Thesecretadversary could surprise in the Betfred 2000 Guineas

Ahead of the final declarations on Thursday morning for the Group 1 Betfred 2000 Guineas at Newmarket, the Fozzy Stack-trained Thesecretadversary could be the value as the relatively unconsidered Irish colt bids to take some notable scalps, writes Paul Alster.

While most punters will be looking toward the head of the market for the upcoming first British colts classic of the 2026 Flat season, it might pay to have a look a little further down the list to find Thesecretadversary, a handsome, rangy chestnut colt with a big white blaze, by the up-and-coming sire St Mark’s Basilica, the outstanding three-year-old of 2021 during which he won the French 2000 Guineas, the French Derby, Coral Eclipse, and Irish Champion Stakes.

Stack’s three-year-old (pictured above) has already done his sire proud, winning the listed Churchill Stakes over the extended seven furlongs at Tipperary last August before an audacious attempt a month lat​er to win the Grade 1 Summer Stakes on fast ground at Woodbine in Canada. He didn’t get the best of runs that day but stayed on well to be a close fifth. On his first start this season, Thesecretadversary was an impressive winner of the Group 3 Red Rocks Stakes at Leopardstown in early April, beating runner-up Power Blue by almost twice the distance that horse was beaten last season by Puerto Rico. With fitness guaranteed along with his ability to handle a quick surface, the current 28/1 each-way might prove good 2000 Guineas value.

It is twenty-eight years since Aidan O’Brien won this great race with King Of Kings (1998) and nine more winners have since followed that colt’s lead, the most recent being Graecia Magna in 2019, ridden by O’Brien’s son, Donnacha. On Monday, the Ballydoyle-based master trainer supplemented Coventry Stakes and Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf winner Gstaad (pictured above) into the race at a cost of £30,000, seriously shaking up the betting markets. Already proven at a high level and on the anticipated quick ground, Gstaad is as short as 4/1 with some firms and could go to post alongside the only previous Group 1 winner in the field, his stable companion, Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico (pictured above) landed both the Group 1 Prix Jean Luc Lagardere at Longchamp in October and the Group 1 Criterium International at Saint Cloud three weeks later. The son of Wootton Bassett has not run for over six months and both his big wins came on very testing ground and still has to prove himself on going as fast as is expected on Saturday. At the time of writing, stable companions and rank outsiders Causeway and Flushing Meadows also hold entries for the O’Brien team.

Godolphin trainer Charlie Appleby has won this great race three times in the last four years, most recently with the 2025 hero Ruling Court, whose victory came just twelve months after Notable Speech had followed in the hoof prints of 2022 winner and stable companion, Coroebus. At the start of this Guineas week, Appleby has two well fancied horses still entered in the race; last season’s Group 3 winner Distant Storm, who went on to end that campaign running a solid third to the ill-fated Gewan in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes; and the unbeaten King’s Trail, winner of a novice event last term and impressive in a Kempton mile conditions event in late-March. At the time of writing, stable jockey William Buick has yet to make his choice. Distant Storm has not run since last October.

Godolphin might also be represented by the Roger Varian-trained Avicenna, 2-2 last season (including a Doncaster seven-furlong listed event at the St Leger Festival) and already a solid runner-up to Oxagon in the Bet365 Craven Stakes over the 2000 Guineas course and distance earlier this month.

Oxagon (pictured above) represents the flying John & Thady Gosden training team and impressed many observers with his two-length defeat of Avicenna, looking to have done well from two to three-years old after finishing fifth in the Group 1 Darley Dewhurst Stakes and second in the Group 2 Betfred Champagne Stakes at Doncaster last season. The Gosdens were narrowly denied a first win in the 2000 Guineas last spring when the very talented but frustrating Field Of Gold just ran out of time to reel in Ruling Court.

The horse many bookies seem to fear though is the George Boughey-trained Bow Echo (pictured above). He was unbeaten in three outings last term culminating in a professional defeat of the Chesham Stakes winner Humidity in the one-mile Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes, another key juvenile race run over Saturday’s course and distance. Reported to have wintered well and already the subject of ante-post market support, the Night Of Thunder colt is generally offered at 5/2 to give his handler the most important success of his career thus far. It would be a fine feat of training to have Bow Echo sharp enough first time out this season to defeat horses that have already had a run in the trials.

Given the amazing run of form leading French trainer Francis-Henri Graffard has enjoyed over the past eighteen months it would be a brave man that wouldn’t seriously consider his Blue Point colt Samargan, winner of a Group 3 and a Group 2 at Chantilly last autumn – both over 6f – and probably better for his reappearance second over 7f in the Group 3 Prix Djebel at Longchamp last month. If he stays, he could be a big danger. Similarly, last season’s Dewhurst Stakes sixth Alparslan (Karl Burke) has to prove he will last out the mile, but he stayed on strongly at Newbury recently to win the Group 3 Greenham Stakes to book his ticket for a crack at the big time. The stable is in tremendous form.

Paul Alster has broadcast and reported on the British racing industry for four decades as a commentator, journalist, TV and radio presenter, betting correspondent, SP Returner, tipster and form analyst, among other things.