Irish 1000 Guineas Betting

In total, the Irish 1000 Guineas has seen two doubles – most recently with Finsceal Beo, who won the 2007 Irish 1000 Guineas after having also won the English 1000 Guineas at Newmarket in record-breaking time three weeks earlier.

Although 1000 Guineas doubles aren’t nearly as common as for the 2000 Guineas, it does pay to look to the outcome of the race at Newmarket before picking a favourite to back, and to scan Irish 1000 Guineas odds carefully after the Newmarket race. Equally important is to watch the performance of top flat racing trainers – many of whom compete in both 1000 Guineas – leading up the race.

Top Trainers And Jockeys

Top trainers to back in Irish 1000 Guineas betting include Aidan O’Brien, James (Jim) Bolger and Dermot Weld. O’Brien, Bolger and Weld count as the current top trainers in flat racing, and have each already made several entries for the Irish 1000 Guineas.

In previous years, Aidan O’Brien has had three Irish 1000 Guineas winners, with Classic Park in 1997, Imagine in 2001 and Yesterday in 2003. Dermot Weld has trained two winners– Trusted Partner in 1988 and, more recently, Nightime in 2006 – and Jim Bolger trained the 2007 winner, Finsceal Beo.

Two other trainers to back in Irish 1000 Guineas betting are Kevin Prendergast and John M. Oxx, whose Ridgewood Pearl won the race in 1985. After O’Brien, Weld and Bolger, both Prendergast and Oxx emerged as the trainers with the most wins over the 2007 flat racing season.

With the top owners and trainers go the top jockeys, who give their fillies an extra advantage. Currently ranked highest in flat racing are:

• Pat Smullen (winner on Dermot Weld-trained Nightime, in 2006)
• Kevin Manning (2007 winner, on Finsceal Beo)
• DP McDonogh
• FM Berry
• JA Heffernan

Form Betting

Because both classic 1000 Guineas races are held early in the season and the races are restricted to three-year-old fillies, serious punters will need to look at the performance of two-year-old fillies over short-distance flat races over the preceding racing season. It’s speed and power, rather than stamina, that’s needed for the one-mile Irish 1000 Guineas.

Familiarity with the track at Curragh Racecourse is obviously also a plus. For example, it’s worth noting that Dermot Weld’s stable is located on the Curragh.

Start considering your favourites for 2008 Irish 100 Guineas betting.