Bow Echo blasts home in Betfred 2000 Guineas for George Boughey at Newmarket

Betfred 2000 Guineas

BOW ECHO 9/2

Gstaad 3/1 jf

Distant Storm 3/1 jf

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The Night Of Thunder colt remains unbeaten for his career after he topped an unbeaten juvenile campaign with a wonderful performance first time out at three in the first Classic of the season.

Proven over the course and distance after his Royal Lodge victory last September, he was ridden with confidence by Loughnane and took lengths out of the field coming out of the Dip.

Aidan O'Brien was looking for his 11th success in the race but first since 2019 and his Gstaad was the only one who gave the winner any competition in the final quarter mile.

The pair had the race to themselves but Bow Echo was far too good, winning by two-and-three-quarter lengths from Gstaad who was in turn a huge eight lengths clear of the third.

Distant Storm led home the chasing pack in third for Godolphin and Charlie Appleby with the trailblazing Into The Sky fourth for Jim Boyle.

Boughey said: “It is pretty exciting. He is a colt that has always shown us that. I almost felt like I had almost gone a bit overboard on what we thought of him before, but that is what he was showing me.

"His lead horse might not be a superstar, but we have had some Group One horses that haven’t gone by him. The fact he goes eight, ten lengths past him we thought he was a good one. He just exudes confidence this horse. A special mention goes to the rider. He is only 20 and to do what he did was great. They are two stars. This horse has stood out from the word go and that wasn’t a huge surprise. He is a very good horse.

“It means the world to win this. To do it at home is amazing.

“He has made the job very easy if truth be told. The guys at home have done a fantastic job and Jordan McMurray, who rides him every day. I think Jordan would admit he has got the most extraordinary brain this horse. He is so unassuming and you wouldn’t know he is there and like I say he makes my job easy."

Boughey: 'It's the pinnacle'

“I think for his generation he looks a very good horse. Gstaad is a standing dish where he is as a Breeders’ Cup winner. At the back end of his two year old career I wanted to run him in a Dewhurst or a Breeders’ Cup, but Sheikh Mohammed Obaid was watching today (from above), and he would be telling me he was right, and he was.

"He has matured and strengthened. I sent him a video last year saying how I wanted to run him in the Dewhurst and he told me he is not running because he was a child and everyone saw that here, but he has matured. He was a child against men last year, but he is now top of the pile.

“I think he is a fast horse that stays, which is obviously a huge asset. He is not a Derby horse, I don’t think, and he is not in the Derby. He is a horse that has always shown a huge turn of foot and I want to make him a champion miler where we can.

"The Irish Guineas is there, he is obviously in at Royal Ascot, and then he has to take on the older horses. I would say we would be looking to make him a dual Guineas winner, but he will tell us as he is a very expressive horse. I showed a bit of excitement out there earlier, but I’ve been very calm as he makes me very calm. He is a very easy horse to train and I’m just the lucky person to train him.

“I sound like a bit of a broken record talking about Billy. He is an outstanding jockey and an outstanding human being. He is the consummate professional as well. We walked the track three or four times this week and we had a plan in our head. I think he is destined to be champion jockey and to do it at the highest level like that is showcasing his talent. I’m glad everyone is now getting to see what we see three or four times a week.

“I think he was a bit behind it and Billy said he had to kick him to the start, but when you put him in the gates he just comes alive, and we knew he had that turn of foot.

“He was exactly where I wanted him and it was great. To win a 2000 Guineas as a Newmarket trainer is kind of the pinnacle really and it was great.”

Loughnane: 'It's a dream'

Loughnane said: “I can’t put it into words and I’ve wanted to be a jockey ever since the day I could talk. I’ve put so much work into being where I am today and "I’m very fortunate to ride a horse like Bow Echo as he is an absolute superstar. He is a dream to ride.

"I planned the race to go out in a million different directions, but it went perfect from A to B, and wow, what a feeling.

"He had the perfect preparation going into the race and George is a genius as he has done everything right with this horse.

"It just shows when he gets stock what he can do with it and Bow Echo, what a superstar. Mum and dad have put so much work into me and dad told me how to ride so to be doing this is great.

"I just turned 20 and to do something like that is a dream. A lot of people never have the opportunity to ride a horse like him. I know how fortunate I am and I can’t thank connections enough.

“I watched millions of Guineas and it went perfect. He broke well and got into a nice rhythm. He is superb. He has got a great turn of foot and it was great to see him do it on the big stage.”

O'Brien: Irish Guineas next for Gstaad

O’Brien said: “We thought he ran a great race. Ryan was very happy and he did everything right and I couldn’t be happier really. It was his first run of the year and you can see he is a big horse so it was great to get him started.

“Action would have been the form we had with Bow Echo. There was just over a couple of lengths between them and eight lengths back to the third. He is a big powerful horse and that type of horse will only progress. We used this as a start off and tried to do our best to win it, but it was the start of his three year old career, but we were delighted.

“I’m delighted for George, who did a great job with his horse, and for Billy.

“The Irish Guineas is always the next stepping stone from here and you would have to strongly think about that.”

Boyle: Into the Jersey

Boyle said of fourth home Into The Sky: “You are always looking in behind you and wondering what is going to come in from behind. It is very difficult to go and do what he did there. Obviously Frankel did it, but to run as he did and stay on as he did and run such a bold, brave race is thrilling.

“The obvious route would be to take him back to seven furlongs for the Jersey Stakes and see if we can go down that route, but it is too early to make any firm predictions.

“He just about saw it out, but seven furlongs would probably be ideal. We will worry about that another day and enjoy today.”

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