 The form of the race was subsequently boosted when Noble Decree won the Observer Gold Cup and in the winter of 1972/1973 British bookmakers made Sharp Edge the 8/1 second favourite for the 2000 Guineas.On his first appearance as a three-year-old contested the Craven Stakes (a major trial for the 2000 Guineas) on firm going at Newmarket Racecourse in April and finished fifth behind My Drifter.He sustained a shoulder injury in the race and was never again asked to run on firm ground.