So the first two Classics of the 2026 season are in the book, and while the young combination of George Boughey and Billy Loughnane prevailed in yesterday’s 2,000 Guineas, it was the old master, Aidan O’Brien, who got back on the board in the Newmarket Classics after a lean few seasons when True Love powered to victory in the 1,000 Guineas.

The spring cycle of Classics and trials moves on to Chester next week, and the Derby and Oaks are looming too.

It will also be fascinating to see where Abashiri goes next. She ran a fine race for such an inexperienced filly to finish fifth, she has an entry in the Oaks and her pedigree – by Frankel out of a Dubawi mare who won at 10 furlongs – suggests the mile-and-a-half at Epsom will suit. She can be backed at around 8-1 for the Epsom Classic.

Aidan O’Brien is talking to ITV Racing’s Matt Chapman in the winner’s enclosure:

She’s a massive, powerful filly, she has a lot of class and she has a great mind. You have to really get the mile here, and Wayne was very patient and cool on her

The Prettiest Star, by the way, came home in fourth to land the each-way bets if your bookie was paying four places.

That’s also a third win in the 1,000 Guineas for Wayne Lordan, successful previously on Winter in 2017 and Hermosa in 2019.

True Love has been cut to even-money favourite for the Irish 1,000 Guineas by Paddy Power, and 5-2 favourite (from 14-1) for the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot next month.

A convincing success for True Love gives Aidan O’Brien his eighth 1,000 winner, and like the last one – Mother Earth in 2021 – she was the second-string according to the betting.

She was anything but in the race itself, though, and tracked the pace set by Venetian Lace on the near side before powering into the lead a furlong out. She then drifted to her right through much of the final furlong, so is value for more than her winning margin.

Precise is on the far side, but the near side group leads two out, True Love is in that group and comes through to lead … Precise is treading water, True Love has a decisive lead …

TRUE LOVE WINS THE 1,000 GUINEAS!

They split into three groups early …. Venetian Sun shows plenty of early speed far side … Venetian Lace heads them on the near side,

Going in steadily … won’t be long now …

and they’re off and running in the 1,000 Guineas!

A little late money for Venetian Sun, in to 5-1 from 7-1. Bits and pieces for Abashiri too, in to 17-2.

They are on their way to the start for the second Classic of the season. True Love, Precise’s stable companion, is now clear second-favourite at 5-1 and everything else is on the drift.

Money is coming now for the favourite, Precise is down to 13-8 after a rush of cash in the last few minutes having opened at around 2-1.

The Classic runners are in the paddock, Precise is on her toes and the “gorgeous” Abashiri has caught the eye of ITV Racing’s paddock expert, Francesca Cumani.

We are heading towards the 1,000 Guineas at a rate of knots now, and Precise is 9-4 favourite with Venetian Sun and True Love next in the list at 11-2.

My (each way) pick for the race, incidentally, is Ed Walker’s The Prettiest Star at around 16-1.

Jancis, meanwhile, will head to a Group One at Royal Ascot after her surprise success in the Dahlia Stakes, according to trainer Willie McCreery. The Queen Anne Stakes looks the likeliest destination for the five-year-old, who is named after the famous wine critic, Jancis Robinson.

Catching up on earlier races, Jennifer Jane, the easy winner of the Pretty Polly Stakes, is likely to be kept to 10 furlongs, for the moment at least, according to Charlie Johnston, her trainer.

Physically she has grown from two to three and pedigree-wise you would perhaps worry about the [10-furlong] trip, but physically she looks like a mile-and-a-quarter filly so it was worth a try, and she’s clearly stayed it well. This trip feels right and she has a nice blend of speed and stamina.

Align The Stars and Pole Star prominent early, Charging Thunder is third … Goblet Of Fire is prominent too … they turn in at the top of the Rowley Mile … Pole Star taken towards the middle of the track, with Subsequent and Yashin … Align The Stars heads the bigger group on the far rail …

Half a mile out … Pole Star ridden towards the lead, Align The Stars also goes for home … here comes Goblet Of Fire with Saffie Osborne … it’s a well-timed challenge and he has a decent lead … staying on strongly now and it’s going to be gamble landed by Goblet of Fire!

