Andrew Balding has a leading Breeders Cup hope in New Century Hong Kong Jockey Club
Connections of New Century hope the smart two-year-old is the “one they’ll have to beat” in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf following his top-level success in Canada at the weekend.
Having seen off subsequent Champagne Stakes hero Luther on his penultimate start at Salisbury, Andrew Balding’s youngster journeyed to Woodbine to contest the Grade One Summer Stakes and got the better of a familiar rival in Charlie Appleby’s Al Qudra in the hands of Oisin Murphy.
New Century has not yet made it back to Britain after enduring travel problems, but having seen him provide his 2000 Guineas-winning sire Kameko with a first top-level success, owners Qatar Racing are already looking forward to another trans-Atlantic trip, this time to Del Mar in early November.
“It was an extraordinarily well thought out and executed plan by Andrew Balding’s team to go to Woodbine and a superb ride from Oisin, making him the only Group One-winning two-year-old by a first-season sire in Europe,” said Qatar Racing’s David Redvers.
“The exciting thing is it (Summer Stakes) was a win-and-you’re-in for Del Mar and the only slight issue is it’s been quite tricky getting him home. It wasn’t just a case of getting on a plane and coming back and he’s currently in Churchill Downs awaiting a flight back.
“He had to travel from Woodbine down to Kentucky, but he’s such a professional horse with such an outstanding temperament that he seems to be taking it in his stride.”
While an appearance in the Californian sunshine is very much the focus, Redvers also has his sights on a potential tilt at Classic honours next spring.
He added: “All of his form has looked absolutely rock-solid throughout the season. It’s always lovely when you see those that have finished behind him coming out and franking his form almost every step of the way.
“He’s been rated accordingly – I think he’s the highest-rated turf two-year-old in North America currently and he’s right at the top of the list here as well.
“He is a toughie and Andrew is very much talking about him being a very genuine Guineas prospect for next year, so he seems to be following in his father’s footsteps nicely.
“Del Mar is a different track to Woodbine obviously, but he’ll have had plenty of experience by the time he’s got there and as long as this travelling doesn’t knock him too much, we’d all have to be very hopeful that he’ll be the one they’ll have to beat.”
