Teofilo's training set back as rivals line up in Craven

Thursday's Group 3 Craven Stakes, a Newmarket course-and-distance prep for the classic 2000 Guineas on May 6, will be run amidst swirls of speculation that all is not well with the Guineas favorite, Teofilo.

British bookies briefly suspended Guineas betting on Monday as rumors circulated that Teofilo, the 2006 European juvenile champ, had suffered a setback. His trainer, Jim Bolger, admitted as much on Tuesday, and while Bolger was not specific about the cause, he did say that his Dewhurst Stakes winner would be limited to walking and swimming for a week.

As a result, Ladbrokes has eased Teofilo out to 3-2 in the Guineas betting, with Dutch Art their second favorite at 9-2.

The one-mile, $99,000 Craven has drawn a field of nine, all of whom will be making their seasonal debuts.

Thousand Words, winner of Newmarket's seven-furlong Group 3 Somerville Tattersalls Stakes, as well as Adagio, a maiden winner and seventh in the Dewhurst, and He's a Decoy, a listed winner and eighth in the Dewhurst, all have their chances but could be trumped by the Aidan O'Brien-trained Irish invader, Brave Tin Soldier.

A Storm Cat colt whose dam is an unraced full sister to Fusaichi Pegasus, Brave Tin Soldier won a six-furlong listed race at the Curragh before finishing a decent fifth behind Dutch Art in Newmarket's Group 1 Middle Park Stakes at the same distance. Michael Kinane has the call.