Torito a strong fancy to dance home at Headquarters

A competitive Listed contest gets us underway on 2000 Guineas day at Newmarket and it'll be fascinating to see if the front-running pace bias stands up like it did at the Craven Meeting last month.

With that in mind, the obvious starting point is current favourite Star Guest, who has made all of the running in two of her three victories to date. She's likely to force the pace here once again but this is her first start for 288 days and I'd worry that she might need the run after such a lengthy absence. I'm also not sure her overall commands her position at the top of the market and I'm looking towards Unequal Love as the likeliest winner. 

This progressive Dutch Art filly won four of her seven starts last season with three of those coming over this six furlong trip. William Haggas has also won two of the last five renewals of this race and she must hold excellent claims here.

This six-furlong Heritage Handicap looks particularly trappy but there's lot of pace up the near-side rail and that should give a nice tow into the race for last year's runner-up, Chairmanoftheboard. He was second off 88 12 months ago but returns here off 2lb lower and the Channon stable have been firing in the winners recently, with no less than eight winners from their last 19 runners. That bodes well for the eight-year-old, who was narrowly headed when second at Newbury last month, and will be partnered by the recently-returned Ed Greatrex.

Forgive me for taking a second bullet in the race but I am loathe to leave out the classy Noble Style. I thought he looked like a real top-notcher as a juvenile but was bitterly disappointed with his efforts last season. Admittedly, he ran with credit when sixth in the 2000 Guineas having failed to see out the trip, but the wheels came off in his three subsequent outings. As a result, he's slid to a mark of 108 and makes his handicap debut here. 

Should Charlie Appleby have him back to near his best, there's no doubt in my mind that Noble Style could prove a class apart in this field, even off top-weight.

I think this fellow is a Group horse masquerading as a handicapper and I'm very much looking forward to his return here. I was particularly impressed with his win at Epsom last season, scoring in great style when conceding over a stone and more to the progressive pair of Silver Sword and Balance Play, who are now rated 103 and 101 respectively. Torito went on to finish fourth in the Group 3 Hampton Court at Royal Ascot on the back of that but endured a wide and interrupted passage. He likely picked up an injury there or soon after as he has not seen the racecourse since but has been gelded during the interim.

I'd be surprised if a mark of 105 proves to be the ceiling of the four-year-old's ability and hope and think he will make a winning return here.

There's a smart roll of honour for the Group 3 Palace House Stakes with the likes of Sole Power, Goldream, Profitable, Marsha and Mabs Cross all winning in the last decade, with the quintet all going on to record subsequent Group 1 victories later that respective season.

I'd like to say there's a standout this year but think it is an open and under-par renewal and I'll take two against the field.

Twilight Calls has the classist form heading into the race but has become a little inconsistent of late and was a well-beaten ninth in this last year, albeit when racing on the wrong part of the track. That was on very soft ground so I'd be happy put a line through that effort and he is better judged on his course form here in 2022, having won a handicap over course-and-distance at the Craven Meeting before a close fifth in this race a month later, again racing on the wrong part of the track. It would be no surprise to see him show his class in this field.

Mitbaahy is taken as second string and was an obvious eyecatcher when finishing fourth in last month's Group 3 Abernant Stakes here at Newmarket. I am not sure this track fully suits him, but he is equally adept at five and six furlongs and may find an ideal setup here with Tees Spirit and Beautiful Diamond likely to force a frenetic pace throughout. 

Do you believe in the City Of Troy hype? He was certainly impressive as a juvenile, rounding of a sterling juvenile campaign with a dominant display in the Group 1 Dewhurst but we've been here before - Air Force Blue, anyone? - and there's no guarantee until the race that he has definitely trained-on.

Of course, Aidan O'Brien is no stranger to 2000 Guineas success. He is the leading trainer in the race with 10 previous victories and all of them were coming here on seasonal reappearance. It's a tried-and-tested route and Team Ballydoyle are certainly confident, with City Of Troy their sole representative this year, and the likes of Henry Longfellow, River Tiber and Unquestionable all rerouted to alternative targets.

Personally, I think City Of Troy is the real deal and hope we get to see another Frankel "moment" with the expectation that Ryan Moore will try and make all of the running on the Justify colt. It could be a case of catch-me-if-you-can and I don't think they will!