Eydon connections still uncertain about Cumberland Lodge run

Trainer Andrew Balding is keeping an open mind as to whether Eydon will take up his BetMGM Cumberland Lodge Stakes entry on Saturday, with Newbury’s St Simon Stakes later this month also under consideration.

Fourth in the 2000 Guineas in 2022, he has suffered his fair share of setbacks during his career and having been nursed back to full fitness by trainer Andrew Balding, showed his engine firmly remained intact when second in Ayr’s Doonside Cup recently.

Eydon has encouragingly returned from his trip to Scotland – and that first run in 210 days – in good order and if not making an immediate return to Group company at Ascot this weekend, he is likely to do so at Newbury on October 26.

There’s a race in France he’s in and we’re looking at a race in Milan and, if we got the ultimate result in our next race and he performed really creditably or even won, then there is a Group One in Germany we might look at later on

Ted Voute on Eydon

“Andrew is happy and has said let’s look at the race at Ascot. He also nominated the St Simon Stakes straight after Ayr, so I would say it would be one or the other he will run in,” said Ted Voute, racing adviser for owner Prince Faisal.

“The good news is he is sound, which has been the intermittent problem for us since he has been a three-year-old.

“The opposition looks quite strong. If he doesn’t appear on Saturday we will hopefully see him in the St Simon.”

Given his injury history, the team behind the five-year-old are never keen to look too far into the future.

France and Germany on the radar

However, a positive showing in his next assignment could trigger some exciting international raids, with first Europe and ultimately valuable prizes in the Middle East tentatively on the radar.

“There are a few options abroad,” continued Voute.

“There’s a race in France he’s in and we’re looking at a race in Milan and, if we got the ultimate result in our next race and he performed really creditably or even won, then there is a Group One in Germany we might look at later on.

“Although I don’t want to tempt fate, which I seem to have done so many times with this horse, and we’d rather take baby steps first.

“No one has committed to the Middle East yet and the closest we’ve got (to contemplating it) is acknowledging there is a lot of prize-money on offer for him during the winter if we can keep him right and he is showing he’s of that class.

“A lot will depend on his next run, if that is positive we can then start looking further afield.”