Off and running in the 2.55 Newmarket …

They are going in for the 1m 6f handicap,Many Men heads the market at 3-1 and Goblet Of Fire is next in at 4-1.

1,000 Guineas contenders: the each-way chances

With most bookies offering four places for each-way backers, there are plenty of alternatives to the market leaders to consider, headed by Charlie Appleby’s Abashiri, the mount of William Buick. The daughter of Frankel has had just one start, winning a maiden on the all-weather at Kempton in November by four lengths, and while this is a huge step up in class, she has huge scope for improvement.

Touleen, the mount of Saffie Osborne as she attempts to become the first female jockey to win a British Classic, is also worth considering, and she should improve abruptly for her comeback run in the Fred Darling at Newbury in April.

The Prettiest Star is also worth a second look, having finished a close second in a strongly-run Rockfel Stakes on the second of her two starts as a juvenile. Ed Walker’s filly came three lengths clear of the third filly home after racing away from the pace.

And last but not least, Evolutionist, third home in the Fillies’ Mile behind Precise and then an impressive two-and-a-half length winner of the Prix de la Grotte last month.

2.55 Newmarket, handicap, 1m 6f

A stayers’ handicap is next up on the card here and Nicky Henderson’s Goblet Of Fire has been well backed all day, down to around 9-2 from an opening 8-1 this morning. Saffie Osborne takes the reins on the six-year-old, who finished a close second in a hot race at Goodwood last summer and is likely to improve for his comeback run on the all-weather at Kempton in April. Many Men remains the narrow favourite, however, and he too should improve for a recent pipe-opener in a Listed contest, while Dramatic Star, second in the Old Borough Cup last summer, and Subsequent, who won the Mallard at Doncaster’s St Leger meeting on his latest start, are among other live contenders.

SELECTION: MANY MEN.

1,000 Guineas contender: My Highness

The fourth-favourite for today’s Classic merits considerable respect from punters if only because she is trained by the incomparable Andre Fabre. If the French maestro believes she is up to the task, a big run is almost certainly in the offing, even though she has a few pounds to find with the market leaders on her form to date. A daughter of Ghaiyyath, she won a Group Two at Deauville in August on her final start at two, and returned to action with a second-place finish behind a “grosse surprise” winner in the Prix Imprudence, generally the best of the early-season French Classic trials, in early April.

The first two came miles clear of the third-home Survie there, but Falakeyah set such a strong gallop that this was very much set up for a closer and Sean Levey was the one to benefit having given Jancis a very patient ride. Cathedral also deserves plenty of credit for keeping on for second having kept close tabs on Falakeyah from the off.

A level break, and then Falakeyah pulls her way to the lead … Cathedral settled just behind … Survie is last after a slow start …. Saffie Osborne has Falakeyah settled on the lead, still leads by a length at halfway … now Cathedral starts to lay down a challenge and Falakeyah begins to struggle … Falakeyah drops away quickly, Cathedral is now clear with just over a furlong to run … here comes Jancis now from the pack to challenge, she’s getting the measure of Cathedral … Jancis gets up to win at 18-1.

Off and running in the Dahlia Stakes …!

The runners are arriving at the start before the Dahlia Stakes, and more money is coming for Falakeyah, down to 11-4 from 100-30. Cathedral and Survie are 9-2 shots and it is 7-1 bar the three.

1,000 Guineas contender: True Love

The second string in the Aidan O’Brien team according to the betting and jockey bookings, but plenty of those have come home in front in Classics down the years – including Mother Earth, O’Brien’s most recent winner of this race – and True Love fully deserves her place in today’s field on her Group One-winning juvenile form in the Cheveley Park Stakes at this track in September.

