Aidan O'Brien suffers major 2,000 Guineas blow as leading fancy 'unlikely' to run

Aidan O’Brien’s challenge for the 2,000 Guineas has suffered a huge blow after his leading hope Twain was declared a major doubt on Tuesday. Two weeks ago Twain was favourite for the Newmarket Classic after the Ballydoyle trainer signalled the colt had become his number one hope for Saturday's big race over stablemate Expanded.

Underlining his potential, O'Brien asserted, “Twain is the Group 1 winner, so if the two are going well at the time we might let Expanded go to the Curragh on the Monday after because he’s not a Group 1 winner so he could start in the Irish 2,000 Guineas Trial.

“It was probably impossible what we asked Twain to do last year. He won his maiden then five or six days later we brought him back to France for a Group 1. He was very green in France but still won very nicely."

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However he is set to rearrange his team after a statement posted by Coolmore revealed that all was not hundred percent with Twain, whose position at the head of the betting has since been taken by Craven Stakes winner Field Of Gold.

A statement on owners Coolmore’s X page read: “Following his work this morning, Twain didn’t scope 100% so is unlikely to run in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket and may now be aimed at the Irish 2,000 Guineas instead.

"Expanded is likely to be Ballydoyle’s only runner in the 2,000 Guineas on Saturday.”

Expanded has raced twice, winning a Curragh maiden in October last year before finishing second to Godolphin's Shadow Of Light in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes.

Twain had been the general second favourite behind John and Thady Gosden’s Field Of Gold with Betfred.

They have cut the Craven winner to 7-4 while Expanded assumed Twain’s position as chief market rival on 5-1 with the same firm.

The pair are the same odds with Ladbrokes and Coral, whose spokesman David Stevens said: "Although Twain had been displaced as Guineas favourite by the Craven winner, Field Of Gold, Aidan O’Brien’s charge was clear second best in the market, so his potential absence from Saturday’s race has shaken up the betting, and left Field Of Gold as an even firmer favourite."