Despite the small field all contenders were previous Gp winners and the favourite Canford Cliffs was ante-post favourite for the 2000 Guineas thanks to his 6l win in the Gp2 Coventry Stakes. In the end he was beaten into third by Gp2 July Stakes winner Arcano and the Gp2 Robert Papin Stakes winner Special Duty. Although connections were quick to search for excuses for Canford Cliffs both rivals look genuine Gp1 juveniles and those in behind look little worse so he may have just found the opposition too stiff at this stage.
Arcano produced a performance which suggested he'd benefit from a step up to 7f and he should prove hard to beat if lining up in the Gp1 Dewhurst Stakes. He's been rightly installed as ante-post favourite for the 2000 Guineas and at this stage he is the form pick with plenty of scope for further progression.
The selection, Special Duty, tried to win it the hard way from the front but she was caught in the final strides by Arcano. She still showed signs of inexperience though and she has scope to improve further despite her pedigree suggesting she'll prove best a 2yrs.
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