Qabala will try to stay perfect as the favorite in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket

Qabala won her debut in a maiden race at Newmarket, England, last September. She won her stakes debut in the Group 3 Nell Gwyn Stakes at Newmarket on April 16 in her first start this year and second race of her career.

No wonder Qabala is expected to be favored in Sunday’s Group 1 English 1000 Guineas for 3-year-old fillies at a mile at Newmarket. Trained by Roger Varian for Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Qabala has had no difficultly negotiating the testing uphill finish at Newmarket in races at seven furlongs.

The competition is understandably tougher in the $650,000 1000 Guineas, which drew a field of 15. Staying in front of the Irish contingent may be enough.

As of Friday, Qabala was the 3-1 favorite in the future-book with British bookmakers. The next four in the betting – Skitter Scatter (6-1) and Fairyland, Iridessa and Just Wonderful (all 8-1) – are trained in Ireland.

The 1000 Guineas will be the first start of the year for Skitter Scatter, who finished her 2018 campaign with three consecutive group stakes wins in Ireland, including the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes last September. At the time, Skitter Scatter was trained by Patrick Prendergast, who has since quit as a trainer and started working with John Oxx, who began training Skitter Scatter.

Fairyland and Just Wonderful are trained by Aidan O’Brien, while his son, Joseph, trains Iridessa. The O’Brien-trained fillies are all stakes winners at Newmarket.

Fairyland won the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes at six furlongs at Newmarket last September in her final start of the year. Just Wonderful won the Group 2 Rockfel Stakes at seven furlongs at Newmarket last September and was fourth behind Newspaperofrecord in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Churchill Downs last November.

The 1000 Guineas will be the first start of the year for Fairlyand and Just Wonderful.

Iridessa won the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket last October, and was third by 2 1/2 lengths in the Group 3 1000 Guineas Trial at Leopardstown on April 6 in her 3-year-old debut.

Those fillies will be trying to hold off a late threat from Qabala, who took the lead in the final furlong of the Nell Gwyn and won by 1 3/4 lengths over stablemate Mot Juste, who is part of the 1000 Guineas field and was 10-1 on Friday.