Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
The Idol Horse team tackles the biggest events on the world horse racing calendar. Expect to hear interviews from the biggest names in the sport and insight, breaking news and forthright opinion from the Idol Horse team.
Andrew Balding had particularly large shoes to fill when taking over from his father, Ian, at Park House Stables Kings Clear back in 2003. But classic success in his first season was a perfect start to what is now an illustrious career of his own. With one of the leading fanciers for this year's arc in Calpano and a strong team heading to York's Ebor Festival, Andrew was good enough to join us to talk about some of the leading charts including see the fire in the Judmont International itself and never so brave in the newly minted group one city of York Stakes. Plus, the backstory to the other Kings Clear stables in New Zealand. Enjoy.
Speaker 1:Andrew, well, welcome to the Idol Horse Podcast. I know it's a particularly busy time of year, midsummer, of course, the build up to to York as well. So very appreciative of your time. Season's going fantastically. I'm assuming you couldn't be happier.
Speaker 2:Yeah. We we sort of started. We hit the ground running really early in the spring, you know, the greener meeting and and the Craven meeting was good to us, and it sort of... Momentum's kept going, which, you know, you're always slightly concerned you're have a different form at some stage. But to this moment, I'm touching all the wood I can.
Speaker 2:You know, they've sort of kept going consistently, you know, to this to this point. If we can keep keep it going through York, it'd be fantastic.
Speaker 1:Yeah. We might as well launch straight into that, I suppose. Some of the big names next week, see the fire happy since since Goodwood. She's she's ready to go?
Speaker 2:Yeah. Yeah. Things didn't really work for... Work out for Goodwood. You know, obviously, they had a lot of very, very heavy rain rain the sort of couple of hours leading up to her a race.
Speaker 2:And, you know, it's something we know she's better on a sound surface. The flag start didn't help either. You know, she sort of forfeited few lengths at the start. You just can't give away ground, particularly in those conditions. So it wasn't, you know, it's it's far from ideal.
Speaker 2:But having said that, I'm not saying for a second we would have beaten Will anyway. You know, she's top class filly and was on her game that day. So it just wasn't the perfect prep, but I think the flea's actually... She's come out of it well. She did a piece of work on Wednesday that couldn't be better, and we're we're we're delighted with her going into it.
Speaker 2:And, obviously, she's had the two runs at York, and she's absolutely bolted up in the strengths all last year, and she annihilated them in the Middleton earlier this year. So, you know, certainly a track that plays to her strengths.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Some of her, I suppose, her best performances have have been at York's. That's obviously a massive massive plus. So it's a very good field, obviously.
Speaker 2:Oh, yes. Top class race. I mean, it always is. I think this is... This on ratings is the best race in Europe consistently, you know, on an annual basis.
Speaker 2:So it's gonna take a... Whoever wins, it's gonna take a a performance from the top drawer. You know, it's it's different. We haven't... The CFR hasn't won a group one yet, amazingly.
Speaker 2:She'd been placed in a few, but she hasn't won one yet. But it would be a lovely way to to to break the group one down.
Speaker 1:All a bit strange as well at Goodwood. You mentioned the the flag start. Was there much consultation? How did that play out in real time from your point of view in terms of this is what we're doing?
Speaker 2:In real time, I was trying to keep dry, there was nowhere near... Mean, it was... It... There was thunderbolts and lightning and lot of rain, and I was sort of paddled under the grandstand. I didn't have a clue what was going on, but there was just before the start.
Speaker 2:There there was a... Another sort of flash of lightning, and it was pretty obvious they wouldn't take the risk of using the starting stool. So, you know, I think the jockeys were aware, but we were slightly guessing in the grandstand.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Very strange. On Wednesday as well, I see Godolphin have have added a pacemaker for ombudsman. Does that help or hinder your chances or neither?
Speaker 2:I I think it helps us all. I I think there'd be nothing worse than a falsely run race of this, you know, of this nature. You know? You you wanted the fairest truly run race to get the best result, the fairest result you can. So I think it was a big, you you know, bonus.
