Gleneagles looks formidable in Irish 2000 Guineas

At seven furlongs or one mile, Gleneagles has been virtually unbeatable, and he will be favored to win again while facing 10 foes Saturday at The Curragh in the Group 1 Irish 2000 Guineas.

A colt by Galileo owned by Michael Tabor, Susan Magnier, and Derek Smith, Gleneagles finished fourth as the favorite in his career debut last June at Leopardstown, but he has since won all six of his starts, proving one of the top European 2-year-olds of 2014 and, from the appearance of his convincing score May 2 in the English 2000 Guineas, looking much like Europe’s leading 3-year-old miler, at least early this season.

The only entity that has stopped the Aidan O’Brien-trained Gleneagles since his debut loss was the group of stewards at Longchamp, who disqualified Gleneagles from first to third last autumn in the Group 1 Jean-Luc Lagardere.

In the May 2 Guineas, his first start as a 3-year-old, Gleneagles stalked the pace under Ryan Moore, racing along the stands’ side rail as the Guineas field split into two groups. He made the lead nearly a quarter-mile from home without being asked and pulled clear of his rivals while looking less than completely honed to peak fitness.

A mere repeat of that performance would make Gleneagles a winner again Saturday in Ireland, where the going is expected to be good to yielding. Ivawood is the second choice in antepost wagering off a decent third in the English 2000 Guineas, but Ivawood had a decent enough trip in that race and proved no match for the winner.

Kingman won the Irish 2000 Guineas last year for trainer John Gosden, breaking O’Brien’s three-year winning streak in a race he has won five out of the last seven seasons.