Gstaad seeks Classic revenge in the Irish 2000 Guineas at The Curragh

The Aidan O’Brien trainee, runner-up to Bow Echo at Newmarket, looms as the clear favorite to capture the first major Irish mile Classic of the season

COUNTY KILDARE, Ireland (Special to Turf Diario).- Crack miler Gstaad will have an ideal opportunity this Saturday to avenge what happened in the 2000 Guineas Stakes (G1) at Newmarket when he headlines the field of 10 confirmed runners for the Irish 2000 Guineas (G1) at The Curragh.

The representative of Aidan O’Brien was the only colt capable of seriously threatening the brilliant Bow Echo (Night of Thunder) in the English Classic and now looms as a heavy favorite to finally secure his own Group 1 victory at the highest level.

Gstaad’s campaign had already been intense from the age of two.

The son of Starspangledbanner accumulated runner-up finishes in three consecutive Group 1 events before earning major compensation with his victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) at Del Mar, a success that firmly established him among the best milers of his generation.

At Newmarket, he also arrived surrounded by some controversy after complications related to his entry, though that did nothing to prevent him from producing a huge effort, finishing clearly ahead of the rest behind Bow Echo.

His principal rival on paper appears to be Distant Storm (Night of Thunder), third at Newmarket for the stable of Charlie Appleby, although he finished roughly eight lengths behind Gstaad that day.

The mount will go to Billy Loughnane, replacing the suspended William Buick.

Appleby will also saddle Pacific Avenue (Dubawi), while Ballydoyle fields a second representative in Neolithic (Sioux Nation).

Another colt with legitimate aspirations is Thesecretadversary (St Mark’s Basilica), trained by Fozzy Stack, who also ran creditably in the English 2000 Guineas and will hope to capitalize on any battle between the favorites.

Special attention also surrounds Alparslan (Dandy Man), the Karl Burke trainee who skipped Newmarket after his strong victory in the Greenham Stakes (G3), where he defeated highly regarded names such as Zavateri (Without Parole) and Albert Einstein (Wootton Bassett).

The field additionally includes Power Blue (Space Blues), a Group 1 winner at two now carrying the colors of Amo Racing, alongside Go Just Do It (Kingman), Bamako Beach (Sands of Mali), and Take Charge Star (Starspangledbanner).

With Ballydoyle seeking yet another Classic success and Gstaad determined to prove that his Newmarket performance was no coincidence, the Irish 2000 Guineas promises to become another pivotal chapter within the fascinating 2026 European miler generation.