True Love went on to run down the field when favourite for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies’ Turf, but her chance was effectively scuppered by a slow start at the famously tight Del Mar and she was back to winning form when reappearing in the Group Three Priory Belle Stakes at Leopardstown last month.

2.20 Newmarket, Dahlia Stakes, Group Two, 1m 1f

Three non-runners for the second race on the card but still one of the biggest fields for this race this century and a wide-open market headed by Owen Burrows’s Falakeyah. She bolted up in the Pretty Polly Stakes here last season and while her two subsequent starts as a three-year-old were well below that level, she has been well backed to return to winning form today. Survie, third in a Group One in Saudi Arabia in February, and Cathedral, in the purple colours of the Amo Racing operation, are next in the list, and Cathedral arguably has the best single piece of recent form having finished a close fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Del Mar in November.

SELECTION: CATHEDRAL

1,000 Guineas contender: Venetian Sun

The (current) second-favourite for today’s Classic was, like Precise, a Group One winner as a juvenile, though in her case it was in a six-furlong event, the Prix Morny at Deauville last August.

Karl Burke’s filly beat Gstaad in a head-bobbing finish, and that form looks a fair bit better after Aidan O’Brien’s colt finished second behind Bow Echo in the 2,000 Guineas here yesterday. Venetian Sun rounded off her two-year-old season in September, finishing two-and-a-half lengths behind Precise in the Moyglare Stud Stakes, and while that bare form gives her something to find with the favourite, she did not get much luck in running.

Burke has been pleased with Venetian Sun’s preparation and the stage looks set for a big run from the daughter of the hugely promising young stallion, Starman.

Silvestre de Sousa did not see another rival there, and Jennifer Jane stayed on like a filly who will get the extra two furlongs in the Oaks. However, at present she does not have an entry in the Epsom Classic, so it will take a supplementary to get her into the race if Charlie Johnston, her trainer, can persuade her owner it is worth the punt.

Off and running in the Pretty Polly Stakes … !

Jennifer Jane leads, from Brigid’s Well, Sacred Ground and Esna held up …

Order unchanged with half a mile to run, Jennifer Jane building a lead in fact … Brigid’s Well under a drive but not making much impression … Jennifer Jane three clear two furlongs out, she powers in and out of the Dip and then goes further clear all the way to the line, an impressive winner.

Plenty of late money for Brigid’s Well, down to 7-2, while Esna is out to 4-1 and Sacred Ground has also eased to 15-8.

The runners are going to post for the Pretty Polly Stakes, and Sacred Ground is a solid 6-4 favourite with Esna next in on 100-30 and Brigid’s Well, the mount of Oisin Murphy, at 9-2.

1,000 Guineas contender: Precise

Aidan O’Brien’s first-string has been the favourite for today’s Classic since winning the Fillies’ Mile here in October, when she finished three-and-a-quarter lengths clear of the field.

It looks like rock-solid form, but her preparation for today’s race has not been smooth and she “missed a bit of time” a few weeks ago according to O’Brien after a minor setback. That is clearly not ideal but her proven form at track and trip, and a career record with just a sole defeat, on her racecourse debut, will be more than enough to persuade many punters to swing behind her.

1.45 Newmarket, Pretty Polly Stakes, Listed, 1m 2f

Just six runners now for the opener on 1,000 Guineas day after the well-fancied Lilt was taken out this morning, and three – Esna, Brigid’s Well and Sacred Ground – have an entry in the Oaks at Epsom next month. The best piece of form coming into the race is Esna’s close fourth in the Group One Prix Marcel Boussac at Longchamp last October, but Sacred Ground ran a fine race too on her final start as a juvenile – and showed that she acts at this track – as she finished second in a well-run Listed race over a mile. Brigid’s Well also has a pedigree that suggests she will build significantly on her two-year-old form this season but the money has been for Sacred Ground so far today and I’m going with John & Thady Gosden’s filly to improve past her main market rival.

SELECTION: SACRED GROUND.