Andrew Balding | Horse Racing Free Tips

Kitten’s Joy’s Kameko Back On Top In the Joel

Saddled with a five-pound penalty as a result of his G1 2000 Guineas triumph, Qatar Racing’s Kameko (Kitten’s Joy) proved himself one of the better winners of that Classic in recent times when overcoming the extra burden to take the G2 Shadwell Joel S. over the same Newmarket mile on Friday. Settled behind the leading duo early by Oisin Murphy, the 85-40 second favourite needed rousing to get to last year’s winner Benbatl (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) but responded by usurping that rival with 1 1/2 furlongs remaining. At the line, he had half a length to spare over the strong-finishing Regal Reality (GB) (Intello {Ger}) who was having one of his better days, as the 7-4 favourite Benbatl faded late to be the same margin behind in third. “I’m delighted for Sheikh Fahad and everyone,” Murphy said. “To give weight away to older horses is a very difficult task and he stuck his head out and did everything right in the race. He ran straight as a die. He is so tough and consistent and, on ratings, I think that will rate higher than his Guineas win as to give weight away to older horses shows what a top horse he is. He is a very intelligent horse. I took him down in a hack canter and I had him really quiet at the gate. If I lit him up at all, he would have travelled really on the bridle. I was happy for him to race a little lazily today.”

Kameko was coming back from some reversals here, but he had also done that at two when following runner-up placings in Sandown’s G3 Solario S. and the G2 Royal Lodge S. also over this track and trip with a dominating success in the G1 Futurity Trophy on Newcastle’s Tapeta in November. Having conquered Wichita (Ire) (No Nay Never) and Pinatubo (Ire) (Shamardal) in the June 6 Classic here, he has surprisingly gone three starts without making the frame but each effort had a valid excuse attached. Out of his ground over a mile and a half when tried in the July 4 G1 Epsom Derby, he was denied a clear run in the G1 Sussex S. at Goodwood July 29 and was again stretched too far when fourth for the third consecutive time in York’s G1 Juddmonte International over an extended 10 furlongs last time Aug. 19.

While he was slightly lethargic during the Guineas, he was markedly more so here as early as halfway but was still able to gain the advantage well before the final furlong and there was a feeling from there that he was only doing enough to stay in command. Regal Reality had shown when winning the Aug. 9 G3 Sovereign S. that he can be a force to be reckoned with at this trip and his proximity does not undermine Kameko’s prospects of shaking up Palace Pier (GB) (Kingman {GB}) in next month’s G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. That target is set in stone according to Andrew Balding. “It’s a bit of a relief, as this was a tough task giving weight away to older horses,” he said. “I thought that Benbatl would have gone a slightly stronger gallop and he hit a flat spot but picked up well, so it’s nice to get back on track. The QEII has been on his agenda the whole season and I just hope the ground isn’t too soft by then. He hasn’t had a lucky season at all and it has felt like trying to put a square peg in a round hole since the Guineas.”

Kameko will be the second member of his immediate family to tackle the QEII, with the dam Sweeter Still (Ire) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}) a half to the G1 Racing Post Trophy hero Kingsbarns (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) who was third in the 2013 edition. Sweeter Still, who was successful in the GIII Senorita S. and placed in the GII Providencia S. and GII Honeymoon H., is also a half to the G3 Derrinstown Stud 1000 Guineas Trial S. winner Belle Artiste (Ire) (Namid {GB}). This is the family of the GI Breeders’ Cup Turf runner-up Ace (Ire) (Danehill), who was fifth in the 2004 QEII, and his G1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup-winning full-brother Danish (Ire) and the triple group 1 runner-up Hawkeye (Ire) also by that sire. Her 2-year-old daughter of Big Blue Kitten had sold to Atlantic Bloodstock for only $5,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September Sale, but went to David Redvers for £200,000 at the Arqana 2020 Breeze Up Sale at Goffs UK. Eleven days before this race, Capital System Co. paid $190,000 for her yearling filly by Optimizer.

