Andrew Balding has said that it would ‘mean a lot’ to follow in his father’s footsteps and win Saturday’s BOYLE Sports Lockinge Stakes at Newbury.
The Kingsclere-based trainer makes the short trip for the Group 1 contest this weekend as leader of the Trainers’ Championship and has two runners in the form of Jonquil and Gladius.
Juddmonte-owned Jonquil won on seasonal debut at Ascot on May 1, with the latter having not raced since a trip to Doha in December.
With eyes on the £400,000 prize pot adding to his championship lead, Balding has reflected on his two main hopes, in an interview with Lockinge sponsors BOYLE Sports, who offer the latest horse racing betting.
“Get horses to Ascot with good chances”
“Actually, it is a race I have never won, so it would be great to do so and mean a lot. My father won it twice.” Balding said.
“Jonquil has some Newbury form, and we’d love to think he’d be competitive in that race. He certainly is an intended runner and I think Gladius is as well. We are trying to prepare him for the Wolferton Stakes at Royal Ascot.
“The danger is you win a Listed race beforehand and you pick up a penalty which makes it tougher to win at Ascot which is very much the aim of our operation which is to get horses to Ascot with good chances.
“He will go there to have a run before Ascot. He is a talented horse, but he probably wants further than that.”
Good ground is expected, with a seven-race card featuring the Lockinge as the feature race, and Jonquil’s hopes will be boosted by the forecast.
Balding continued: “ I’ll have a better idea five days before the race when we know what the weather forecast is.
“If the ground doesn’t turn up testing in any way, Jonquil has got everything it would take to suggest he’d have a good chance in the race.
“He won a Greenham, was narrowly beaten in a French Guineas, has won a Celebration Mile and he had the perfect preparation the other day at Ascot where he won. So, he’s not without a chance.”
The Measure is Big Race Wins
Balding leads the British Trainers’ Championship ahead Aidan O’Brien, with his pair of entries competing against three of Aidan O’Brien’s stable, with Mississippi River supplemented for the race this week to support The Lion In the Winter and Expanded.
However, Balding is not focused on the Championship, explaining how expanding his big race trophy cabinet is the goal each year.
He explained: “We are very pleased with the results so far. The horses fit to race have performed really well, so we’re thrilled with that.
“I don’t get too obsessed with the Championship. You measure success by the number of races you win that qualify as big races.
“The Racing Post has a stats section, which sets out big races won. What I try to do is to try and win at least one more than we did the years before.
“It’s not easy because it’s a very competitive environment, obviously and there are some very good trainers out there who do their job very well, which doesn’t make it easy!”
BOYLE Sports Lockinge Odds:
- Damysus – 5/2
- Zeus Olympios – 3/1
- Notable Speech – 7/2
- The Lion In Winter – 13/2
- Opera Ballo – 10/1
- Sahlan – 10/1
- More Thunder – 11/1
- Jonquil – 16/1
- Expanded – 25/1
- Dancing Gemini – 33/1
- Cicero’s Gift – 40/1
- Gladius – 50/1
- Mississippi River – 66/1
Note: Odds are subject to change
