Eydon team deliberating 2000 Guineas option

Feilden Stakes winner is a lively outsider for the Derby too.

It is often said that the Qipco 2000 Guineas is the best trial for the Derby and that could be the case for Eydon, who has been left in the first Classic of the season.

The son of Olden Times shot to prominence when following in his father’s footsteps and recording an impressive 22-1 win in the bet365 Feilden Stakes earlier this month.

Roger Varian’s colt hit the line strong in the hands of David Egan in that nine furlongs assignment to spark dreams of Epsom and the Cazoo Derby, for which he is a best priced 33-1 with Ladbrokes and Coral.

Owner Prince Faisal’s racing advisor Ted Voute went to check on the strapping three-year-old on Monday and reports Eydon to be in A1 condition ahead of a potential return to the Rowley Mile later this month.

“I went to see him on Monday and he looked magnificent, so I relayed that information to the Prince (Faisal), who is still in Saudi Arabia and after discussions with Roger as well, we have left him in the Guineas for the time being to keep all the options open,” said Voute.

“The Prince has said the best trial for the Derby is the Guineas, so that is definitely on our mind, but it’s just the timing from the Feilden to the Guineas is the shortest of all the options we have, so that’s really why we’re sitting and deliberating.

“Going down to Newmarket myself and having a look at him was one of the pieces of the puzzle, which I fed back into the system and as a result we’ve left him in. Sometimes you’re forced to make decisions before you want to make them, but by leaving him in the race it buys us a week.”

Prince Faisal has never been an owner to shirk a challenge, something Voute commented on when assessing Eydon’s Guineas credentials, while also suggesting he may still be overlooked in the betting for the opening Classic of the season.

Goodwood Festival – Day Two
Roger Varian could have a Classic contender on his hands in Eydon. (John Walton/PA)

He said: “Obviously, we’ve got the likes of Native Trail and some very good horses to face up to, but you don’t become the best unless you race against them and the Prince has never been shy, he likes to race them at the top table if they are good enough.

“He’s 25-1 for the Guineas and I wonder if he was by Frankel out of an Olden Times mare he would be shorter in the betting, but he’s by Olden Times out of a Frankel mare so he’s 25s.

“He won the Feilden very nicely and he could be anything, but we’ve not ruled anything out and he was put in the Dante and all the right races in both England and France.”

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