Kevin Blake's 1,000 Guineas Big Race Verdict: Don't be scared off by Boo at 66/1

• Kevin Blake's Big Race Verdict on the 1000 Guineas

• Superb 2yo campaign for Lake Victoria but is she fully fit

• Hey Boo could be a big improver at a huge price

Attentions switch to the three-year-old fillies in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket on Sunday (15:35) and it is a particularly exciting renewal of the race on paper.

Ten runners is a smaller field than we are used to in the race, but a smaller field combined with the stalls being in the centre raises the likelihood of the field remaining in one group and the race producing a result that actually reflects the merits of the runners in the race. 

Even pace looks assured

From a pace perspective, there are a few candidates to push forward and the pace should be at least even. Flight (10) made the running or raced prominently last year and has already run well over a mile, so her connections might be happy for her to make the running on her return to action. Duty First (6) has either raced prominently or made the running in her career thus far and while she is untried beyond 7f, she has race fitness on her side.

Remaat (8) made all to win a maiden last year and made the running away from the main pack on her seasonal return in the Nell Gwyn Stakes. She steps up to a mile for the first time here. Desert Flower (1) tended to race prominently last season. Red Letter (9) made all to win a maiden last season prior to following the leader in the Moyglare Stud Stakes. She seems likely to want to follow up the leading bunch. Simmering (2) has been ridden both prominent and with patience.

Lake Victoria (7) showed great tactical versatility last season, swooping from last to first to win the Moyglare Stud Stakes and making all to win the Cheveley Park Stakes. With her reportedly having been rushed to make this race, she seems more likely to be ridden with some patience rather than forwardly this time.

Elwateen (3) and Chantilly Lace (5) raced prominently when making winning debuts in maidens last season, but seem unlikely to be as forward at this much higher level on their return to action. 

Sensational 2yo campaign for O'Brien raider

In many ways, the shape of the market revolves around the second favourite Lake Victoria.

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Lake Victoria (Ire)

• J: Ryan Moore
• T: Aidan O'Brien, Ireland
• F:

It might sound hyperbolic, but it wouldn't be overdoing it to suggest that the daughter of Frankel put together one of the most remarkable campaigns by a two-year-old filly in the modern era last year.

Unbeaten in five starts, she put together a genuinely stunning sequence of three Group 1 wins under contrasting rides, coming from last to first in the Moyglare Stud Stakes, dropping back to six furlongs for the first time when making all to win the Cheveley Park Stakes and then going up to a mile for the first time to overcome trouble in running to win the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies' Turf at Del Mar. It really was a sensational sets of achievements.

The issue with Lake Victoria is that her trainer Aidan O'Brien has stated that it has been a rush to get her to the 1000 Guineas and that he doesn't expect her to be 100% in terms of race fitness.

This creates a difficult conundrum as she looks the most talented filly in the race, but with the possibility of this being treated as a stepping stone to the Irish 1,000 Guineas, it makes it very difficult to have confidence in her chance at her current price. 

There's no harm in that, as the 1000 Guineas is a race I like to take a swing at a big price in.

This policy has delivered in the past, with regular readings of this column hopefully being able to remember Elmalka being my selection at 33/134.00 in this column last year. Even longer-term followers of my output might have memories of Winter being put up at 50/151.00 a couple of weeks before the race. However, eaten bread is soon forgotten, so hopefully I can dig up another beano at a big price this year.

Don't be scared to take a chance on big-price Boo

The one I like at a huge price is the Jack Channon-trained Hey Boo.

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Hey Boo

• J: George Bass
• T: Jack Channon
• F:

The daughter of Iffraaj only made her debut as recently as February 22nd, but made a promising winning start at Chelmsford on that occasion and advanced her form forward when defying a penalty back at Chelmsford three weeks later.

While she was given a rating of just 81 after that latter success, her connections thought enough of her to step her right up in class to contest the Fred Darling Stakes at Newbury on what was her first start on turf. Caught in the middle without cover in the early stages, she raced a little more freely than ideal. She was caught a little flatfooted when the pace quickened, but did very encouraging work inside the final furlong to finish second behind Duty First.

She is very much entitled to come on from that first experience on turf and she shapes as though ready for the step up to this longer trip. She is a huge price and it wouldn't be at all surprising if she ran a big race.

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