Aidan O'Brien: I'm sure hot favourite Santa Barbara has speed for 1,000 Guineas

Aidan O'Brien believes potential star Santa Barbara has the necessary pace for this season's Qipco 1,000 Guineas, reaffirming the high regard that the once-raced Curragh maiden winner is held in.

A sustained market move for the regally bred Camelot filly has seen her cut to 5-2 favourite from as big as 10-1 last week, with the Ballydoyle trainer weighing up whether or not the exciting three-year-old will line up in a Guineas trial on her way to Newmarket.

"Santa Barbara is doing everything very nice," said O'Brien, who will be bidding to make it five 1,000 Guineas wins in the last six years on May 2.

"We just have to decide over the next ten days if she goes to Leopardstown for a trial or whether she'll head straight to the Guineas. We've always thought the world of her."

Santa Barbara: Camelot filly created an excellent impression when winning at the CurraghCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

He added: "She shows a lot of speed. Being by Camelot, we'd have thought that a mile and a quarter or a mile and a half would be possible for her, but at the moment she's showing a lot of pace – that's why we're looking at the Guineas.

"If she had more runs at two you'd be more confident going there – she's going to learn a lot from racing."

Ante-post Pricewise: Tom Segal with a couple to back at decent prices in the first fillies' Classic (Members' Club)

Should the half-sister to Breeders' Cup winners Iridessa and Order Of Australia land the opening fillies' Classic of the season on just her second career start, she will have followed a different path to O'Brien's previous six winners of the race.

Love, Hermosa and Minding were all making their seasonal reappearance when winning the 1,000 Guineas but had an average of six starts beforehand.

Joan Of Arc: a top-priced 16-1 chance for the Qipco 1,000 GuineasCredit: Patrick McCann

O'Brien looks to have a strong crop of three-year-old fillies this term and Joan Of Arc, from the exceptional family of Gleneagles, Marvellous and Happily, also entered the Guineas mix with a recent Curragh maiden success.

"We thought the world of her going to Dundalk last year too and she was unlucky to bump into a nice filly [Hazel]," said O'Brien of the top-priced 16-1 chance.

"We gave her a break and I was delighted with what she did at the Curragh. You'd have thought, judging by her pedigree, that she'd like better ground but she handled the soft-to-heavy ground very well."

Breeders' Cup runner-up Mother Earth could also be on the Guineas trail, possibly via Leopardstown next month, after reportedly doing well over the winter.

Divinely: sister to Found scored at Group 3 level last yearCredit: Patrick McCann

O'Brien raised the possibility of supplementing Group 3 Flame Of Tara Stakes winner Divinely, a sister to Arc heroine Found, for the Guineas if pleasing him in the interim, while stating that More Beautiful and Snowfall "work better than they've shown us so far".

He added of his other Guineas entries: "Monday has done very well and hopefully she'll leave her run in the Rockfel Stakes [beaten favourite when fourth of five] well behind. Looking at her, you'd imagine there's every chance she'll get much further than a mile. Queen's Speech should stay nicely too.

"We're very happy with Willow and we'll probably go for an Oaks trial, or else the Irish 1,000 Guineas. She's one we've always liked, a real middle-distance filly.

"High Heels is a lovely filly, probably more of an Oaks type than a Guineas type. She was always going to improve a lot from two to three and we think she has physically."

If you want more on the 2021 Flat season . . .

'Dream come true' as 18-year-old De la Sayette wins Lincoln on first turf ride

Aidan O'Brien: Battleground's much more powerful now and a mile will suit (Members' Club)

Pricewise on the 2,000 Guineas: Tom Segal assesses the Classic candidates (Members' Club)

Racing Post experts pick out one horse each for you to follow this season (Members' Club)

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