Speaker 2:I mean, obviously, Aidan had two or three potential pacemakers in there, and, you you know, was slightly surprised one of those wasn't wasn't confirmed. So, you know, fair dues to for spotting that might be the case and doing something about it.
Speaker 1:You might have a, hopefully, reason to celebrate, if not once and twice, with a family double. Jeff Smith, obviously, a great supporter of yours and your father's over the years, but you've got that... The the half brother, will he run as well on the same day, Spirit Mixer?
Speaker 2:Spirit Mixer, yeah, he's due to running the two mile race. I mean, it's extraordinary. This... The the damn Arabian queen up there, obviously, David Ellsworth trained, who won at Jubmont International himself. But I've been lucky enough...
Speaker 2:David David obviously retired, and I've been lucky enough to train all that progeny, and was the first. You know, Frank Clout of Arabian queen, good looking horse. He was a big disappointment, to be honest, until we started stepping him up in trip. And and there he is winning an Northumberland plate and, you know, one of couple of other nice... Very nice staying handicaps.
Speaker 2:But, yeah, he he... He's due to run on the same card, which would be nice. And, actually, another brother, another sibling of theirs, role playwright is in... Is gonna be... Have a couple of entries at York as well.
Speaker 2:So it's a possibility all three all three of them might ride in York.
Speaker 1:That'd be something. Another pickup horse for you was never so brave from sir Michael Stout last year. You must be very excited about him.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Very much so. I mean, he's a he's decent horse. I mean, he was decent horse for Michael, and he was golded over the winter, which I think made a big difference to him. You know, gave us an opportunity to give him a good holiday.
Speaker 2:He came back this year. We went in a hurry to to to get him up because we always had asking in mind. He was a little unlucky not to win on debut for us at Chester. He got sort of just impeded at a vital stage, narrowly denied at the end, but he he made up for it by winning at the royal meeting, the Palace, and then, of course, he won the, you know, he won the summer mile really well last time. He's a he's he's a talented horse because he's he's got plenty of speed.
Speaker 2:I don't think drop back back seven foulings would be any problem for him. So I hope he'd be very competitive.
Speaker 1:And York looks like they'll they'll be rewarded with a good field. That'll be the first time this race has run as a group one. But if they all turn up, it'll be a good group one as well.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. You know? And I I mean, as it should be, we've been lucky enough to think I've won this race four times, but but never never this sort of elevated status of group one. I think it was a listed race the first couple of times and then maybe a a group three, and then it was maybe a group two when Chines and Bright won it. But, you know, it's a great race, and it's very important.
Speaker 2:We have a a group one over seven furlongs for the older horses, three three year olds and upwards. I mean, it's... You know, it's only the Prix LaForte in in Europe is the only group one over seven, and, you you know, it's... It is a a distance where potentially you could have the July cup winner meeting the Sussex takes winner. You you you know, it's...
Speaker 2:It it is a sort of a really good place in the calendar to perhaps one day have a have a sort of a really good showdown of of of the top sprinter against the top miner.
Speaker 1:Have you thought longer term with him? I I... And I've seen some quotes. You've said that he's... You know, can be a bit impatient.
Speaker 1:I don't wonder if temperament would be a problem, but it would be... He'd be the sort of horse that you could travel with given his versatility and his speed. And when I say travel, I'm not... I don't mean Europe. I'm sort of further afield, you know, your Australians and your Hong Kongs and things like that.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Yeah. Quite quite possibly. I mean, look. We've we've only had the horse since really this time last year.
Speaker 2:I think he came into the island in October or November even... You you know, so even... Not even a year. Probably before we started doing something like that, we'd like to, you know, maybe get to know a bit better. But he's a Gelding now, so we've got all the time in the world.
Speaker 2:You know? There's... You know, this horse could be racing when he's seven or eight years old. So, you know, we've got time to experiment. But, yeah, potentially, I think there's there's every chance that we might try something further afield in in the forms of time.
