Guineas odds cut on Whipper

Whipper was so impressive winning the listed Prix Djebel at Maisons-Laffitte last Wednesday that Ladbroke's has cut his odds for the 2000 Guineas from 25-1 to 12-1.

A Kentucky-bred son of Miesque's Son who sold for just $4,000 as a foal, Whipper zoomed to an eight-length victory over Red Mo as the 3-10 favorite. Trained by Robert Collet and ridden by Christophe Soumillon, Whipper covered the straight seven furlongs on holding ground in 1:28.70, or 3.50 seconds faster than Onda Nova ran winning the Prix Imprudence, the filly equivalent of the Djebel.

Whipper, who won the Group 1 Prix Morny at Deauville last August, will now go straight to Newmarket for the Guineas on May 1. On that day he will meet the Aidan O'Brien-trained One Cool Cat. A two-time Group 1 winner as a juvenile, One Cool Cat worked well after racing at The Curragh on Sunday and will run in the 2000 Guineas without a prep race.

France's two leading Guineas candidates, American Post and Bago, are expected to meet in the Group 3 Prix de Fontainebleau at Longchamp on April 25 before a clash in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains (French 2000 Guineas) on May 16.