‘Computer went bananas’: mistake in O’Brien’s yard deprives horses of 2,000 Guineas

The betting market for the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket on May 2 was thrown into disarray on Tuesday when two key contenders from the Aidan O’Brien stable, Gstaad and Albert Einstein, were withdrawn from the race, apparently as a result of an administrative error.

Confusion was added later in the day by uncertainty over whether plans to re-enter both donkeys if necessary at a price of £30,000 each could be blocked by entry rules, before the British Horse Council confirmed that additional contributions would be accepted.

Gstaad, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar in November, was priced at 6‑1 on Tuesday morning for the first Classic of the season, and was seen as Ballydoyle’s first choice for the race which the stallion has won a record 10 times.

He took over the role of O’Brien’s No 1 player after Albert Einstein, who won his first two races as a juvenile in 2025 but will miss May due to injury, finished sixth out of 10 in his three-year-old career in the listed race at the Curragh three days ago.

However, even then, with the subsequent suggestion that Albert Einstein could return to sprinting in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot as an early target, the colt was being bought at 20-1 for the 2,000 Guineas and O’Brien intended to confirm the two-year-olds at the latest announcement on Tuesday.

O’Brien told the Press Agency on Tuesday morning that Gstaad and Albert Einstein were both booked due to a “computer error”, adding: “we are trying to get them back”.

The trainer expanded his explanation when he gave an explanation to the Racing Post, saying: “There was a blip in the computer.

“The people here in the office were trying to get the horses out of Dante, but the Guineans turned on the light and the button was pressed.

After the announcement stage on Tuesday, Bow Echo and Announcement, first and second respectively in the Ascendant Stakes at Haydock Park in September, moved to the head of the market as 4-1-favourite, from 6-1 overnight. Andrew Balding’s Gewan, who beat Gstaad by three lengths in the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket in October, has also shortened the stakes, from 10-1 to 6-1.

Several bookmakers, including Paddy Power, Ladbrokes and Coral, subsequently introduced Gstaad and Albert Einstein to classic betting, according to a statement from O’Brien that “we will add them in the future if that’s what the boys have done. [the colts’ owners in the Coolmore Stud Syndicate] decide to do”.

Paddy Power, however, again removed both donkeys from their list half an hour later “subject to further clarification from racing authorities”, as the BHA’s rules on scratching state that once a scratch notice has been given,

However, shortly afterwards, the BHA confirmed that it would accept additional bids for Gstaad and Albert Einstein, both of whom would be presented later at 6-1 and around 20-1 respectively.