A small Carmarthenshire stud had reason to celebrate on Saturday when Gstaad romped to victory in the Irish 2,000 Guineas.
Trained by Aidan O’Brien for the influential Coolmore partners, the three-year-old was bred by Kelly Thomas and her family at their Maywood Stud near Pencader. Out of Mosa Mine, a mare Thomas owned and then bought back for just £800,
Gstaad was sold in 2023 as a foal for 450,000gns, which was no surprise as his half-brother Vandeek had shown high-class form a few months before that.
His sibling, however, has surpassed those achievements.
Last year he won the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot and later went on to record a top-flight triumph in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.
His first run of this season came at Newmarket in the 2,000 Guineas and he ran a blinder, only being denied by the impressive Bow Echo. He did not make the trip to Ireland for the Curragh Classic, so Gstaad went off a 4-11 chance under Ryan Moore.
Prominent, the colt went second two from home and led over one furlong out. Despite drifting right, he was able to shoot clear when Moore pressed the button and won in style by three lengths. A rematch with Bow Echo in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot could be next.
"He's a lovely, uncomplicated horse and Ryan gave him a beautiful ride," said O'Brien, who was winning the Irish 2,000 Guineas for the 13th time. "A very straightforward and genuine horse. Ryan said he was a little bit lazy through the race but when he got him opened up, he went to the line very well.”
Gstaad follows Saoire as a Welsh-bred winner of a Classic as she hailed from Pantycoed Stud in Pembrokeshire and landed the Irish 1,000 Guineas in 2005.
"He got beat in three Group 1s last year and we felt he was a little bit unlucky each time, and we were obviously delighted when he held on to go to America to win his Group 1," O'Brien added of his emerging star.
"Sometimes, when that happens, horses don't get back, but we felt there were circumstances every time he got beat. He's very straightforward, he just needs a little bit of room to get going. Ryan was drawn wide and you'd say that's a disadvantage for some horses but it was lovely for him as he was going to get a clear run at it.”
Like O’Brien, Sean Bowen (photographed) is well used to winners and it was another fruitful weekend for him.
He made the long trek north to Cartmel on Saturday and was rewarded thanks to the success of Loch Cuan in a maiden hurdle.
A day later the prolific champion was at Uttoxeter and shone once more, riding three winners.
They included one for his brother Mickey’s Pembrokeshire stable and the pair teamed up for another victory at Cartmel on Monday as Mighty Fleur was too good for her rivals in the mares’ novice hurdle.
Mickey Bowen went on to notch another on the bill with Stratagem in a handicap chase under amateur rider James Murray.
Monmouthshire trainer David Evans’ string have hit a purple patch and he enjoyed two first-time-out two-year-old winners on Thursday and followed up by saddling Dovey Moon to strike at Salisbury on Saturday.
He could have runners when Chepstow races on Friday.
Seven races are scheduled and the first of those is at 2pm. Gates open two hours prior to that and the feature is a 1m2f novice at 3pm that is worth £12,000.
Temperatures are forecast to be more manageable than the red-hot highs over the weekend, while Ffos Las stages its first flat meeting of the year on Thursday of next week. That is an evening fixture, which is due to start at 6.20pm
