There was a lot of drama leading into this year’s Group I Newmarket 2000 Guineas with key horses falling by the wayside and the lead up races producing nothing of any real excitement, but at the end of the day two top colts dominated the finish with both of them racing for the first time this year.
Undefeated in three starts last year, Night of Thunder colt Bow Echo closed out his juvenile season winning the Group II Royal Lodge Stakes, while Starspangledbanner colt Gstaad danced every dance as they say.
The Aidan O’Brien trained colt won the Group II Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot and then placed in three Group I races before travelling to the US where he won the Group I Breeders’ Cup Turf Juvenile at Del Mar.
Bow Echo and Gstaad were both stepping out for the first time this year at Newmarket on Saturday and proved a class above in a field of 14 contenders.
Gstaad was game in defeat going down by two and three-quarter lengths to a brilliant Bow Echo under Billy Loughnane with a massive eight length margin back to the rest and the time of 1.35.59 highlighting the quality of these two colts.
“Bow Echo is an absolute superstar and he's a dream to ride. I planned the race out in a million different directions but it went perfectly today. What a feeling,” said Billy Loughnane.
“He'd had a perfect preparation going into the race and George is a genius. He's done everything right with this horse and it just shows when he gets a star what he can do with it. Bow Echo - what a superstar!.”
Bow Echo is a homebred for Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum and is trained by George Boughey, the man who started the career of Australian Horse of the Year Via Sistina (IRE) before she was sold to Yulong and came to Australia.
Bow Echo is the first winner for Aristocratic Lady, a winning half-sister by Invincible Spirit to Group III winner Royal Rhyme and stakes-winner Victor Harbour from stakes-placed Dubai Queen, a half-sister to legendary sire Dubawi.
Bow Echo has an intriguing double cross of Dubawi’s dam, the Group I winner Zomaradah 3 x 3, which will excite the pedigree gurus.
He is the tenth Group I winner for Darley based Night of Thunder and is the best of three stakes-winners for the sire bred from daughters of Invincible Spirit with the nick running at 75% winners to runners.
