ITV Racing Tips: Haggas, Appleby and O’Brien scorers suggested

The first Classic of the 2025 flat season takes centre stage on Saturday’s ITV Racing bill with Newmarket’s Rowley Mile playing host to the 2,000 Guineas (3.35).

William Haggas and Charlie Appleby are reliable sources of winners at HQ and our selections include one from each of the esteemed handlers, while an underrated Irish raider is our fancy for the big one.

More to come from reborn sprinter Thunder under a penalty

At the time of writing William Haggas’ is operating at a 29% strike rate in the last fortnight, with 10 winners from his last 35 runners, while both the trainer and his stable jockey Tom Marquand have 36% strike rates at Newmarket so far this season.

The yard’s MORE THUNDER wouldn’t be the worst bet to land the Betfred Handicap (1.45) on that evidence alone, but the manner of his course and distance win in mid-April improves his claims.

He won going away from a field including the reopposing dual course and distance winner Woodhay Wonder, with the handicapper bumping up the selection 8lbs for his efforts.

More Thunder returns to the Rowley Mile 3lbs well in under a 5lb penalty and surely has plenty more improvement to come at 6f having exclusively raced at trips of 1m1f or over for Sir Michael Stoute.

Appleby animal can add to unbeaten record at specialist trip

‘Back Godolphin at HQ’ is one of the flat game’s enduring punting cliches for good reason. Over the last five seasons the boys in blue’s top trainer Charlie Appleby and first-choice jockey William Buick both have an impressive strike rate of 29% at Newmarket.

The operation looks to have an excellent chance of combining to claim the Sussex Stakes (2.20) with ARABIAN LIGHT, who is proven at the relatively rare 1m1f trip after two strong showings at Meydan in January and February.

Victorious in the latter of those outings in a manner that suggested he had plenty more left in the tank, the four-year-old is also unbeaten in two runs on the good ground he’ll face on the Rowley Mile. This looks a nice opportunity for the son of Kingman to extend his unbeaten record at 1m1f to three races.

Scorthy can prove Guineas Champ for Joseph O’Brien

Favourites have prevailed just twice in the last 10 runnings of the 2,000 Guineas (3.35) and likely market leader Fields Of Gold is well worth taking on having appeared to benefit from his opponents getting racing too early when an impressive winner of the Craven Stakes trial.

Aidan O’Brien’s Expanded makes plenty of appeal given he boasts the joint-second-highest official rating of any colt in the field (118), with the five-times-raced favourite despite competing just twice as a juvenile.

However, that inexperience could count against him and a rival with another race under his belt is preferred in SCORTHY CHAMP. Joseph O’Brien’s colt has been allotted a mark of 116 from the handicapper for his victory over Henri Matisse on good ground in the Group 1 National Stakes.

That rival went on to frank the form by claiming the top-flight Breeders’ Cup Turf on his final two-year-old start and he has picked up where he left off this term, winning a 7f Leopardstown Group 3 on his return to action.

According to Scorthy Champ’s trainer the colt has ‘He has done particularly well over the winter in physical terms and looks fantastic’. He could be a value alternative to the market leaders.