William Hill 1,000 Guineas betting

After the colts have clopped home in the 2000 Guineas, it’s the turn of the fillies to dash up Newmarket’s Rowley Mile at a champions pace, and William Hill provides 1,000 Guineas betting aplenty all year round.

The fillies’ mile was conceived by Derby co-founder Sir Charles Bunbury and became the last of the five British Classics to see the light of day.

Running since 1815, with the inaugural race coming six years after its older brother’s first outing, the 1,000 Guineas was marked by the successes of trainer Robert Robson and jockey George Fordham during the 19th century, tallying 16 wins between them.

In recent years, the 1,000 Guineas has seen the greatest variety of winning stables during Aidan O’Brien’s era of British Classics dominance, with the Ballydoyle maestro registering just two victories before Minding’s 2016 triumph, which was followed up by Winter 12 months later.

English-trained horses haven’t had the best of times in this event for a while now, with Richard Hannon junior flying the home flag among the raft of 1,000 Guineas overseas raiders of late.

French-trained horses often go well here, and the big yards haven’t always had it their own way in this part of East Anglia.

With value to be had, stay in the 1,000 Guineas loop with William Hill from every early whisper drifting over the Irish Sea to the dogged final furlong up the Suffolk straight.

There’s news.williamhill.com too, where you’ll find 1,000 Guineas betting previews, tips, articles and the latest odds.

Early 1,000 Guineas betting value

What’s striking about the fledgling form of recent 1,000 Guineas winners is that it’s largely unremarkable, with most not managing a win first time out and many taking a while to hit their stride.

O’Brien’s Homecoming Queen, who took the 1,000 Guineas in 2012, began racing life propping up the tail end of the field at Dundalk’s all-weather track, and raced 13 times - winning just twice - before hacking up by nine lengths at Newmarket.

Legatissimo and Miss France, 1,000 Guineas winners in 2015 and 2014 respectively, finished sixth and ninth on debut, and it took 2018 victor Billesdon Brook four races to mark his two-year-old campaign with success.

In terms of specific tracks, there’s valuable information to be garnered from early-summer maidens at Leopardstown and Naas, with the majority of recent 1,000 Guineas winners coming through those tussles, though not all successfully.

Given the recent flood of Irish-trained 1,000 Guineas triumphs, keeping a close watch on the juvenile scene in the Emerald Isle could pay dividends.

1,000 Guineas odds market moves

After shaky starts, 1,000 Guineas winners do tend to come into form ahead of the big day.

Prior to Billesdon Brook’s 66/1 victory in 2018, six of the previous seven had succeeded in either their last race or the one before, and the exception - Sky Lantern in 2013 - went into her 1,000 Guineas triumph off the back of second in the Group 3`Nell Gwyn Stakes at the same track.

In the past, winners of the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes - which takes place at The Curragh in late summer - would often disappoint by the time May came around.

The likes of Rumpelstiltskin, Miss Beatrix, Saoirse Abu, Again and Maybe all found the 1,000 Guineas going a little tougher than their early promise indicated, but the Group 1 has proved a more useful Newmarket pointer of late.

Minding and Sky Lantern triumphed in Kildare en route to 1,000 Guineas glory in 2015 and 2012. What’s more, the market certainly takes note of these successes, with Moyglare Stud Stakes winners frequently priced as favourites for the first fillies’ Classic of the campaign off the back of their Curragh exploits.

Once April comes around and preparations get serious, the Group 3 Leopardstown 1,000 Guineas Trial Stakes is a must watch.

Homecoming Queen and Winter both won at Leopardstown and followed up with success at Newmarket the following month, with Legatissimo finishing fourth in the latter before bouncing back at Gowran Park, ahead of her triumph across the water.

Visit news.williamhill.com to follow all the latest 1,000 Guineas market moves.

1,000 Guineas trends to follow

Typical 1,000 Guineas winners tend to have at least a Group 3 victory under their belt and most will have had a run around Newmarket before.

Over the past decade or so, almost every 1,000 Guineas winner has run at least four times prior to the big day, with many managing a few more outings ahead of Newmarket.

As with their colt equivalents, 2001 Epsom Derby hero Galileo looms large in the bloodlines of 1,000 Guineas-winning fillies.

Fellow bloodstock giant Danehill has been a frequent grandsire in recent years, with his progeny, Danehill Dancer, sire to Legatissimo and grandsire to Minding.

Ballydoyle’s mixed success

Given Aidan O’Brien’s embarrassment of riches in his three-year-old ranks, a Ballydoyle hotpot usually starts the 1,000 Guineas at the head of the market, but the big names have been hard to make money out of.

Minding is the Wexford native’s only 1,000 Guineas favourite so far that has actually landed the gamble, with Winter, Homecoming Queen and Virginia Waters, back in 2005, returning starting prices between 9/1-25/1.

Happily, Rhododendron, Tapestry and Maybe have all let down Ballydoyle favourite backers in recent 1,000 Guineas renewals, so steering clear of O’Brien’s most-fancied fillies is advised, for now.

The silver lining of failing favourites taking chunks out of the market is big-priced winners, with Minding’s 11/10 triumph proving a stark exception over the last decade, as the average starting price is closer to the 16/1 Frankie Dettori and Godolphin’s Blue Bunting returned in 2011.

In 2018, Billesdon Brook became the second 66/1 filly in under a decade to cross the line first in the 1,000 Guineas, with the other - Jacqueline Quest in 2010 - relegated to second place following a stewards’ inquiry.

Trainers to watch

Speciosa’s 1,000 Guineas win in 2006 for Pam Sly was cherished as a blow for the small yards, given the Cambridgeshire-based handler trained fewer than 20 horses at the time, most of them jumpers, and had never had a runner in a Group race before the filly came along.

In 1,000 Guineas renewals since, Olly Stevens - now retired after three promising years as a trainer - has come closest to striking another such blow, with his filly Lightning Thunder a close second to Miss France in 2014.

French handler Andre Fabre finally broke his 1,000 Guineas duck in that renewal, having won the other four British Classics at least once over his illustrious career to that point.

Jockeys to watch

It’s hard to look beyond Ryan Moore as the standard bearer for 1,000 Guineas success, a multiple past winner with seemingly years left in the tank at the top level, and Aidan O’Brien’s best to pick from.

Moore has even done the business with his boss’ supposed second string, when 25/1 outsider Homecoming Queen beat 13/8 favourite Maybe, picked by former Ballydoyle regular Joseph O’Brien.

Despite not yet managing a 1,000 Guineas victory, Seamie Heffernan has won the Irish equivalent three times and has given a good account of himself at recent Newmarket renewals, particularly when second behind Minding aboard Ballydoyle in 2016.

Wayne Lordan and Sean Levey have both come from relative obscurity to win their first Classic in recent renewals of the 1,000 Guineas, so keep an eye out for a likely spoiler among the bigger names.