Gstaad is a heavy favourite to slalom his way to Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas glory on Saturday and set up a bumper Group One weekend for trainer Aidan O’Brien as the 2026 Curragh classic campaign gets under way.O’Brien has won the trio of Group One prizes up for grabs three times before in a single weekend. Similar domination looks to be on the cards this time.True Love and Precise dominate the betting for Sunday’s 1,000 Guineas as does another star Ballydoyle filly Minnie Hauk in the Tattersalls Gold Cup. The nature of the Coolmore stallion-making business, though, ensures that Gstaad is the weekend priority. Having been the only one to give Bow Echo a race of it in the Newmarket 2,000 Guineas three weeks ago, Gstaad is an obvious choice to go one better and secure his own slice of invaluable classic success.Field of Gold a year ago was a third Newmarket runner-up in the last four seasons to go one better at the Curragh, Co Kildare. O’Brien is pursing a 13th success in the race. Gstaad was eight lengths clear of the remainder at Newmarket. In terms of trends and statistics alone he represents a formidable standard for his nine opponents. They include three cross-channel opponents prepared to take on Ballydoyle in their backyard. Karl Burke’s Alparslan is a Greenham winner as well as a course winner although it’s notable how regular jockey Clifford Lee has opted to stay at home and ride in Haydock instead. Sam James has a first classic spin in his place. Godolphin’s number one rider, William Buick, is suspended on Saturday, so Bow Echo’s jockey Billy Loughnane gets a shot at a famous Guineas double aboard the Newmarket third Distant Storm. 'Wunderkind' jockey Billy Loughnane is racing at the Curragh this weekend. Photograph: Alan Crowhurst/Getty British racing’s 20-year-old “wunderkind” won at Group One level for Godolphin in Germany last year, but is winless from three previous rides in Ireland. He also has another classic chance on Richard Hughes’ America Queen in Sunday’s 1,000.Loughnane’s only other ride this weekend is in Saturday’s Weatherbys Greenlands Stakes on Montassib. It’s the main support event to the 2,000 Guineas on a marathon nine-race card. It is the second year in a row there are nine races at the fixture to facilitate World Pool betting. How attractive a prospect betting on an odds-on classic favourite will be to punters in Hong Kong is debatable. Taking Gstaad on is a tough task and not just on the track, but he’s finished runner-up in four of his seven career starts to date, so that might offer a chink of hope.Distant Storm’s chance of bridging the gap from Newmarket could be boosted by first-time cheekpieces, although it’s the lack of headgear on Thesecretadversary that might prove more significant. Fozzy Stack’s colt was fifth in Newmarket after running noticeably keen in the early stages. Despite that, connections haven’t opted for a hood to help jockey Seamie Heffernan settle the horse better. Stack is chasing a first classic victory while Heffernan needs the 2,000 Guineas to complete his set of Irish classics. The 53-year-old former Ballydoyle stalwart has 11 Curragh classics in all – including a handful in the 1,000 Guineas – and a more relaxed Thesecretadversary might be able to shake up the favourite. Jamie Spencer, riding Powerful Glory, wins The Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes at Ascot last October at 200/1. Photograph: Alan Crowhurst/Getty The Greenlands has a handful of cross-channel entries including Powerful Glory, who was the longest-priced Group One winner in Europe last year when successful at Ascot on British Champions Day at 200/1. Jamie Spencer again rides. Last year’s winner, James’s Delight, is back again while the main home hope could be Comanche Brave, who was mixing it with the Hong Kong superstar Ka Ying Rising a month ago. In a first-time hood, another English hope, Marvelman, may be a touch of value.In other news, Ireland’s champion jockey, Dylan Browne McMonagle, has been handed an eight-day ban by the British Horseracing Authority for breaking its whip rules when winning the Chester Cup on A Piece Of Heaven this month. The Irishman was found to have used his whip once more than the maximum six strikes permitted by the BHA. The suspension begins this Tuesday, although he’s set to miss just a handful of flat meetings in Ireland. It does, however, prevent him seeking a ride in next weekend’s French Derby at Chantilly.