THE fourth and final day of the Newmarket Guineas Festival, with a ten-race card featuring a very smart renewal of the Pretty Polly Fillies’ Stakes and the second classic, the Qipco 1,000 Guineas. I’m really looking forward to the top three in the betting for the 1,000 Guineas Quadrilateral, Love and Millisle taking each on, as they have all really impressed in different ways.

An intriguing factor is how much the rain will have affected the ground and we will get an indication early on in the lead up to the feature races, although it seems likely that we will be looking at good ground.

It has been great to be racing and it has been a tremendous week, with an exciting afternoon ahead.

1.50 Newmarket – Buckhounds Stakes (Listed) 1m 4f

Trueshan was an improver throughout last year winning four of his five starts and finishing second in the other. He is a real improver and he showed a great attitude on more than one occasion, as well as showing he likes the Rowley Mile when winning here last October. Trueshan has won on good or slower ground and there is rain forecast at Newmarket, all of which will help his cause for sure.

Unibet Trueshan 9/2 each way

15 To Go ITV Offer – Get a free horse racing bet up to £20 when you back the winner of an ITV race. Opt in required. Min odds evens. T&Cs apply (click the banner to see them)

2.25 Newmarket – Handicap 1m 2f

Palavecino has to race from 5lb out of the handicap here, which obviously makes life a lot harder, but he looked right back on track earlier in the year when making all to score after a long absence at Lingfield, still looking like he had plenty left to come. Palavecino has had only four career starts, as he didn’t race as a three-year-old and if you go back to his debut in 2018 he was beating the smart Momkin at Ffos Las (on good to soft too, so ought not mind any rain). He looks a really good each-way selection here.

Unibet Palavecino 12/1 each way

3.00 – Newmarket Pretty Polly Fillies Stakes’ (Listed) 1m 2f

This looks a very good renewal with some potentially top-class fillies on show, with almost all of them open to plenty of improvement this year, and there are plenty coming here with just one start including the selection Tiempo Vuela. She looked really impressive when winning at Newcastle and looks sure to step up on seasonal debut for Frankie Dettori and John Gosden, who has had a good week.

Unibet Tiempo Vuela 100/30 win

3.35 Newmarket – Qipco 1000 Guineas Stakes (Group 1) 

Love (nap) was probably unsuited by the way the Fillies’ Mile unfolded here last October when third to Quadrilateral, as she saw the front plenty soon enough, and might be better suited by the way this is going to be run. Love, who has a good attitude, can reverse form with Quadrilateral and hold off the other market leader Millisle, who may not stay. The other factor is Love’s performance at the Curragh last September in the Moyglare Stud Group 1, beating the very smart Daahyeh.

For an each-way selection I like the look of Shimmering, who is having only a her third career start, having progressed smartly after finishing third on debut when winning at Lingfield in December. She can run a big race for the Frankie Dettori and John Gosden team against many more experienced rivals. 

Unibet Love 4/1 win

Unibet Shimmering 18/1 each way