<b>The first classic of the 2016 flat season certainly lived up to expectation, as Frankie Dettori led outsider Galileo Gold to victory in the famous 2000 Guineas race at Newmarket.</b>

The 14/1 shot with bookmakers Coral comfortably <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/horse-racing/36178793">cruised to victory by one and a half lengths</a>, in what was his third victory in the prestigious mile long race. With Air Force Blue having gained much of the pre-race attention, the winner of last year’s Dewhurst Stakes was never in contention, eventually finishing in second to last place. It was certainly a special occasion for Italian Dettori, who won 20 years on from achieving his first victory in the race when riding Mark of Esteem.

The fact that previous favourite <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/apr/21/godolphin-emotionless-out-of-2000-guineas">Emotionless had been withdrawn</a> from the race at Newmarket meant that the field was substantially more open. The title of race favourite was passed onto Aidan O’Brien trained Air Force Blue as a result. However, the horse lacked the required stamina to compete in such a race, and is now being considered for shorter meetings in the near future. Trainer Charlie Appleby took the difficult decision to rule Emotionless out of the race, having decided instead to give his horse further time to mature before featuring in such a big race meeting. It was left to Galileo Gold to take over from O’Brien’s Gleneagles who claimed victory in last year’s race.

With the start of the new season certainly increasing the excitement levels of the horse racing community with famous meetings such as Royal Ascot coming up in the near future, events at Cheltenham and Aintree now seem to have occurred an age ago. With racing at Newmarket set to continue throughout the summer months, events at Ascot and the upcoming Kentucky Derby across the pond perhaps provide better options for those of you looking to win big on upcoming meetings. Royal Ascot looks set to be the most competitive for many a year, with a record number of foreign entries helping to provide a high quality field. US mare Tepin, widely regarded as the fastest thoroughbred in the world, lines up in the Queen Anne Stakes and is offered odds of 8/1 by Coral to come out victorious. So <a href="http://sports.coral.co.uk/horse-racing">if you want to place a bet</a>, last year’s Breeder Cup Mile winner is certainly worth a look at. 

Elsewhere, racing returns to Goodwood at the end of May, kicking off a summer of high quality action at the iconic course. Always a great day out for all, why not grab a glorious Goodwood bet and sample the incredible atmosphere for yourself.

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