Dunboyne Express to upset trends in Irish 2000 Guineas

Many trends for the Irish 2000 Guineas will not throw up Dunboyne Express as the likely winner this year, but his smart turn of foot can help land victory at the Curragh.

Dunboyne Express is 9/4 in the Irish 2000 Guineas odds and has done little wrong in his career to date, winning three of his four starts.

This one blip came when finishing fifth behind Casamento in the Racing Post Trophy last season, but he never recovered from being bumped early on and should be forgiven for this result.

The one big statistic that goes against Dunboyne Express is that Aidan O’Brien is the only Irish trainer to have won the race since 1991.

Dubawi Gold is the favourite in the Irish 2000 Guineas betting at 7/4 and this is largely because he finished second behind Frankel in the English version of the race.

However, there are reasons to suggest that this result perhaps flattered the horse, with so many other runners seemingly running below par at Newmarket.

Meanwhile, horses to have finished in the places in the English 2000 Guineas tend to run dreadfully in the Irish equivalent.

One horse that disappointed behind Dubawi Gold at Newmarket was Roderic O’Connor, who finished down in 11th.

But O’Brien has proved in the past an ability to get a horse right for the Curragh after a poor Newmarket effort with Mastercraftsman.

Mastercraftsman finished fifth behind Sea The Stars in the 2000 Guineas in 2009, but then went to the Curragh and claimed victory.

The other big question mark over Roderic O’Connor, aside from if he is actually good enough to win the Irish 2000 Guineas, is the choice of jockey, with O’Brien’s son Joseph taking the ride for the first time.

Roderic O’Connor is 3/1 to win the Irish 2000 Guineas.

A £30 stake on another O’Brien runner Oracle winning the Irish 2000 Guineas would return £990. New customers can sign up here for a free £30 bet.