WOOTTON Bassett is only “50-50” to make the Qipco 2000 Guineas at Newmarket, according to Malton trainer Richard Fahey.

The Musley Bank handler fears the three-year-old colt, pictured above, may not be ready in time to take on Frankel and Co at headquarters on April 30.

The concern has arisen following a weekend gallop and, while there are no fears over Wootton Bassett’s well-being, Fahey is worried the Guineas may come too soon.

With his star also holding entries in the French and Irish Guineas, Fahey may elect to wait until he knows Wootton Bassett, who won big money sales races at York and Doncaster before taking Group 1 glory at Longchamp last season, is in tip-top condition.

“We took him away to work him, and although he worked well, he had a good blow,” said Fahey. “He’s come out of it fine and looks a picture. But we all know when the Guineas is, and it waits for nobody, and it may come too soon for us.

“We’ll work him again this week and see exactly where we are with him, but at the moment I would say he’s only 50-50 to run at Newmarket, and it’s only fair to everybody for that to be known.”

A slight problem over the winter meant Wootton Bassett missed three weeks of cantering at the start of the year and Fahey said the colt had to be 100 per cent to compete.

“He’s won on all ground so that would have no bearing on our decision,” he said.

“You’ve got to let people know. I might be doing it wrong and in the next eight or nine days I might be 100 per cent happy, but he took a good blow the other day.

“He missed ground work, you can’t replace ground work.”