Friday, Newmarket, Britain
SHADWELL JOEL S.-G2, £80,000, Newmarket, 9-25, 3yo/up, 8fT, 1:34.41, gd.
1–KAMEKO, 131, c, 3, by Kitten’s Joy
1st Dam: Sweeter Still (Ire) (GSW-US, $311,603), by Rock of Gibraltar (Ire)
2nd Dam: Beltisaal (Fr), by Belmez
3rd Dam: Ittisaal (GB), by Caerleon
($90,000 Ylg ’18 KEESEP). O-Qatar Racing Ltd; B-Calumet Farm (KY); T-Andrew Balding; J-Oisin Murphy. £45,368. Lifetime Record: MG1SW-Eng, 9-4-2-0, $510,817. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Regal Reality (GB), 130, g, 5, Intello (Ger)–Regal Realm (GB), by Medicean (GB). O/B-Cheveley Park Stud Ltd (GB); T-Sir Michael Stoute. £17,200.
3–Benbatl (GB), 130, h, 6, Dubawi (Ire)–Nahrain (GB), by Selkirk. O-Godolphin; B-Darley (GB); T-Saeed bin Suroor. £8,608.
Margins: HF, HF, 2 1/4. Odds: 2.13, 8.50, 1.75.
Also Ran: Tilsit, Zabeel Prince (Ire), Top Rank (Ire). Scratched: Duke of Hazzard (Fr), Urban Icon (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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Mill Reef Takes Centre Stage On Saturday

Newbury’s G2 Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef S. has been won by the sprinting luminaries Harry Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and Ribchester (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}) in recent times and Saturday’s renewal has some potential class acts lurking in the line-up for the six-furlong feature. Setting the standard is John Dance’s Rhythm Master (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) following his third placing in the G1 Prix Morny at Deauville on Aug. 23, but he has several unexposed rivals placing a target on him and will have to be every bit as good as he looked there to ward them off. They include King Power Racing’s highly-regarded four-length Sept. 3 Newcastle novice scorer Fivethousandtoone (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) from the Andrew Balding stable having its finest year to date. He was beaten 3/4 of a length on debut by Bahrain Pride (GB) (Kodiac {GB}) at Windsor on Aug. 17 and that rival re-opposes having subsequently doubled his tally a fortnight later in the Listed Ripon Champion Two Yrs Old Trophy. Shaikh Nasser Al Khalifa’s Line of Departure (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) beat the solid group performer Yazaman (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) comfortably in Doncaster’s Weatherbys Racing Bank £200,000 2-Y-O S. over 6 1/2 furlongs on Sept. 10 and could be open to further progress as a half-brother to Golden Horde (Ire) (Lethal Force {Ire}).

John Dance said, “We’ve been delighted with Rhythm Master and I’m very much looking forward to the race on Saturday. He was very green [at Deauville], particularly in the preliminaries. I don’t think he could believe he could see thousands of people, as there was obviously no crowd at Haydock–it was very much like the first day at school for him. I think the soft ground was a bit of a shock as well, so for him to run as well as he did was very encouraging and also left the impression that there’s hopefully more to come.”

Ed Crisford said of Bahrain Pride, “This has been the plan for him since Ripon. He’s in great form and deserves a crack at a Group 2. It does look a very strong race, but our fellow has done nothing wrong, I think he’s improving with racing and he deserves a crack at a higher grade now.” Andrew Balding has yet to win the race named after his father’s great and commented, “Fivethousandtoone won well at Newcastle and took the step forward we hoped he would after finishing second at Windsor. He is a horse that I think a lot of, but this is a competitive race in a much tougher grade. He has looked very good at home and his work has been impressive. Hopefully he can step forward again.”

At Ayr, where the QTS Ayr Gold Cup takes precedence as one of the leading sprint handicaps of the season, the Listed Jordan Electrics Doonside Cup sees Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum’s Addeybb (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) enjoy a class drop following a break having last been seen finishing runner-up in the G1 Prince of Wales’s S. at Royal Ascot on June 17. The Mar. 21 G1 Ranvet S. and Apr. 11 G1 Queen Elizabeth S. winner encounters another top-level performer in need of a confidence boost in last year’s G1 Queen Anne S. hero Lord Glitters (Fr) (Whipper). Addeybb’s rider Tom Marquand is keen to renew his partnership with the 6-year-old and said, “He’s a cracking animal. Hopefully the ground doesn’t dry out too much. He certainly looks in good order at home. It’s probably a different path to Champions Day, but it’s perfect for him. He should have his conditions. A mile and a quarter on a galloping track, that’s what he wants. It was a well-spotted race by Willia [Haggas], perfect timing. Hopefully it will set him up nicely for the big day. He’s got the penalty, but he’s a dual Group 1 winner and hopefully he can overcome that.”

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Murphy Rides Century After Suspension

Following a seven-day suspension, champion jockey Oisin Murphy booted home his 100th winner of the abbreviated COVID-19 season. The Kodi Kid (Ire) (Kodi Bear {GB}) won the first race on the card at Bath and was Murphy’s 539th ride of the year.

“It’s great to get another one on the board for Andrew–he’s my biggest supporter and the horses are flying, so I’m thrilled,” said Oisin Murphy of the Andrew Balding trainee. “It’s great to do it [ride 100th winner] for Andrew. This horse ran well last time and this was a good spot for him.

