Andrew Balding

Andrew Balding has given a positive update on his G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup entry The Foxes (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}), who is set to face Hong Kong superstar Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) on Sunday. He won a listed race at Newcastle over Group 1 winner Dubai Honour (Ire) (Pride Of Dubai {Aus}) last month and galloped at Sha Tin on Tuesday morning. "He's got a fair bit to find with Romantic Warrior but I think we are certainly in the mix with the others," said Balding. "He has come...

Breeders' Cup winner Starlust (GB) (Zoustar {Aus}) and Grade I runner-up The Foxes (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) have both been supplemented to the Longines Hong Kong International Races, the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) announced on Tuesday. The former won the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint in the colours of Fitri Hay and trainer Ralph Beckett. A winner of the G3 Sirenia Stakes in September of 2023, the colt wound up third in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Santa Anita two starts later. This term, Starlust managed a...

Saturday's G1 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes looked there for the taking beforehand, with no standout performer in the line-up and in the end it came down to who was the most progressive. Step forward Juddmonte's Kalpana (GB) (Study Of Man {Ire}--Zero Gravity {GB}, by Dansili {GB}), who had made a significant advance last time in the G3 September Stakes and who successfully carried that momentum into this mile-and-a-half test, a "Win and You're In" for the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf next month. Tracking the...

New Century (GB), the full-brother to the colt who topped Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale when selling to Godolphin for 1,000,000gns, is said to be "flying at home" following his success in the GI Summer Stakes at Woodbine, with a trip to the Breeders' Cup next on the agenda for the son of first-season sire Kameko. Like Kameko, New Century is trained for owners Qatar Racing by Andrew Balding, who said "He's got a great constitution and has taken everything in his stride, from travelling to Canada...

Britain's first-crop Kitten's Joy stallion Kameko got his first Grade I victory Saturday across the pond with Qatar Racing's New Century (GB) (c, 2, Kameko--Potent Embrace, by Street Cry {Ire}), who captured the GI bet365 Summer Stakes at Woodbine for conditioner Andrew Balding and earned a Breeders' Cup 'Win and You're In' berth to the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar in November. Al Qudra (Ire) (No Nay Never), a Charlie Appleby shipper whom New Century chased home in July at Ascot in the Pat Eddery Stakes, was...

Saratoga works for many reasons. The combination of great racing, a historic venue, iconic races like the GI Whitney S. and the GI Travers are reasons why more than one million fans file through the turnstiles every meet and the handle for the season now tops $800 million. But Saratoga's success also has a lot to do with its exclusivity. It's only open for eight weeks and there are just 40 racing days. That, as much as anything else, is what makes it special. There's an opening day and there...

It doesn't take long for the Kentucky Downs meeting to hit full gear, as Saturday's program features three graded contests, including the GIII DK Horse Nashville Derby Invitational Stakes, with prize money that could reach $3.1 million. The purse remains intact should one of the 10 Kentucky-breds--eight in the main body of the field and two also-eligibles--is home first over the mile and five-sixteenths journey along the Kentucky/Tennessee border. The four foreign raiders are ineligible for the KTDF money, but the base purse of $2.5 million already makes it one...

For the last several years, Kentucky Downs has been the track that had almost everything. Big fields, huge purses and a betting handle that increases exponentially every year. But one thing has largely been missing--European shippers. Despite an all-turf meet, the purses and the fact that Kentucky Downs is much like a European turf course, the meet hadn't really registered with European horsemen. That has changed. According to Martin Panza, the co-director of racing at Kentucky Downs, which kicks off its annual seven-day meet Thursday, as many as 16 European-based...

Jeff Smith's G1 Nassau Stakes runner-up See The Fire (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}--Arabian Queen {Ire}, by Dubawi {Ire}) had been winless in six starts since annexing her debut at Newmarket last year and rectified matters with a decisive success in Saturday's G3 Sky Bet Strensall Stakes at York. The 3-1 favourite was settled in rear, with just one behind, for most of this extended one-mile test. Coming under pressure to close approaching the quarter-mile marker, she threaded her way into contention passing the furlong pole and kept on strongly...

Fourth in Royal Ascot's G2 Coventry Stakes and third over seven furlongs in the G2 Vintage Stakes at Goodwood, John Wallinger's Cool Hoof Luke (GB) (Advertise {GB}--Dutch Monument {GB}, by Dutch Art {GB}) showed that speed is his game by taking Friday's G2 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Gimcrack Stakes at York. Anchored towards the rear early by Oisin Murphy, the Andrew Balding-trained 8-1 shot was delivered with a potent kick to lead passing the furlong pole and get to the line 3/4 of a length ahead of Shadow Of Light...

Andrew Balding trainee New Century (GB) (Kameko--Potent Embrace, by Street Cry {Ire}), last seen running second in Ascot's July 27 Listed Pat Eddery Stakes, made the step forward to secure a first stakes triumph for his freshman sire (by Kitten's Joy) with a pillar-to-post victory in Wednesday's Listed British Stallion Studs EBF Stonehenge Stakes at Salisbury. Breaking smartly for an immediate lead, the 15-8 second choice held sway throughout and kept on strongly under a late drive to defeat the hitherto undefeated Luther (GB) (Frankel {GB}) by a half-length. Coolmore's...

ASCOT, UK -- Far from the madding crowd of the royal meeting, the exploits of those five heady days were still being celebrated at Ascot on Friday. And rightly so, for this was the day of the annual Royal Ascot winning breeders' lunch, a lovely touch from the racecourse to recognise those who make this great sport happen.  There's no one-upmanship here. Every breeder will tell you how much they need the owners - most of them are also owners themselves - and all the various participants in racing matter,...