Sea the Stars trumped race favourite Delegator in the 2,000 Guineas on Saturday, handing trainer John Oxx the first 2,000 Guineas title of his career.

Delegator didn’t disappoint entirely in the race everyone had expected him to win, leading until the death, where Sea the Stars nudged in front for a 1½ length win. Gan Hamras wrapped up the placings, finishing third.

The Irish raider’s win handed Mick Kinane his fourth 2,000 Guineas title. Oxx meanwhile, has now won two out of the five Classics in his career, and is in good shape to achieve more Classics success when the series resumes across the Irish sea.

“He’s travelled wonderfully well throughout the race,” Oxx told reporters after the race. “You could see from a long way out that he was going to make it count. He quickened well into the Dip for a relatively inexperienced horse - the rising ground suited him and he really got home well.

“Everyone keeps saying he’s a Derby horse, thinking he’s a half-brother to Galileo. But he is by Cape Cross and shows a lot of speed - I didn’t want to miss the Guineas.”

The 2009 2,000 Guineas is set to feature a field of 17 horses, with seven runners departing the race after Thursday’s final forfeit stage.

Aidan O’Brien’s Rip Van Winkle was confirmed for the race despite concerns over his fitness following a stone bruise to his right leg. Mastercraftsman represents O’Brien’s second hope for the 2,000 Guieans. The Irish trainer is looking to achieve his 6th consecutive 2,000 Guineas win.

“Rip Van Winkle has missed some work due to his foot bruise, but the problem has improved day by day. We have two more days to go before the race and, hopefully, he will continue to progress,” O’Brien told the Racing Post.

Brian Meechan’s Delegator remained at the top of the 2,000 Guineas betting tables after the final forfeit stage. There are, however, questions lingering over his participation after Meechan announced he wouldn’t run Delegator over fast ground.

With ground conditions at Newmarket current rated good to firm after watering, Delegator remains a doubtful starter for the race. Thursday’s withdrawals included Arazan, Grand Ducal, Himalya, Intense Focus, Set Sail, Shaweel and Westphalia.

Leading contenders that stood their ground for the year’s opening Classic included Sir Michael Stoute’s impressive entry, Evasive, as well as several other well-backed runners, including Ouqba and See the Stars.

Aidan O’Brein is optimistic about market favourite Rip Van Winkle’s prospects of appearing in Saturday’s 2,000 Guineas following a recent setback.

Rip Van Winkle is believed to have sustained a stone bruise to a front leg on Monday, and is in a race against time to regain full fitness.

“We poulticed Rip Van Winkle’s foot overnight and when we removed the poultice this morning there was a lot of pus in it, which was encouraging,” O’Brien told the Independent. “But we will still have to wait and see how things go over the next couple of days.”

Rip Van Winkle remains a steady favourite in the 2,000 Guineas betting markets despite his setback, and is currently priced 4/1 to beat race favourite, Delegator, on Saturday.

While O’Brien waits on Rip Van Winkle’s progress, Sir Michael Stoute’s Evasive looks set to appear in the 2,000 Guineas after recovering from a foot abscess.

“Thankfully it was a very temporary thing,” Stoute said after his horse returned lame from training on Monday. “He was sound later that morning and was fine when we checked him over, but he hasn’t had the easiest of preparations.”

Twenty-four racehorses remain on course for an appearance in the year’s first classic following the five day forfeit stage for the 2009 2,000 Guineas.

Aidan O’Brien holds a strong hand going into the race, with 5 entries currently in contention for a spot at Newmarket on the weekend. However, last year’s champion trainer is widely expected to send Set Sail and Westphalia to France.

Two of O’Brien’s horses are positioned in the top three in the 2,000 Guineas betting markets, with Rip Van Winkle and Mastercraftsman both priced under 5/1 by William Hill.

The race favourite, Craven Stakes winner, Delegator, is priced 7/2 to beat O’Brien’s charges at Newmarket.

However, Delegator’s trainer, Brian Meehan, has suggested that his 2,000 Guineas may defect from the race if the ground conditions at Newmarket don’t soften ahead of the weekend.

“I’ll monitor the ground throughout the week and also keep one eye on the weather forecasts, because we’re not prepared to risk Delegator is conditions are too firm,” Meehan told the Racing Post.

“We’re all very keen to run at Newmarket and his latest piece of work was very good indeed, but it would be senseless to go there on the wrong ground when the following weekend we have the option of the French 2000 Guineas at Longchamp.”

Barry Hills has backed Free Handicap winner Ouqba to make an impression in the 2009 2,000 Guineas by paying a £30,000 fee to supplement his racehorse for the year’s first Classic.

Hills is said to have left Ouqba out of his options for the 2,000 Guineas due to concerns over the colt’s staying power. However an excellent performance in his first race of the season, the European Free Handicap, has convinced Hills that Ouqba can threaten the favourites.

