Craven Confirmed Runners & Latest Odds Newmarket Guineas Trial
Craig Jones 
The flat season has started already, but when we get into classic trials, you know it's well underway.
Biggest of the lot, we have the Newmarket Craven meeting this week, with 1000 & 2000 Guineas trials in the shape of the Craven and the Nell Gwyn.
With plenty of exciting three year olds unleashed at this meeting, it's usually one to follow, and the action on Tuesday and Wednesday is live on ITV Racing.
Headlining the three days is the Craven, a 1 mile Group Three contest that's the traditional leader when it comes to trials for the 2000 Guineas next month.
We've got the Craven confirmed runners below, with nine declared for the race.
Alongside Newmarket, there's also midweek racing from Cheltenham, so it's a strong week for fans of the sport, and we're expecting to see plenty of free bets and betting offers from leading bookmakers.
Craven Confirmed Runners
Here's the Craven confirmed runners ahead of Wednesday's race.
- Aomori City - Trainer Charlie Appleby / Jockey William Buick
- Benevento - Trainer Raphael E Freire / Jockey David Egan
- Field Of Gold - Trainer John & Thady Gosden / Jockey Kieran Shoemark
- Matauri Bay - Trainer Ralph Beckett / Jockey Hector Crouch
- New Centruy - Trainer Andrew Balding / Jockey Oisin Murphy
- Opera Ballo - Trainer Charlie Appleby / Jockey James Doyle
- The Waco Kid - Trainer Hugo Palmer / Jockey Tom Marquand
- The Watcher - Trainer Karl Burke / Jockey Clifford Lee
- Wimbledon Hawkeye - Trainer James Owen / Jockey Harry Davies
Craven Stakes Latest Odds
A key race in the calendar, for the future as much as now, we've got early odds from horse racing betting sites below, now that the field has taken shape.
The current betting market is wide open, with no clear market leader. Some of the bigger stables are involved, with runners from the likes of Gosden, Appleby, Balding and Beckett, but no Irish challengers coming over.
While of course, this is a tough race to work out, with horses coming back after the winter, and one eye on where they will go next, it could also point towards another sign for punters.
There's a feeling that we don't really have a superstar in this year's line up, which is backed up by the current antepost 2000 Guineas market where UK betting sites show that the market leaders for that race are not coming here.
Looking down that particular list, the first Craven runner in the betting is Opera Ballo, who's priced up at 16/1.
Of course, a win here to enhance his credentials would see him shorten in the betting, but as we stand going into the race, the Craven this year is probably lacking a star attraction.
Something could happen here, and let's be honest just weeks before the 2000 Guineas, over course and distance, is the ideal time to come to the fore, so look out for market movers for the classic based on the outcome of this race on Wednesday.
Craven Meeting Horse Racing Tips
The three day Craven Meeting runs from Tuesday until Thursday and we'll have free horse racing tips from our team for all three days.
Alongside this, there's plenty of other top quality racing with Cheltenham hosting a two day fixture and the AW Championships on Good Friday.
