Dancing Brave, Dayjur and Hawk Wing

Dancing Brave is favourite for the 2000 Guineas. He won the Craven Stakes and is now 2/1 favourite. Shahrastani is the main danger to Dancing Brave. They are going to try and win the race together.  It is their second win together in the Guines after Shergar five years ago.

Dancing Brave won the 1986 Derby. Nomrood was the leader. Greville Starkey had Dancing Brave settled towards the rear. Shahrastani got to the front over two furlongs out. DancingBrave was chivvied along by Starkeys since Tattenham Corner. Starke had to angle out wide on Dancing. The horse was still half a length clear at the winning post.  Greville was responsible for a losing ride. He is remembered for his career in the saddle that featured 1,989 winners. His career included 5 classics.

Dancing Brave won the Guineas, the Eclipse, King George and the Arc. Pat Eddery took over the ride on Dancing Brave for both the KingGeorge and Arc, denying Starkey of his best chances at redemption.

Dayjur won five races in 1990. He won the Temple, the King's Stand, Nunthorpe, Sprint Cup and Prix de l'Abbaye as a three-year-old. His final race was in the Breeders' Cup Sprint at Belmont Park.

Dayjur lost the Breeders' Cup at Belmont. Willie Carson's mount had just gained a narrow lead when he tried to jump the shadow of the grandstand. Dayjurs had been spooked in the previous start.   The horse had won each of her previous six starts in 1990. The owner blamed the horse's lack of concentration. He had not had a race in France. It was the first time a European horse lost a Breeder's Cup since 1984.

Dayjur lost on his final start. He was the winner of seven of his 11 starts and over £467,000 in prize money. Dick Hern and Carson voted him the best sprinter they'd ever trained. Timeform rated him higher than Abernant (142), who won the July Cup, the Nunthorpe and the King George twice, and Pappa Fourway (139).

Hawk Wing won three of his four starts in Ireland as a two-year-old. He was the favourite for the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket. Rock of Gibraltar was only the fourth best horse in the field.

Hawk Wing won the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket. He was beaten by his stablemate Rock of Gibraltar. The sectional times confirm that Hawk Wing's group was outclassed by Rock's.   The horse's reputation blossomed after the defeat. It is the first time a horse has been beaten in a classic since Dancing Brave in the Derby in 1986. For most at the New Market, the issue is not whether HawkWing should have won, but by how far. They consider that the run of the race counted against him. His group finished five lengths ahead of his group. In fact, his best horse was Aramram.

Rock of Gibraltar won seven Group 1 races on the bounce. Hawk Wing won only one of his five starts as a three-year-old. He returned to form the following year and won the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury.

Dancing Brave, Dayjur and Hawk Wing are recommended bets for over-18s. National Gambling Helpline is on 0808 8020 133.