Added Murphy of his time away from the saddle, “I tried not to get too fat. I watched a lot of replays. Andrew had a Group 3 winner and a Group 2 winner–I’m obviously thrilled the stable has continued in super form.

“I went to Lake Como [in Italy], which was different. Obviously I don’t go on holidays, but it was super and it was great to see somewhere new.”

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Noble Mission’s Spanish Mission On Top In the Doncaster Cup

Tackling near two and a quarter miles for the first time, Team Valor and Gary Barber’s Spanish Mission (Noble Mission {GB}) excelled at the trip to win Friday’s G2 bet365 Doncaster Cup and stake his claim as a major player in the staying category. Always travelling easily in fifth for William Buick, the 6-4 favourite who had won the Aug. 20 Listed Chester S. after his move to Andrew Balding loomed alongside Selino (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}) with purpose having already travelled two miles. Sent into the clear from there, he surged to a three-length success from that rival, with the long-time leader The Grand Visir (GB) (Frankel {GB}) four lengths adrift in third. “He was over-racing at stages, but he was never really doing too much,” Buick said. “He was always going to come into the race easily, it was just whether he’d see it out and he did see it out very well. He’s got that bit of class against these stayers, that turn of foot. That together with his stamina is a good combination. I’m sure all those races will be on his radar. Who knows, potentially next year he might even make up into a Gold Cup horse.”

Coming to the fore when beating that solid yardstick Nayef Road (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) by four lengths in Newmarket’s 13-furlong G3 Bahrain Trophy in July, Spanish Mission was third behind him in Goodwood’s G3 Gordon S. before annexing the Jockey Club Derby Invitational at Belmont in September. Second to this stable’s Dashing Willoughby (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) in Sandown’s G3 Henry II S. over two miles July 5, the bay was sixth on his final start for David Simcock in the July 28 G1 Goodwood Cup before his confidence-restoring three-length defeat of Selino on his bow for Kingsclere at Chester. Repeating that form to the exact margin here, he entered into the picture for the G2 QIPCO Long Distance Cup at Ascot. “That is really the only race for him if he is going to run again this year, but the ground might have gone too soft for him by then, so we’ll see,” Balding said.

The first foal out of the listed-winning dam Limonar (Ire) (Street Cry {Ire}) was the Listed Rose Bowl S. winner and G2 Gimcrack S. runner-up Mokarris (More Than Ready). She is a half-sister to the GI Shoemaker Mile winner Talco (Fr) (Pivotal {GB}) from the family of the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas hero Bachelor Duke (Miswaki) and the G1 National S.-winning sire Fatherland (Ire). Her 3-year-old filly Dame Iris (Medaglia d’Oro) is unraced, while her yearling colt by Mastery is due to sell on Thursday at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. She has been bred to Uncle Mo this year.

Friday, Doncaster, Britain
BET365 DONCASTER CUP S.-G2, £80,000, Doncaster, 9-11, 3yo/up, 17f 197yT, 3:55.84, gd.
1–SPANISH MISSION, 131, c, 4, by Noble Mission (GB)
1st Dam: Limonar (Ire) (SW-Fr, $124,447), by Street Cry (Ire)
2nd Dam: Trylko, by Diesis (GB)
3rd Dam: Gossamer, by Seattle Slew
($125,000 Ylg ’17 KEESEP; 60,000gns RNA 2yo ’18 TATBRE). O-Team Valor LLC & Gary Barber; B-St Elias Stables LLC (KY); T-Andrew Balding; J-William Buick. £45,368. Lifetime Record: GISW-US, 12-5-2-2, $814,535. *1/2 to Mokarris (More Than Ready), SW & GSP-Eng. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Selino (GB), 131, g, 4, Champs Elysees (GB)–Air Kiss (GB), by Red Ransom. O-Qatar Racing Ltd; B-St Clare Hall Stud (GB); T-James Fanshawe. £17,200.
3–The Grand Visir (GB), 131, g, 6, Frankel (GB)–Piping (Ire), by Montjeu (Ire). (€750,000 Ylg ’15 ARAUG; 170,000gns 4yo ’18 TATAHI; £40,000 6yo ’20 GOFJAN). O-Andy Bell & Fergus Lyons; B-Qatar Bloodstock, Ecurie des Monceaux & Ecurie Skymarc Farm (GB); T-Ian Williams. £8,608.
Margins: 3, 4, HF. Odds: 1.50, 12.00, 10.00.
Also Ran: Revolver (Ire), Eagles By Day (Ire), Island Brave (Ire), Red Verdon. Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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