2,000 Guineas: Bow Echo and rising star jockey Billy Loughnane chasing Classic dream

Victory for Bow Echo would give Boughey his second Classic success after 16-1 shot Cachet won the 1,000 Guineas four years ago.

It would be another high-profile accolade for the Craven House Stables, which started out, in Boughey’s words, with “three or four horses” in 2019 to now training for some of the biggest names in the sport, including Bow Echo’s late owner-breeder Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum.

“I’ll never forget getting the call to train for Sheikh Mohammed Obaid. It makes the hairs stand up on the back of your neck saying it now,” Boughey said.

“We were sent 10 yearlings, which is a huge number of horses for such a big owner, and just to be trusted with a colt with his pedigree is a huge honour.”

The 2,000 Guineas is the first leg of the storied Triple Crown series, along with the Derby and St Leger, and Boughey said Bow Echo is ready to rise to the occasion.

“It’s a race that everyone’s watched forever and our colt has come here in good shape and he’ll give himself the best chance,” Boughey said.

“We love running horses at Newmarket. Obviously it’s local to us and the horses train just out the back, so I’ve been walking or running the track recently quite a lot.

“That’s kind of what I did into the 1,000 Guineas and I think knowing the track yourself is quite interesting, it’s not an easy track to ride.

“Billy rides a lot of winners on a day-to-day basis, and he’s written a group one winner in Germany but, with no disrespect, you want to be trying to compete in the classics and to have a horse who’s [favourite] for an English 2,000 Guineas is huge for Billy, it’s huge for both of us.”