The countdown is on to the 2026 1000 Guineas, with Newmarket’s Rowley Mile set to stage one of the most tantalising renewals in years on Sunday, 3rd May. If you’re looking to get ahead of the market, Virgin Bet is a trusted sports betting site where you can find the latest ante-post prices on what promises to be a fascinating Classic.
With Aidan O’Brien holding a stranglehold on the market as usual, the question isn’t so much whether Ballydoyle will win — it’s which of his string will come out on top. Here, we run the rule over the three leading contenders.
Precise (3/1)
Precise enters as the clear favourite, and it’s easy to see why. The Starspangledbanner filly rounded off her juvenile season in the most emphatic fashion possible, winning the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket by three and a quarter lengths under a hands-and-heels ride from Christophe Soumillon.
That performance, combined with her earlier Group 1 triumph in the Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh, gives her a profile that is tailor-made for Classic glory.
O’Brien, never a man to dish out lavish praise lightly, was effusive afterwards. “She looks serious and it reminded me of Minding, she was impressive, incredible really. She was cantering going to post and that is unusual.
“She’s doing everything so easy. Christophe said he was left in front a lot longer than he would have liked but he was brilliant on her, super confident and very smooth on her, so she’s very exciting.”
It’s worth noting that O’Brien hasn’t won the 1,000 Guineas since 2021, when Frankie Dettori steered Mother Earth to victory at Newmarket. Five years is a long time for a trainer of his calibre to go without success in a race he clearly targets, and Precise looks every inch the horse to end that drought.
The only slight concern is that she was a late withdrawal from the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar, though O’Brien insisted the American experience would have done her no harm. At 3/1, she’s a worthy favourite.
Diamond Necklace (8/1)
After shining late in the campaign, Diamond Necklace is another of the most exciting juvenile filly in training. The daughter of St Mark’s Basilica went to Paris for the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac in early October and delivered a polished display under Soumillon, sweeping from mid-division to beat Green Spirit by a length. It was deeply impressive and saw her shorten in the Guineas market at the time.
The problem for Diamond Necklace is that her stablemate then produced an even more stunning display in the Fillies’ Mile just five days later, leapfrogging her in the betting. Still, her Boussac victory is nothing to be sniffed at. Soumillon, who rode her in both starts, had high praise for the filly after Paris: “I was very confident with her. When I asked her to quicken she just picked up so easily.”
O’Brien has confirmed both Precise and Diamond Necklace are being trained for the Guineas, though he hasn’t ruled out a French option for the latter, given her Longchamp win. She remains a serious Classic contender at 8/1, and her turn of foot could be decisive on the day.
Venetian Sun (14/1)
Karl Burke’s filly arrives at Newmarket’s Rowley Mile with a point to prove after a slightly frustrating end to her juvenile season — and that could make her a dangerous proposition at 14/1. Venetian Sun was, for a time during the summer, the highest-rated juvenile filly in training.
She swept through her campaign in breathtaking fashion, winning the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot, the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes at Newmarket, and then taking on — and beating — the colts in the Group 1 Prix Morny at Deauville, including 2000 Guineas co-favourite Gstaad.
Her only defeat came in the Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh, where she shaped as though the race had been taken from her rather than lost. Stepping up to seven furlongs for the first time, she was hemmed in at a crucial stage, and by the time jockey Clifford Lee found daylight, Precise and Beautify had already flown. She finished third but closed strongly, suggesting that the mile at Newmarket could suit her even better.
Connections are cautiously optimistic about a tilt at the Classic, though racing manager Sean Graham has stressed there are plenty of boxes to tick before a final decision is made. Her one question mark is the ground — three of her four wins came on going with firm in the description, and she has never raced on worse than good. If Newmarket is quick in May, she could be a real threat.
