Entries are unveiled today for the opening two Classics of the 2012 Flat season, the QIPCO 2000 Guineas and the QIPCO 1000 Guineas, both of which take place on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket during the first weekend in May.

The great races each boast a prize fund of £350,000 and are the opening two contests in the QIPCO British Champions Series. The QIPCO 2000 Guineas is run on Saturday, May 5, with the QIPCO 1000 Guineas following on Sunday, May 6.

There are 63 entries for the QIPCO 2000 Guineas, including 16 from Ireland, four from France and one from Spain.

French trainer Mikel Delzangles famously landed the mile Classic in 2010 with Makfi and he has two hopes entered this year, Dragon Pulse and Hermival. Dragon Pulse was trained by Jessica Harrington in Ireland last season when he won two of his four starts, including the Group Two Futurity Stakes at the Curragh. He ended the campaign by taking second to the Aidan O’Brien-trained Power in the Group One National Stakes at the same venue. Hermival was successful on his only appearance to date, taking a mile newcomers’ event at Saint-Cloud in November.

Delzangles commented: “The QIPCO 2000 Guineas is a race we are considering for both horses. They will both run once before that in the trials - one will run in the Prix Djebel (Maisons-Laffitte, 7f Group Three, April 5) and the other in the Prix de Fontainebleau (Longchamp, 8f, Group Three, April 15). We will see what happens there and then decide after that.

“Dragon Pulse has been with me for three weeks. I was impressed with his Irish form, and he looks like he is a very decent horse. He has not done any work for me yet, but physically he has all the looks and size to make a champion.

“Hermival won quite impressively at Saint-Cloud and I like him. He is not a show horse, but he is a very hard worker and if he improves he could be a very good horse.

“Although he won on heavy ground, I think he will be fine on better ground.”

Another possible starter from France is the appropriately-named French Fifteen, who is trained by Nicolas Clement and has been bought by H H Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Thani.

The son of Turtle Bowl landed four out of his six starts in 2011, culminating with a stunning success in the Group One Criterium International at Saint-Cloud on October 30.

Speaking at Chantilly yesterday, his trainer Nicolas Clement said: “French Fifteen has done well during the winter and had his first work on the Polytrack at Chantilly this morning. He went solo and I was very pleased.

“The plan now is to run him in the Prix Djebel and he is a colt who needs a true early pace to show his best.

“He has a good turn of foot and could be ridden by Olivier Peslier if he isn't claimed by the Wertheimer brothers as he now has a second retainer with Sheikh Al Thani.”

The fourth French-trained entry is Jean-Claude Rouget’s Abtaal, who got the better of French Fifteen in a Group Three contest at Saint-Cloud on October 6.

Matusalen is the Spanish-trained entry for Mauricio Delcher Sanchez, who has already enjoyed significant success in Britain having saddled Equiano to success in the 2008 King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Champion Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien, chasing a sixth 2000 Guineas victory, has 11 engaged including the unbeaten Group One Racing Post Trophy winner Camelot, the current ante-post favourite.

The 16 Irish-trained entries also include Born To Sea, a sibling to the stunning 2009 2000 Guineas victor Sea The Stars and Parish Hall, winner of the Group One Dubai Dewhurst Stakes on Future Champions Day at Newmarket last season.

Richard Hannon has announced that he will retire by the end of the 2012 Flat season, but the veteran handler could saddle a fourth 2000 Guineas winner long before then. His eight entries in 2012 are headed by the unbeaten Harbour Watch, successful in the Group Two Richmond Stakes at Goodwood last season.

QIPCO 1000 GUINEAS “PRIME OPTION” FOR LA COLLINA

The QIPCO 1000 Guineas boasts a similarly cosmopolitan entry, with 17 hopefuls hailing from Ireland, eight from France and one from Spain.

One of the Irish-trained entries is La Collina. Trained by Kevin Prendergast, the Strategic Prince filly successfully took on the colts in the Group One Keeneland Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh in August last year, when she proved a neck too strong for Power.

According to her trainer, the QIPCO 1000 Guineas is very much on the radar.

Prendergast said: “The QIPCO 1000 Guineas is the prime option for La Collina at the moment. We have always liked her and always thought she was quite smart.

“She beat the colt in the Phoenix Stakes (Power) that probably should have won the Dewhurst, and although she was a big price that day we did not pay much attention to that - we thought she would be hard to beat.

