Last year's race Winner: Coroebus Jockey: William Buick Trainer: Charlie Appleby Owner: Godolphin Age: 3 Weight: 9st 2lbs Starting Price: 10/11 Season Form Figures: 1 Previous Best: 1st - Qipco 2000 Guineas (Group 1), Newmarket (April 2022) By Paul Jones It usually pays to stick to the leading fancies for the St James’s Palace Stakes and following the success of the odds-on Coroebus last season, 14 of the last 24 winners entered the race as a Classic winner. On this occasion we look set for a clash between the winners of the 2000 Guineas and Irish 2000 Guineas, with Chaldean and Paddington facing off. Only the Aidan O’Brien-trained 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 floored Arazi and Rodrigo De Triano (both unplaced). Ten of the last 15 winners were sent off favourite. 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 head there now instead, so the 2000 Guineas and Irish 2000 Guineas hold an even more significant edge over the French equivalent now, with the Newmarket and Curragh Classics having highlighted 20 and 16 of the last 28 winners, respectively. The authoritative 2021 winner Poetic Flare contested all three Guineas’, underlining his toughness. In fact, an eye-catching 15 of the last 28 St James’s Palace Stakes winners contested both Classics. However, this season’s second, third and fourth from Newmarket were beaten by Paddington at The Curragh. O’Brien has been the trainer to follow, winning eight of the last 23 runnings, and six of his winners contested the Irish 2000 Guineas first. Three of his four 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 12 horses placed in addition to his winners going back to 2002. The Gosden stable have won two of the last five runnings but 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 two successes. Mostabshir could bid to join them after winning a novice stakes by 5 lengths at the Dante Meeting. Coroebus was giving Godolphin a fourth SJP victory last season, following Shamardal, Dawn Approach and Barney Roy, but they have also been represented by five losing Classic winners. 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. Three of the last five winners came from stalls 1 or 2 - all in double-figure fields. Winning form last time out is far from essential, as 11 of the last 27 winners were beaten on their most recent start - three in the Derby. Only two of the last 10 winners had just one previous run that season. As for two-year-old form, Henrythenavigator, Canford Cliffs and Dawn Approach all won the Coventry Stakes on the same day 12 months earlier in the last 13 years. At a glance summary Positives: Ran in both the English and Irish 2000 Guineas A Group 1 winner (especially a European Guineas) The favouriteTrained by Aidan O’Brien (especially if contested the Irish 2000 Guineas) Drawn low Won last season’s Coventry Stakes and/or Dewhurst Stakes Negatives: Yet to contest a Group 1 race (unless trained by John & Thady Gosden) Failed to finish in the first four in any form of 2000 Guineas (unless trained by John & Thady Gosden) Less than two starts this season