Angus McNae's Racing UK Blog
	Saturday 3rd May 2014

My trip to France has triggered an international treble

It may be Guineas weekend, but after the week I have had it is hard to tune in to English racing.

That is because I have been in France filming Planet Turf, and looking for some exciting three-year-olds to keep an eye on.

I will report back on that investigative trip early next week.

For now though I will say that I have learned an awful lot on this trip, and the French Classic crop are a strong bunch.

This week I also learned that I will be presenting our Kentucky Derby coverage on Saturday night with James Willoughby, which is a real honour.

With French and American racing swirling around my brain I will try to focus on the 2000 Guineas first, after which I will keep the international theme alive by tipping a horse in France, America and the UK  today.

Kingman should win the Guineas.

Totepool - 3/1 Kingman to win 2,000 Guineas

He has proved that he is fastest horse in the race, and that fact alone is normally good enough. As I wrote last week there is a worry about whether he has recoiled from that effort, and if so he would be vulnerable.

The same applies to Toormore after his Craven Stakes win. Both are very talented and it would be no surprise to see either of them win.

That said we have the unknown quantity that is Australia, and the classy Dewhurst winner in War Command to sow some doubt into the minds Kingman and Toormore backers.

Of Australia, we just do not know what to expect. War Command, who was our each-way antepost selection for the race at 12-1 could definitely figure, but he does want fast going and his time may come later in the year when the sun has baked the ground.

We have, therefore, a race that is as good a renewal as we have seen for a while and a potential superstar in the form of Kingman. It is time to put any doubt you have aside and back him with confidence to win the Guineas and make a big impression in doing so.

Incidentally one snippet I can pass on from my French trip was garnered from a man who knows the Spanish runner Noozhoh Canarias very well. He told me that the horse is all speed and is a keen sort who will struggle to see out the mile. Make no mistake he is a good horse but the trip is wrong.

My French horse for today runs in the Prix Greffulhe and is called Nolohay. He is trained by Carlos Laffon-Parrias, who I was able to interview this week. To put it simply in a yard full of well-bred individuals he did not hesitate to nominate this one as his best horse. A recent impressive success caused Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum to come calling and the horse has been sold to him with the Prix du Jockey Club very much on the agenda. He should win today on his way to much better things.

So we have two legs of our treble. Now for the decider, and it comes in the Kentucky Derby and California Chrome.

He is the real deal, he has posted two triple-digit Beyer figures already in his career and has already displayed a level of form that is a cut above that which has been required in recent years to win America’s most famous race. He was hugely impressive last time in the Santa Anita Derby at odds-against he can carry the baton for us in the final leg of this global treble.

Angus McNae's Saturday tip:

Kingman to win 3.50 Newmarket; Nolohay to win the 6.15 Saint Cloud; California Chrome to win the 11.24 Churchill Downs.