“She had a fillies’ problem after the Moyglare Stud Stakes that we did not pick up before the race, and that is why she ran a bit disappointing, but we won’t worry about that too much. She had got a lot closer to Maybe in the Silver Flash Stakes earlier in the season. However, I am not confident we will reverse the form, but we will certainly be there fighting it out.

“She has done very well over the winter and the ground will dictate whether or not she runs in a trial because I would not want to run her on heavy ground. She will have done enough work by the time the QIPCO 1000 Guineas comes around. She is not the biggest filly so she won’t be too hard to get ready.

“I do not think the mile will be a problem to her, she won over seven furlongs on her first start.”

As with the QIPCO 2000 Guineas, Aidan O’Brien is the trainer with the most entries to choose from, accounting for 10 of the 70 hopefuls at this stage, headed by the unbeaten antepost favourite Maybe. A five-time winner, Maybe ended her first season by taking the Group One Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh in August.

The Maktoum family’s Godolphin operation landed last year’s QIPCO 1000 Guineas with Blue Bunting and its seven entries this year, who are all trained by Mahmood Al Zarooni, include the unbeaten duo of Discourse and Lyric Of Light. Discourse’s two victories both came on Newmarket’s July Course and included the Group Three german-thoroughbred.com Sweet Solera Stakes, while Lyric Of Light’s three successes culminated with a victory over the course and distance in the Group One Shadwell Fillies’ Mile on September 23. Another Godolphin entry is last year’s Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Cherry Hinton Stakes heroine Gamilati, who already has a Guineas victory to her name, having taken the UAE version in great style at Meydan last month.

Sheikh Fahad Al Thani, whose company QIPCO sponsors the race, has a strong contender in last year’s Group One Jaguar Cars Cheveley Park Stakes winner Lightening Pearl, while Elusive Kate, winner of the Group One Marcel Boussac Stakes at Longchamp, could represent John Gosden.

French handler Criquette Head-Maarek, successful four times in the 1000 Guineas, has two entries in the Khalid Abdulla-owned duo of Postale and Preferential. Mauricio Delcher Sanchez supplies the Spanish-trained entry, Irish Cliff.

Newmarket Racecourses’ Director of Racing, Michael Prosser, said: "We are delighted with the undoubted calibre and international nature of the respective entries for the QIPCO 2000 and 1000 Guineas.

“The two prestigious races not only invariably produce top-class winners, but also possess great depth in terms of quality. The QIPCO-sponsored Guineas always set up the forthcoming season - and set an exceptional standard in their own right."

THE QIPCO 2000 GUINEAS (THE 204TH RUNNING)

Class 1, Group 1, part of the QIPCO British Champions Series, £350,000 total prize fund. Saturday, May 5, 2012. For 3-y-o entire colts & fillies, one mile. Weights: colts 9st; fillies 8st 11lb. Entries closed March 6, entries revealed March 7 (63 entries). Scratchings deadline April 24, five-day confirmation stage & £30,000 supplementary entry stage April 30, final declaration stage, 10.00am, May 3. Form figures supplied by Weatherbys and are correct up to and including the racing of Monday, March 5.

Form Horse Owner Trainer

211- ABTAAL (USA) Hamdan Al Maktoum Jean Claude Rouget FR

412- AKEED MOFEED Jaber Abdullah John Oxx IRE

1- ALJAMAAHEER (IRE) Hamdan Al Maktoum Roger Varian

031- AMONG EQUALS Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Sue Magnier Aidan O'Brien IRE

1- APOLLO (IRE) Derrick Smith, Sue Magnier, Michael Tabor Aidan O'Brien IRE

662500- B FIFTY TWO (IRE) Gary and Linnet Woodward John Hills

1- BEAUFORT TWELVE Tony Foster & John Kelsey-Fry William Jarvis

(1)222- BOOMERANG BOB (IRE) R J Tufft John Hills

12- BORN TO SEA (IRE) Christopher Tsui John Oxx IRE

2- BORN TO SURPRISE Dr Ali Ridha Michael Bell

114- BRONTERRE Michael Pescod Richard Hannon

11- CAMELOT Derrick Smith, Sue Magnier, Michael Tabor Aidan O'Brien IRE

231150- CASPAR NETSCHER Charles Wentworth Alan McCabe

1021- CHANDLERY (IRE) Julie Wood Richard Hannon

211151- COUPE DE VILLE (IRE) Macdonald, Wright, Creed, Smith & Jiggins Richard Hannon

