Six in a Row as Pinatubo Enhances Classic Claims
Saturday was never going to be a day for Pinatubo to power away from his rivals like we saw him do in Ireland last time out, but he did impress us in another way. The Godolphin owned colt did things the hard way at Newmarket, he won on bad ground and showed a great attitude to battle all the way to the line.
His claims for the classics next season are there for all to see, the 2000 Guineas is certainly on his agenda, though it is uncertain whether the Derby is as he doesn’t strike as a horse that will stay the 1m4f trip. He is a strong favourite for the 2000 Guineas already, available as big as 5/4 with many bookmakers, they are certainly taking no chances on a race that isn’t until May 2020, a lot of things can happen between now and then.
As for the Derby at Epsom, Pinatubo is the 7/1 favourite for that race although participation is in doubt there. He looks like a strong miler, but 1m4f would bring a whole new problem for him, he is far from certain to get that based on what we have seen on the racecourse from him, even though his breeding suggests he should get it.
Speaking after the race on Saturday, trainer Charlie Appleby said that the 2000 Guineas is the aim at the start of next season and that the horse has shown us that one mile is the shortest trip he will want next season. He mentioned the possibility of stepping up to 1m2f after that, but didn’t say anything about his Derby prospects.
My guess is that Pinatubo will begin in the 2000 Guineas over a mile and then either stick at that distance for the entire season, going for races like the Irish 2000 Guineas and St James’ Palace Stakes following his run in the English Guineas and really dominate as a miler. They could be tempted to change that later in the season when the big 1m2f pots come around such as the Juddmonte International at York in August, but I feel they will allow him to dominate over a mile first before doing that.
Obviously a defeat over one mile at the start of next season would possible change that, and they may be tempted to move him up in trip earlier if he is beaten to try and get him back winning, but given the way he has dominated things as a two year old, he looks the perfect type to train on and land the English 2000 Guineas at a bare minimum, but going on to win further races seems very likely.
For now we have to sit tight and wait for next season to see Pinatubo on the race track again, but those wanting to keep up to date with the action elsewhere can do that here. We have daily horse racing tips available, covering one meeting per day so head over to our dedicated page to see what we fancy today.
