In his exclusive interview with BOYLE Sports , Andrew Balding looks ahead to the Derby and reflects on the horses in his string who could make an impact at the highest level this season.
The Kingsclere trainer also speaks candidly about the potential for increased US investment in British racing, why improving prize money is key to attracting top connections, and whether Constitution Hill can make a mark on the Flat.
Balding also gives his thoughts on what the Derby needs to recapture its place as the sport's showpiece event, and which horses in his yard could make their mark at Epsom and beyond.
Derby Hopefuls
Our Standout Runner
A Taste of Glory will go there; he runs in the Lingfield Derby Trial . The owner Ahmad Al Shaik has got an amazing record with long shots in the Derby . Khalifa Sat came second in 2002 at 66/1, so there'll be no putting him off.
In fairness, A Taste of Glory is a hardy horse. He runs in the Lingfield Derby , and as long as he runs alright and comes out of that okay, I'm sure he'll turn up on Derby Day.
Other than that, realistically, Item is our last proper chance. He is due to run in the Dante , and if he were to win that, he would be in the mix. If he wasn't good enough to win it, we'd probably be looking towards Ascot .
Reigniting The Derby
I think everyone is aware that this is still such an important race, and we must champion it as a showcase event.
As a trainer, all we can do is try to get our best horse to the race and support it that way. So it's difficult to do anything else. They've done a wonderful job with the ground now; that's safe. So that's not an issue.
Perhaps moving it to a Friday or something like that might mean you're not clashing with other big sporting events. I hope it can capture the public's imagination again because it is a special day and it's a special race. But there are greater minds than mine working on that.
Horses to Watch
Our Team
The two-year-olds, we're just getting going with now. As a group, they look like a very nice group stacked with potential.
But it's still early days, and we're probably about three weeks behind where we'd normally be for whatever reason. We've just had to give them a little bit more time, but I think just as a group they are very nice.
Among the three-year-olds, we've got plenty of handy horses. Item would be an obvious one. He's a very talented horse, and then we've got a few working through the programme. It's maybe a little bit early days to pinpoint one, but as we get closer to Ascot , it becomes a little more obvious.
Standout 2 Year-Old
Actually, I think there's an obvious one — our first two-year-old runner, a horse called The Dancing Pirate .
He was favourite at Newmarket but could only finish fourth. To be honest with you, he ran as well as any of my two-year-olds first time out in a very strong race, which was strongly run. We were thrilled with him, and I think he'll take a good step forward and could be a very smart horse going forward.
US Investment
US Investment Into British Racing
There's always the chance. The encouraging thing for British racing is that prize money is improving at our big meetings, which will make it more appealing and make it worthwhile having decent horses in training in England .
We've got American owners, and they seem to enjoy it. It's very different from American racing. I think it's always going to be the case where it's a very good schooling ground for younger horses, and then they can always continue their racing career in America as older horses. I hope that continues to be the case.
The trouble is that the races that are worth coming for, they might struggle to be competitive in. They're always going to be competitive in our two-year-old races and sprints, but the further you go, possibly the less competitive they'd be, and that's where the real money is for us.
Melbourne Cup
Last year Further ran well, considering he was only a three-year-old and he didn't get the best of the trips around. I would think that he could be going back again this autumn.
Constitution Hill
Future On Flat
It'll get a little tougher for him, I've no doubt. But he's a high-class horse. My dad always used to say to me, when he was riding jumpers, that a really good Champion Hurdle horse could work with any of the good Flat horses.
That's the level he's at. He's a very high-class horse with a huge engine, but he probably is not getting any younger, which makes it a little more difficult. But I'm sure there'll be a big race to be won with him at some stage this year.
The Melbourne Cup obviously, with the veterinary restrictions now, that's a tough ask. But I'm sure there'll be a nice prize closer to home.
Horsepower
I think it was great. It was a beautiful production. It was very well put together. It was actually a joy for us to do.
I think it was very well received. The point of it was not to appeal to the racing aficionados. It was made for a broader audience, and I think it managed to hit the nail on the head in those terms.
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