The road to the 2000 Guineas
With We Jammin uncertain, Stardom is installed as the early favourite
The dust from the prep races had finally settled. At Caymanas Park, the months of trials, workouts, and tactical jockeying were over. Now, only one thing mattered: the first Classics of 2026. Two races, one weekend, and careers waiting to be made.
Saturday, June 6 will belong to the fillies. The 1000 Guineas — a mile of speed, grit, and pedigree — will crown the queen of the three-year-olds.
But the real puzzle was waiting for Sunday. The 2000 Guineas. June 7. Eight furlongs for colts and geldings. And hanging over it all was one name: We Jammin. Last year’s champion juvenile hadn’t been seen at his best in The Kingston. He ran flat. No one knew why. Now whispers rippled through the barn area.
Peter-John Parsard’s colt, the one they said couldn’t lose, might not even line up. Nothing official. Just talk. But the odds-makers weren’t guessing. “If he runs, he’s 8-5,” one said flatly. “Champion or not, you don’t ignore that.”
For now, though, the boards are drawn with him out. And with We Jammin missing, the race cracked wide open.
Into that gap stepped Stardom. In The Kingston Stakes at seven and a half furlongs, he waited and then exploded in the final two furlongs. By the wire, he was gone. That extra half-furlong in the Guineas? It looked made for him, odds at 2-1, and favourite.
Gary Subratie held a strong hand too. He had swept the trifecta in The Kingston, and two of them are back.
Salute The Don had led them a merry chase in The Kingston — front-running, bold — until Stardom swallowed him late. Could he last the mile? At odds of 7-2, the market had doubts.
His stablemate God’s Plan ran third that day. Game, but the same question followed him: Eight furlongs might be a bridge too far. He is at 10-1.
Then there are the closers. Senor Biscotti, fourth in The Kingston, had been making up ground with every stride, five lengths back of Stardom. Give him more real estate and he might be different. He is at odds of 6-1.
Fernando, fifth that day, is considered at 12-1 — an outsider.
But the horse with buzz was one who skipped The Kingston entirely. Strong Aveenu, who has two wins in a row and connections’ confidence are surely sky-high.
A mile pedigree and a turn of foot that had people talking. He hadn’t faced these yet, but he was coming in hot and is at odds 9-1.
Jockey Dane Dawkins guides Salute The Don to victory in the $1.2-million Sir Howard Stakes at Caymanas Park on Saturday, March 21, 2026. (Photo: Joseph Wellington)
Raddesh Roman guides Fernando toward the winners’ enclosure after winning the Rimsky Trophy feature at Caymanas Park on Saturday, January 24, 2026. (Photo: Joseph Wellington)
