Last year’s race Winner: Rosallion Jockey: Sean Levy Trainer: Richard Hannon Owner: Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum Age: 3 Weight: 9st 2lbs Starting Price: 5/2 Season Form Figures: 21 Previous Best: 1st - Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas (Group 1), Curragh (May 2024) By Paul Jones The Derby’s loss looks like being Royal Ascot’s gain as the 2000 Guineas winner, Ruling Court, is set to be re-routed here by Godolphin after he was a late withdrawal at Epsom on ground deemed unsuitable. For over 1m4f, anyway, given the stamina concerns. Therefore, it looks like we will have ourselves a rematch between the 1-2 at Newmarket and also a clash of all three major 2000 Guineas winners with the Irish and French winners, Field Of Gold and Henri Matisse, set to join him which would make the St James’s Palace Stakes the race of the meeting for many. It usually pays to stick to the leading fancies for the St James’s Palace Stakes and, following the success of Rosallion last season, 16 of the last 26 winners entered the race as a Classic winner. In fact, the last four winners had all won a Classic; Poetic Flare, Coroebus, Paddington and Rosallion.   Like his sire, Kingman, Field Of Gold was an unfortunate runner-up in the 2000 Guineas behind Ruling Court before impressing in the Irish 2000 Guineas and he sets the standard of the 3yo miling colts on the evidence of his success at the Curragh. Kingman then went on to comprehensively reverse placings with his Newmarket conqueror, Night Of Thunder, in the rematch in the St James’s Palace Stakes and Field Of Gold is likely to start favourite to emulate his sire by going 211 at Newmarket, the Curragh and Royal Ascot. The 2000 Guineas winner, Ruling Court, heads to the Derby instead so we are unlikely to have a rematch and maybe Godolphin will rely on the Champion Two-Year-Old and close-up 2000 Guineas third, Shadow Of Light, instead, though he also has the Commonwealth Cup option. Then again, the same owner won the ravr with their 2000 Guineas winner, Dawn Approach, after he ran in the Derby, so, you never know! Also for the Maktoum Family, Marju won here shortly after he was second in the Derby. Coroebus was giving Godolphin a fourth victory in 2023 following Shamardal, Dawn Approach and Barney Roy but they have had also been represented by six losing Classic winners. Regards rematches from the 2000 Guineas, this century we have had five form reversals from Newmarket; Azamour over Haafhd, Canford Cliffs over Makfi, Kingman over Night Of Thunder, Barney Roy over Churchill and Rosallion over Notable Speech. We have also had four confirmations of form; Henrythenavigator over Ravens Pass, Frankel over Dubawi Gold, Dawn Approach over Toronado and Poetic Flare over Lucky Vega. As for the market as a guide, only Circus Maximus (10/1), who had previously failed to stay in the Derby when finishing sixth, has won at double-figure odds since 1992 when Brief Truce at 25/1 in first-time blinkers floored what was supposed to be the big head-to-head of Arazi and Rodrigo De Triano (both unplaced). Ten of the last 17 winners were sent off favourite. Interestingly, Circus Maximus also won in first-time blinkers! The days of all three major Guineas winners taking each other on here diminished when the Prix du Jockey-Club was reduced to 1m2f so many winners of the Poulains (French 2000) now head there instead so the 2000 Guineas and Irish 2000 Guineas hold an even more significant edge over the French equivalent, with the Newmarket and Curragh Classics having highlighted 21 and 18 of the last 30 winners respectively. In fact, an eye-catching 16 of the last 30 St James’s Palace Stakes winners contested both the 2000 Guineas and Irish 2000 Guineas so that’s a very positive stat for Field Of Gold. The authoritative 2021 winner, Poetic Flare, actually contested all three Guineas’ underlining his toughness. The Gosden stable have won two of the last seven runnings, though with horses that bypassed all the Guineas’ (Without Parole and Palace Pier) and they were only a neck away from making that three as King Of Comedy was only just denied in between those successes. O’Brien has been the trainer to follow winning nine of the last 25 runnings and seven of his winners contested the Irish 2000 Guineas. Three of his dual Guineas winners went on to add this prize but his finest hour in this race was when saddling the 1-2-3 in 2007 and he has also had 13 horses placed in addition to his winners going back to 2002. However, the Ballydoyle pair at The Curragh, Officer (7th of 9) and Expanded (finished last after he was also well beaten when O’Brien’s only 2000 Guineas runner after Twain picked up an injury to miss Newmarket) this season were soundly thrashed so his best hope looks to be the French 2000 Guineas winner, the mercurial Henri Matisse who edged out the Greenham winner, Jonquil in Paris. Therefore, Juddmonte own the runner-up in all three Guineas as Cosmic Year was second to his owner-mate at The Curragh and Harry Charlton is keen to take Field Of Gold again but this time round a bend. Will one of Jonquil or Cosmic Year drop back to 7f for the Jersey Stakes instead? Back in the fourth in the Irish 2000 Guineas was Rashabar who won the Coventry Stakes at last year’s Royal Ascot. The relevance of highlighting that victory on this day 12 months ago is that Henrythenavigator, Canford Cliffs and Dawn Approach all won the Coventry Stakes in the last 15 years. In the biggest field of modern times, Most Improved won from stall 15 of 16 but it’s been a case of the lower, so nearer the rail, the better. Four of the last seven winners came from stalls 1-2 – two of which in double-figure fields and Rosallion was drawn 1 of 8 last year. Winning form last time out is far from essential as 11 of the last 29 winners were beaten on their most recent start - three in the Derby. Only two of the last 12 winners had just one previous run this season. At a glance summary Positives Ran in both the 2000 Guineas and Irish 2000 Guineas A Group 1 winner (especially a European Guineas) The favourite Trained by Aidan O’Brien (especially if contested the Irish 2000 Guineas) Drawn low Won last season’s Coventry Stakes Negatives Yet to contest a Group 1 (unless trained by John & Thady Gosden) Failed to finish in the first four in any European Guineas (unless trained by John & Thady Gosden) Less than two starts this season