11221- CRIUS (IRE) Titan Assets Richard Hannon

0141(6)- CRUSADE (USA) Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Sue Magnier Aidan O'Brien IRE

141(0)- DADDY LONG LEGS (USA) Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Sue Magnier Aidan O'Brien IRE

2112- DRAGON PULSE (IRE) Tan Kai Chah Mikel Delzangles FR

13- EASTERN SUN (IRE) Prince A A Faisal & Rachel Hood John Gosden

110- EKTIHAAM (IRE) Hamdan Al Maktoum Roger Varian

2115- FARHAAN (USA) Hamdan Al Maktoum John Dunlop

21123- FARRAAJ (IRE) Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum Roger Varian

313- FENCING (USA) George Strawbridge John Gosden

144- FOXTROT ROMEO (IRE) Andrew Tinkler Bryan Smart

111121- FRENCH FIFTEEN (FR) H H Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Thani Nicolas Clement FR

1044- FURNER'S GREEN (IRE) Derrick Smith, Sue Magnier, Michael Tabor Aidan O'Brien IRE

115000- GATEPOST (IRE) Dr Marwan Koukash Mick Channon

111- HARBOUR WATCH (IRE) Robin Heffer & Qatar Bloodstock Richard Hannon

020034- HAZAZ (IRE) Saeed Manana Clive Brittain

0- HEAVY WEIGHT (IRE) Jackie Bolger Jim Bolger IRE

1- HERMIVAL (IRE) Gerard Augustin-Normand Mikel Delzangles FR

133(1)-(2)(1) KINGLET (USA) Godolphin Mahmood Al Zarooni

2- LIGHT HEAVY (IRE) Jackie Bolger Jim Bolger IRE

11- MANDAEAN Godolphin Mahmood Al Zarooni

1111-5 MATUSALEN (SPA) Cuadra Miranda Mauricio Delcher Sanchez SPA

10- MIBLISH Saeed Manana Clive Brittain

1- MIGHTY AMBITION (USA) Godolphin Mahmood Al Zarooni

MINSTRELS GALLERY (IRE) The Three Honest Men John Jenkins

213- MOST IMPROVED (IRE) Iraj Parvizi Brian Meehan

310- NAWWAAR (USA) Hamdan Al Maktoum John Dunlop

11- NEPHRITE Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Sue Magnier Aidan O'Brien IRE

12021- PARISH HALL (IRE) Jackie Bolger Jim Bolger IRE

(2)(1)4- PEARL MIX (IRE) Pearl Bloodstock Ltd Ralph Beckett

2- PERIPHERY (USA) Godolphin Mahmood Al Zarooni

111212- POWER Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Sue Magnier Aidan O'Brien IRE

(3)4(1)(1)- PRINCE ALZAIN (USA) Asaad Al Banwan Gerard Butler

4012- PTOLEMAIC Fiona Denniff Bryan Smart

41- RAYVIN BLACK R White & V J Walsh Mark Tompkins

1010- REBELLIOUS GUEST John Guest Racing George Margarson

311320- RED DUKE (USA) Maxilead Limited John Quinn

(1)1402- REDACT (IRE) Kennet Valley Thoroughbreds III Richard Hannon

315613- REPLY (IRE) Sue Magnier/Michael Tabor/Derrick Smith/Edouard Mordukhovitch Aidan O'Brien IRE

121541- ROCKINANTE (FR) Coriolan Links Partnership III Richard Hannon

15(3)362- SAIGON Patrick Dalby & Richard Schuster James Toller

(1)- SOLAR DEITY (IRE) Andrew Tinkler Marco Botti

310- SPIRITUAL STAR (IRE) Thurloe Thoroughbreds XXIX Andrew Balding

2- TAIGAN (USA) Sue Magnier Aidan O'Brien IRE

1- TALES OF GRIMM (USA) Sir Robert Ogden Sir Michael Stoute

1- TOP OFFER Khalid Abdulla Roger Charlton

021415- TRUMPET MAJOR (IRE) John Manley Richard Hannon

31131- WROTE (IRE) Sue Magnier,Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith Aidan O'Brien IRE

13- ZUMBI (IRE) Lady Rothschild Sir Michael Stoute

63 entries

16 Irish-trained

4 French-trained

1 Spanish-trained