Ballydoyle pair could still run in Guineas after scratching mix up

Albert Einstein and Gstaad could yet be supplemented for the Betfred 2000 Guineas after mistakenly being scratched from the Newmarket Classic on Tuesday morning.

The much-vaunted Albert Einstein headed ante-post lists for the Rowley Mile showpiece prior to his disappointing reverse in Saturday’s Gladness Stakes at the Curragh, after which trainer Aidan O’Brien suggested his charge could revert to sprinting while leaving the option of a possible Guineas bid open.

Gstaad, winner of the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot last summer and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at the end of his two-year-old campaign, looked firmly on course for the May 2 Classic after pleasing connections in a racecourse gallop at the Curragh on Sunday, but he too was scratched on Tuesday.

O’Brien said both horses had been scratched from the 2000 Guineas due to a “computer error” but connections ultimately failed in a bid to have them reinstated.

The British Horseracing Authority did confirm that they could be re-added at the supplementary stage on April 27, albeit at a cost of £30,000 per horse.

When asked whether both horses could now be supplemented for Newmarket, O’Brien told the Press Association: “We’ll get closer to the race but I’d imagine something like that (supplementing).

“At the moment we’re thinking of Newmarket for both of them and we’ll see how it goes.

“Puerto Rico is still in there too but he could go to France, he’s already won in France.”

A BHA spokesperson said in a statement: “Following the scratchings earlier today of Gstaad and Albert Einstein from the Betfred 2000 Guineas, trainer Aidan O’Brien contacted the BHA to explain that this had happened in error.

“Such scratchings are immediately communicated to the media and betting markets. This is a policy that is applied consistently across all races in Britain and to all connections and, while we understand that this will be a frustrating outcome for all concerned, it is for this reason that the horses in question cannot be reinstated after the event.

“Should connections wish for either horse to compete in the Betfred 2000 Guineas, a supplementary entry can be made following the process outlined in the race conditions.”