The Guineas Festival 2025 takes place on Friday, May 2nd and runs until Sunday, May 4. That leaves us with 23 races across the three-day festival, with one feature race on each day. Let’s take a closer look at each feature race and see if we can’t help you make some successful bets on this year’s event!
Jockey Club Stakes Preview
This Group 2 race is the highlight of Day 1 at the Guineas Festival, open to horses aged four years or older. It is a real head turner run over a distance of 1m4f. There is a £125,000 purse up for grabs, with £70,000 going to the winner. Winners of this race have historically gone on to run in the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Charlie Appleby’s star Silver Knott will make his first appearance in the UK since the 2000 Guineas Stakes three years ago. He has been mostly stateside ever since, picking up a handful of Grade 2 victories across the pond. We last saw him win the Dubai City Of Gold in early March, and he will want to dictate proceedings here much like he did in Meydan.
Ambiente Friendly is not far behind him in the betting. He went off as a joint favourite in the Earl of Setfton last time but weakened after leading 2f out and finished fourth. James Owen’s sole entry is one of the most unexposed in this race, but he has to bounce back from a poor season in 2024 and a weak reappearance.
Andrew Balding’s Bellum Justum is also lightly raced, but was equally poor on his reappearance in April. He was a distant fifth at Newbury last month and made no impression in that run. Balding’s charge is the only runner in this race without a win over this distance, and his ideal trip is probably at least a couple of furlongs shorter.
Divina Grace finished 14L in front of stablemate Bellum Justum in the Newbury Grade 3. She battled gamely and had enough to edge in front, but it was an impressive win, regardless. Balding’s second entrant is the only runner with a CD win. This will be a tough outing in her Group 2 debut, though.
Jockey Club Stakes Predictions and Betting Tips
Predicted Winner: Silver Knott
Our horse racing prediction is for Silver Knott to win this race. The Godolphin product is hard to oppose at 5/4 in the horse racing markets. His progression since going stateside has been impressive, and he is now a four-time Grade Two winner after his victory in Meydan. No other entrant boasts those kinds of numbers. Ambiente Friendly probably needed that Newmarket reappearance to shake off the rust and can reverse his form here. However, finishing in front of Silver Knott seems unlikely.
Outside of the favourite, Divina Grace looks the most worth taking a punt on. Her inexperience in Group 2 races is an obvious caveat, but she is the only runner with a win over C&D. She finished in front of Bellum Justum last time out and gets a handy 3lb mares allowance. A bet on Andrew Balding’s charge is worth 15/2.
2000 Guineas Stakes Preview
One of the two premier races of the festival, the 2000 Guineas Stakes, is the highlight of Day Two. The Group 1 flat race is open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies and run over one mile. An eye-watering £500,000 is open for connections, with just under £300,000 going to the winner.
Field Of Gold heads the 2000 Guineas betting for Saturday’s premier race. John and Thady Gosden’s three-year-old became a dual Group 3 winner when finishing 3½L in front of Wimbledon Hawkeye in the Craven Stakes. He is the one to beat, but this will be the biggest field he has faced, and the ground looks set to be quicker.
Ruling Court cost his yard €2.3m, and a lot will be expected here. He’s done well to justify that price tag so far, showing great potential with a win at Sandown, the Jumeirah 2000 Guineas at Meydan, and a strong third in the Acomb. William Buick has opted for him over Charlie Appleby’s other runner, and he is a highly rated entrant.
Expanded is very lightly raced even for three-year-old standards. His only two starts came within a week of each other last October. He won his debut at the Curragh before losing only by a neck to Shadow Of Light at this course. Expanded is one of the most unexposed runners in a race full of them, and there is clearly something there.
Joseph Patrick O’Brien’s Scorthy Champ has won two from three at nice prices. He won the National Stakes in September, reversing his form against Henri Matisse. There has been a lot of buzz around him this Spring, and he is an interesting entrant just outside of the frontrunners.
Shadow Of Light won four from five as a two-year-old, most recently in front of Expanded in the Dewhurst Stakes in October. He also finished 4L in front of Whistlejacket in a Group 1, who had already won a Group 1 and 2 by that point. Yet to run over this distance, so the stamina is a question mark, but his progression has been wonderful to watch.
Green Impact won the Champions Juvenile in front of Delacroix in September after already beating him on that course seven weeks prior. Stamina will not be an issue. The going is a question mark, but that is the same for many entrants. Could be a player in the places.
Wimbledon Hawkeye had an excellent run in the Royal Lodge before being beaten convincingly by Field Of Gold in the Craven. However, James Owen has more of an eye on the Epsom Derby and his talents are probably best lent to a further trip.
Seagulls Eleven, Tornado Alert, Yah Mo Be There, and Benevento round out the field. The first has come up short behind Shadow Of Light, Henri Matisse, and Scorthy Champ in his three most recent starts. They were all Group 1 races, and there is still potential there. Benevento and Yah Mo Be There have been off the pace in previous runs. Tornado Alert is a winner over a similar distance but is an underdog in this event.
