Necklace looks a gem for O'Brien

With the Grand National done and dusted for another 12 months, those punters on the search for some ante-post value could do worse than take a close look at the odds available for Necklace in the UltimateBet.com 1000 Guineas.

Red Bloom heads the market for the fillies’ Classic at Newmarket on May 2 at around 6-1, with the speedy Attraction next best at 8-1.

The latter was one of the most impressive youngsters around last term and remains unbeaten after five starts. The daughter of Efisio landed the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot before putting up a breath-taking performance in the Chippenham Lodge Stud Cherry Hinton at Newmarket.

However, all of her success to date has come over five and six furlongs so her stamina has to be in doubt.

In addition, Attraction has been off the track since her Cherry Hinton win with a pedal-bone injury.

Her trainer Mark Johnston is sure to have her back race fit and ready to fight but 8-1 looks a skinny price given her stamina doubts and interrupted preparation.

Red Bloom, though, looks to have sound credentials given the way she took the Group One Meon Valley Stud Fillies’ Mile at Ascot in September.

A daughter of Selkirk, Red Bloom also represents last year’s winning connections of Sir Michael Stoute and owners the Cheveley Park Stud.

It is hard to knock her at all but Necklace, who was taken out of the Fillies’ Mile due to the lightening-fast ground, makes more appeal at a general 25-1.

Aidan O’Brien’s charge was another to impress all of last season before disappointing in France on her final start – a performance which may go someway to explaining her generous odds.

Necklace was a close second on her racecourse debut but left that form well behind when taking a Group Three event at the Curragh on her second start.

She was then taken back to the same venue for the Group One Moyglare Stud Stakes in August and duly won with a little more in hand than the one-length margin suggested.

The form of that race looks quite solid with several of the runners putting up credible performances since, including fifth-placed River Belle who was subsequently beaten just five lengths by Red Bloom at Ascot.

As referred to earlier, O’Brien’s charge never got into the firing line on her final start last season in the Prix Marcel Boussac Royal Barriere de Deauville at Longchamp.

Despite being sent off 7-4 favourite Necklace could do no better than finish 10th but connections excused the performance by pointing to the exertions of her aborted trip to Ascot the week before.

The Longchamp race was run on very testing ground and the daughter of Darshaan is best forgiven that effort.

There is no doubting Necklace’s ability and 25-1 looks exceptional value at this stage.