature race on day two of Guineas Weekend.
Three-year-old thoroughbreds will embark on a mile trip of the iconic Curragh Racecourse, as they look to write their names into the history book.
This year this race is set to be more lucrative than ever before, as sponsors Tattersalls have announced the extension of their festival sponsorship until 2028 – ensuring that at least 500,000 euros is awarded in prize money for this race.
Though runners aren’t finalised, the top two in the ante-post market run for prestigious owners Juddmonte, as they seek their first classic victory of the season.
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Field of Gold
The first of which is Field Of Gold, who is widely recognised as the likely victor in this race his fast-finishing second to the Charlie Appleby-trained Ruling Court, in the Newmarket equivalent just over two weeks ago.
After the race, his trainer John Gosden – who is still yet to win the 2000 Guineas – said: “He did nothing wrong, a touch far back on the fractions and the race just got away from him, he was running on strongly at the end.”
The result meant that Jockey Kieran Shoemark will be replaced in the saddle by Colin Keane, after his ride came under major scrutiny.
Field Of Gold is the (8/11) favourite, as he aims to give his trainer his second win in this race after his sire Kingman, who won it for Gosden in 2014.
The second of the two fancied Juddmonte runners is the undefeated, Harry Charlton-trained Cosmic Year (5/1).
He reappeared in April on Kempton’s all-weather track before winning a listed race, at Newmarket’s Guineas meeting.
Jockeys
Four-time British Champion Jockey Oisin Murphy will take the ride after taking victory in the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury – for the same owners.
Leading trainer Aidan O’Brien has had 12 winners in the race, but has won only one of the last seven runnings.
He is sure to lead a team of superstars as he looks to continue his dominance that has seen him ‘clean up’ in the early stages of the season.
His horses dominated the Chester Festival before he saw victory in Lingfield’s Derby trial and on home turf at Naas and Leopardstown.
At the forefront of the Ballydoyle attack is Officer, who runs in the colours of Coolmore Stud.
He is the 6/1 second third favourite to win what would be the fourth run of his career – all of which have been at Curragh.
After defeating Juddmonte-owned Storm Piece on debut – last year – he has ran twice in listed races, finishing third on reappearance and winning the latest 15 days ago.
Ruling Court
The aforementioned 2000 Guineas winner Ruling Court is another at 6/1 to win this race.
If doing so, he will become the first horse since Churchill in 2017 to win both the Irish 2000 Guineas and the 2000 Guineas in the same season.
Elsewhere in the market, and perhaps overpriced, are the John Harrington-trained Hotazhell and Henri Matisse – another of the O’Brien contingent.
The former has won four of his six career runs and boasts some strong form – including conquering Epsom Derby chance Delacroix in his latest run, back in October.
He has also beaten Chester Vase winner Lambourn as well as others including Wimbledon Hawkeye – who finished second behind Field Of Gold at Newmarket, last year.
The latter arrives off the back of a French Group One victory and has won six of his eight career runs, whilst also inflicting one of Hotazhell’s defeats in a Group Two at this course.
He has finished outside of the placings in only one of his races and won the Grade One Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf last season.
The action will get underway at 3:40pm on Saturday, May 24.
It is the showpiece event of the meeting and Racing TV subscribers can watch it on channel 426, whilst it will also be shown live and for free on terrestrial TV via ITV Racing.
By Callum Close
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