Charlie Appleby has decided against running Coroebus in Saturday’s Watership Down Stud Too Darn Hot Greenham Stakes at Newbury and will instead send him straight to the Qipco 2000 Guineas at Newmarket.

An impressive winner of the Autumn Stakes over the Rowley Mile in the autumn, the Dubawi colt is one of two leading Guineas contenders for the trainer along with the unbeaten Native Trail.

With the latter heading for Wednesday’s bet365 Craven Stakes, Appleby had stated his intention to give Coroebus his trial run for the season’s first Classic at Newbury this weekend – but the Moulton Paddocks handler has had a change of heart.

“Coroebus worked very well on Saturday and we decided afterwards that there was not much to potentially gain by running him in a trial,” Appleby said on the Godolphin website.

“On the back of the work he showed us over the weekend, we are happy to head straight into the Guineas following a racecourse gallop.”

Appleby also confirmed his Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Modern Games will bid for Classic honours in France without the aid of a prep run.

He added: “We’re very pleased with his preparation. We spoke about whether to send him to Newcastle for a trial there (Burradon Stakes on Friday), but we’ve decided we’ll head straight to France with him for the French Guineas.”

Appleby has entered both Native Trail and New Science for the Greenham, but with that pair bound for the Craven Stakes and Free Handicap respectively, he is unlikely to be represented.

The top two on ratings are the Ralph Beckett-trained Angel Bleu and Perfect Power from Richard Fahey’s yard.

Angel Bleu rounded off his juvenile campaign with successive Group One wins in France, while Perfect Power is also a dual winner at the highest level after landing the Prix Morny and the Middle Park.

Beckett said: “We plan on running. He will benefit from Saturday for sure. He has to have a prep race and slowish ground at Newbury is our best option.

“Whether he will go to Newmarket on the back of Saturday will depend not just on how he comes out of the race but the ground there as well.

“I’d be unlikely to run him on fast ground on the Rowley Mile, in which case he will go to Longchamp where he has already shown a liking for the place.”

Fahey confirmed Christophe Soumillon will travel to Newbury to continue his association with Perfect Power, having guided him to his two Group One wins last term.

The Musley Bank handler is keen to discover whether the Guineas is a realistic target with a horse who has yet to race beyond six furlongs.

He said: “We want to find out where we are going with him. We’ve been delighted with him. He is quite a relaxed horse. The Greenham is the only Group Three where he can get in without a penalty, so hats off to Newbury for letting us run.

“His jockey always felt last year that he would get further than six furlongs. I’d respect his opinion. He is booked to ride.”

Fahey compared Perfect Power favourably with former stable stars Wootton Bassett and Ribchester, adding: “Perfect Power is probably the only dual Group One-winning two-year-old I’ve ever had so he is in front of those two at the moment.

“I hope he carries on. He could go for the 2000 Guineas but we’ll learn a lot more on Saturday.”

Other contenders include Hugo Palmer’s Flaming Rib and Richard Hannon’s pair of Gubbass and Lusail.

Potential Classic fillies get their chance to shine in the preceding Dubai Duty Free Stakes, better known as the Fred Darling.

The standard is set by Appleby’s Wild Beauty, who won a Group One in Canada last season, while the new training team of Harry and Roger Charlton is set to be represented by Listed scorer Jumbly.

Archie Watson’s course winner Nazanin and Yarmouth novice victor Shaara, trained by John and Thady Gosden, also feature.

Nine older horses have been entered for the Group Three Dubai Duty Free Finest Surprise Stakes – registered as the John Porter – including Mark Johnston’s Thunderous and the William Haggas-trained Ilaraab.