idan O’Brien has a record 10 wins in the 2,000 Guineas to his name already and has enough confidence in a three-strong team for this year’s Newmarket Classic to keep St Mark’s Basilica, the Dewhurst winner, at Ballydoyle while he waits for the French equivalent. That feels ominous for the home team but while Battleground, Wembley and Van Gogh all have solid claims, there is no sense of a standout colt in the O’Brien squad, or in the race as a whole for that matter. Joseph O’Brien’s Thunder Moon, third in the Dewhurst, could easily progress past runner-up Wembley, but the late-comer Mutasaabeq (3.40), supplemented on Monday, may be the biggest improver in the field. Charles Hills’s colt lacks experience but stormed clear of a small field in a lightning-fast time at the Craven meeting and should have plenty more to come stepping up to a mile on Saturday. Newmarket 1.50 Bright Melody started last season at Group Three level and though it took a return to handicapping to get another win on his record, he still has only seven races in the book. Charlie Appleby’s gelding looked better with another winter behind him at Meydan last time. Goodwood 2.05 Lilac Road was out of her depth in the Fillies’ Mile last October but was well up to the form of her fourth in the May Hill at Doncaster when returning to action at Kempton in early April. A repeat should be enough to get a first Listed success on the board. Newmarket 2.25 Several in-form and top-notch handicappers attempt to make a successful step up to Pattern company and Arecibo is an interesting candidate at around 8-1. He looked improved on his first start for Robert Cowell, who has few peers in the sprint division, over track and trip at the Craven meeting and clocked a strong time in the process. Thirsk 2.40 Tom Collins starts the season on a handy mark but this is a tough assignment first time up. Acquitted, who was overhauled in the final strides at Doncaster last time, could make his fitness advantage count. Newmarket 3.00 Just five runners but they all go to post with a chance. Pyledriver, a standard-bearer for William Muir last season, is proven at this level but has not been out since October so Al Zaraqaan could be worth an interest at around 5-2. William Haggas fast-tracked Adeybb from handicapping to a Group Two success not that long ago and Al Zaraqaan looked similarly progressive in the Rosebery at Kempton in March. Blackmore ends season on high Honeysuckle and Rachael Blackmore completed a perfect season and extended their unbeaten record to a dozen races in the Paddy Power Champion Hurdle at Punchestown on Friday evening, but not without giving their supporters a scare at the final flight when a slow jump briefly saw the 4-7 favourite trade at 4-1 in running. Henry de Bromhead’s mare appeared to be running away from the field on the home turn with only Sharjah and Patrick Mullins showing any sign of narrowing the gap, but she started to idle before clambering over the last hurdle, allowing Sharjah to close to within a couple of lengths. When Blackmore asked her to find a final effort, however, Honeysuckle responded immediately to fight off Sharjah by two-and-a-quarter lengths with Epatante, the 2020 Champion Hurdle winner, back in third, a repeat of the 1-2-3 in the timber championship at Cheltenham last month. “I’m very relieved, she’s done well to get me out of trouble,” Blackmore said on Racing TV afterwards. “I’ve committed I think far too soon and we didn’t have a lot of petrol there at the last and I don’t think the picture was too pretty, but she dug deep in after it and pulled it out of the bag, like she always does. “I think she was feeling it [the effects of a long season] today but the very good ones can still deliver on the day.” Honeysuckle was Blackmore’s first winner at this year’s Punchestown Festival, on the fourth day of a meeting which she started with an outside chance of winning the Irish jump jockeys’ championship for the first time. She was also the first winner of the week for Henry de Bromhead, who saddled Blackmore’s Grand National winner, Minella Times, three weeks ago but has seen his horses struggling in recent days. “We weren’t having an amazing week thus far but she always gets us out of trouble, she’s amazing,” De Bromhead said. “She’s just so good. She’s just got such a will to win and Rachael’s so good on her. It [defeat] started to cross my mind at the final hurdle but thankfully Rachael had it all under control.”