2000 Guineas Stakes Predictions and Betting Tips
Predicted Winner: Shadow Of Light
The juvenile form has been the key to picking the winner in this race in the past. Plenty come with a certain shine, but Shadow of Light is the pick of the lot. A double on this track in the Middle Park Stakes and the Dewhurst showed his pedigree. His turn of foot to beat Whistlejacket by four lengths in the Middle Park was spectacular. That meeting is often the sign of a sprinter, but his style leads us to believe he is just as capable of staying. He looks an excellent bet, worth 13/2 with our online betting site.
The jockey booking adds an extra layer of excitement to Ruling Court here. His only loss came behind The Lion In The Winter, the current favourite for the Derby. He looks well suited to the trip, and quicker ground shouldn’t be an issue. Charlie Appleby’s runner is our second pick.
Green Impact takes the eye for a place. His two wins in front of Delcroix were very impressive. Further progression would be needed here, but he looks the sort to kick on as a three-year-old and 16/1 is an attractive price for the Group 2 winner. Seagulls Eleven had a disappointing end to the season last year, but there is clear potential there. He could make the frame at a big 40/1 price.
1000 Guineas Stakes Preview
The centrepiece of Day One at Newmarket, the 1000 Guineas Stakes, brings together the best three-year-old fillies in Britain and Ireland for a classic clash over the Rowley Mile. This Group 1 contest is run over 1m and boasts a purse of £500,000, with £283,000 reserved for the winner. It remains one of the most important early markers in the Flat racing season.
Desert Flower tops the market after an unbeaten campaign that culminated in a stylish win in the Fillies’ Mile. Trained by John and Thady Gosden, she showed maturity and class in that performance, travelling well before quickening away from some familiar rivals. This will be her first run of the season, but she has all the signs of a winner.
Lake Victoria was the standout juvenile in Ireland last year, winning the Moyglare Stud Stakes and Cheveley Park Stakes. Aidan O’Brien has kept her under wraps since, but the vibes have been strong from Ballydoyle. She has no trouble over a mile and won’t mind quick ground.
Red Letter returns after a disappointing finish behind Lake Victoria in September. She showed a delicate turn of foot to settle a maiden there in July, and looks to have trained on well over the winter. Lake Victoria has twice got the better of her, but she seems more physically developed this term and could be a big player.
Bedtime Story is another from the O’Brien yard. While she’s playing second fiddle in the betting to Lake Victoria, she brings strong credentials. A Group 3 winner at Leopardstown, two attempts in Group 1 company since have been disappointing. However, the vet said she was lame after the Moyglare Stud Stakes. If the pace is strong, expect her to be doing her best work late.
Duty First made a bold impression when winning the Fred Darling Stakes in April at 33/1. That was over 7f, and she is shaped like a filly who would get a mile in time. A little more exposed than some market leaders, but has decent form on this course and deserves respect. Hollie Doyle is booked again.
Chantilly Lace changed hands for 375,000 gns as a yearling and paid back a portion when winning a Novice at Salisbury in October. However, she’s yet to face the calibre of rivals on offer here, and this will be a huge test. Completely unexposed over the trip, course, and going.
Chantez has been campaigned exclusively at Leopardstown and makes her British debut for G M Lyons. She has won in decently sized fields in her three starts and looks very suited to the extra furlong. Slightly quicker ground is not a real worry, but this is a bigger test than her previous entries.
Elwateen was odds-on in her debut at Kempton in August and won accordingly. We have not seen her since then, and the form does not look anything special. She is from Godolphin-adjacent trainer Saeed Bin Suroor, who won this race in 2002.
Exactly has plenty of experience, having run in eight races already. She was second behind Bedtime Story twice last season and had good runs in the Moyglare and Prix Marcel Boussac. This Frankel filly is a very interesting entrant at wide odds.
Flight had a maiden win to her name last season and twice finished behind Desert Flower. They were far from disastrous runs, though, and she could be a player in this field if she has progressed since last term.
Janey Mackers and Hey Boo look the best of the rest after impressive wins at Doncaster and Chelmsford, respectively. Simmering, Merrily, and Remaat look easy to pass over, going off a combination of form and quickening ground.
1000 Guineas Stakes Predictions and Betting Tips
Predicted Winner: Desert Flower
Horse racing predictions for this race point to Desert Flower winning this race. This event has not been kind to favourites in recent years, and five of the last seven winners have come at double-figure prices. We’ve seen just one favourite win in a decade. However, staying away from the perfect form of Desert Flower and Lake Victoria is very tough. Both have beaten a lot of the field already. AP O’Brien admitted that Lake Victoria is slow to come to hand over a mile, so Desert Flower gets the nod, worth 6/5 with our online betting site.
However, we are more interested in the place betting for this race. Exactly is way more exposed than her counterparts here, but that experience may be invaluable. Her reappearance in the Priory Belle Stakes in March was encouraging. That boosts her for this meeting and 33/1 is a great price for an each-way bet.
Duty First also caught the eye following her 33/1 triumph in the Fred Darling Stakes. She appreciates the faster ground, and Hollie Doyle is booked again here. The trip is a slight question mark based on her speed and pedigree, but she is another with valuable experience.
Hey Boo rounds out our place picks. She had a successful debut at Chelmsford and doubled up four weeks later. She outran 40/1 odds to finish second behind Duty First in the Fred Darling on her reappearance last month. This requires further progression, but she is on an upward trajectory. She is an exciting entrant and worth betting each way at 66/1.