“It’s hard to tell with the form because quite a few horses haven’t run this season, but at this moment, the Guineas looks a very open race,” Angus Gold, racing manager to owner Hamdan Al Maktoum told Sky Sports.

“I think that Sheikh Hamdan felt that he would like another string to his bow and I think that Ouqba could easily be in the frame on Saturday.”

“He won the European Free Handicap in good style and he had plenty of racing last year so he’s experienced. Richard Hills rode him the other day and feels that he will stay the trip.”

The 2008 2,000 Guineas results are in. The season’s first classic, run on Saturday, produced an unexpected winner when Aidan O’Brien’s Henrythenavigtor defeated race favourite New Approach by the slimmest of margins.

New Approach’s defeat was yet another indication that entering the 2,000 Guineas as race favourite seems to doom a thoroughbred’s prospects in the race. The other favourites amongst punters faired little better, with Godolphin’s Ibn Khaldun drifting home in 10th place and John Gosden’s Raven’s Pass finishing in 5th place.

The win was O’Brien’s third in four years, and his fourth in his career, a tally that now equals that of his namesake, Vincent O’Brien. The Irish trainer will now head to the Irish 2,000 Guineas with his race winner, knowing that he has a true miler on his hands.

“He’s a proper high-class, fast-ground miler,” O’Brien said of his 2,000 Guineas winner. “He’s always shown us that at home, but when he got beaten last year it was on National Hunt ground. And after that we went easy on him, didn’t push him, so we’d have him for this year. And Johnny [Murtagh] played the horse to all his strengths.”

Don’t miss out on more top thoroughbred racing at the Irish 2,000 Guineas.

In the last 15 years only two ante-post favourites have won the 2,000 Guineas. This race statistic hangs like a cloud over the campaign of Jim Bolger, who’s New Approach has headed the ante-post 2,000 Guineas betting markets since they opened several months ago.

Bolger has never won the 2,000 Guineas, and must overcome not only Newmarket lore but several powerful adversaries from the Godolphin and Ballydoyle syndicates to re-script the trends for England’s first classic on Saturday.

Godolphin have their own problems to deal with. Despite fielding two runners, including 2,000 Guineas 2008 second-favourite Ibn Khaldun, Godolphin will enter Saturday’s race all too aware of the fact that they last picked up a win at the 2,000 Guineas in 1996.

With many of the top names in racing seemingly nixed by recent race trends, press and punters are looking for likely outsiders to upset the pecking order in the 2,000 Guineas 2008.

Amongst the long-odds 2,000 Guineas runners generating a buzz is Andrew Balding’s Dream Eater. Despite the fact that he has only won one race during his brief career, Dream Eater is fancied by many punters to cause on upset on Saturday. Dream Easter is priced at 66/1 by William Hill.

The Dubai based Godolphin racing team have confirmed their runners for Saturday’s 2008 2,000 Guineas. Three Godolphin based colts have received entries to the race, although only two are likely to compete on race day.

Heading the Godolphin entries is Racing Post Trophy winner Ibn Khaldun, who currently occupies third position in William Hill’s 2008 2,000 Guineas odds tables.

“He (Ibn Khaldun) is an intended runner at Newmarket while the forecast rain will be in Fast Company’s favour so we expect him to take his chance as well,” Gondolphin’s Simon Crisford said, speaking to the Racing Post.

Godolphin have also entered Rio de la Plata into the 2008 2,000 Guineas, but the horse is expected to defect in favour of a run in a group one race in France next Saturday.

“Rio De La Plata is still more likely to go to France.” Crisford continued, “They are all in good form. They have done all their work in Dubai, travelled in good shape and are ready to run.”

New Approach retains his favourite status for the 2008 2,000 Guineas, priced at 2/1 by William Hill. Raven’s Pass occupies second place on the odds tables at a price of 7/2.

The national hunt racing season ended at Punchestown on Saturday, marking the start of the English summer flat racing season. Racing fans don’t have much of a breather before the next wave of top level racing hits them, with the 2,000 Guineas scheduled to be run on the 3rd of May.

With the flat racing season just getting underway, the racing media is abuzz with suggestions that 2008 may mark the first occasion that a trainer claims a clean sweep of the Classics. The man marked to achieve this feat is John Gosden.

Gosden’s win at the Derby trial at Sandown on Saturday fuelled speculation that he may be on the verge of making history. While Gosden himself refuses to take this speculation seriously, its hard to ignore the fact that he is set to field race favourite in both the 2008 2,000 Guineas and 2008 1,000 Guineas.

His favourite for the 2008 2,000 Guineas is particularly compelling, with Raven’s Pass priced at 7/2 by William Hill to take the first major race of the season.

Gosden has claimed that the hype surrounding his runners this season is “hyperbole and nonsense”. Nevertheless there will be few smart punters who don’t have money on Gosden’s horses at the Guineas this year.