Speaker 1:Alright. That's always obviously very dependent on the horse, but I know, you know, Phoenix Reach in the early... When you first started training, it's a bit of a globetrotter for you and side glance as well. Is it just you just have the right horses to make those sort of trips at the moment?
Speaker 2:Yeah. I I think we got... You gotta have the right horse, but also the... You know, I'm I'm all for going for traveling with them. Mean, we had...
Speaker 2:We won a big race in Kentucky Downs last year with Belem Justine. But it's gotta be the right horse for the right race is is my feeling and and the right prize money. You know, I think we're we're... I'm really keen to go if if the if the money's up there and and you think you got a shot at it.
Speaker 1:Couple of horses we won't see, unfortunately, next week. Was... Would have been a a big chance in the year ball.
Speaker 2:But Yeah. It's a shame. He's he's just got a little setback. Hopefully, it's not too serious, and he'd be back to the autumn. But, yeah, just bad timing, and it's a shame because he he obviously would have had a big chance in in the Ybor.
Speaker 1:Actually, meant to ask you about this. I know it's hard to keep up with every horse that you've ever trained that that moves on, but he didn't win the Ybor, but he ran in it last year, I think, for you. A relentless voyager. Did you see him win a Moonee Valley Moonee Valley race?
Speaker 2:I did. And and, actually, because we... Some of the... You know, our co owner stayed in for a for a a chunk of him, you know, to race on in Australia, and he was very impressive. Unfortunately, I believe he's had a setback, which is a real shame for for them.
Speaker 2:So, no, he's... He he was always a smart horse. I think he, you know, he'd... He was... Ran well in the Italian Derby as a three year old, and he had some other, you know, good form, decent form last year at group level to give second of Goodwood in the in the group three there.
Speaker 2:So, you know, he's a he's a talented horse, and I really hope they can get him right again for possibly Sydney and, you know, in the Easter Easter time.
Speaker 1:Yeah. I don't know the full... So I think it's it's off four. I don't the know full extent, but they said he was out for the spring, but, hopefully, it's not too too serious. But, Kalpana as well resisted the temptation for the Yorkshire Oaks who just save her for, for later on.
Speaker 2:Yeah. We felt she had a hard race at Ascot, and it, you know, it would just be... Although she thrived on her racing last year, I mean, this this is running at group one levels very different to... You know, she... Last year, we were working through the grades, so she took her racing really well and thrived on it.
Speaker 2:But I think we all just felt she'd had a hard race at Ascot and our priority is the arc and we were working back from that and just felt maybe skipping York and heading either to the Vermeil or to the September states would be better for her.
Speaker 1:I'm guessing it's sometimes the hardest thing is the patient side of it and just knowing that you could chase another group one, but just sitting and waiting and looking towards the end game.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Look. And I I think there's... The arc is a race that everybody... You know, it's a bit like the Derby, isn't it?
Speaker 2:You you know, you're not gonna get many chances at it even if you track... How long have I been training? Twenty twenty two years now, and I... I've never had a runner in the arc. So, you know, that's how rare it is to find a horse with a, you know, with a live chance in the race.
Speaker 2:So I I didn't wanna lose sight of that. So we're we're we're, you know, all guns blazing for that, and, hopefully, there's... Anything can go wrong between that. And then we might have made a big mistake missing opportunities on the way, but I think you gotta give yourself the best chance to win the biggest races.
Speaker 1:How much does the the championship mean to you as well? You'd sort of... Were you... I always find it a bit strange, the trainers' championship. I don't know.
Speaker 1:Sometimes it works for you, sometimes it works against you, I suppose, but it's done on prize money in The UK. You've trained more than a 100 winners... 100 more winners than Aidan O'Brien has this season, but you're just just behind him at the moment. A good York could could turn out around that.
Speaker 2:Yeah. And, look, it's it's a sort of something we... I I probably think about after champion's day. Do you know what mean? If you were there with, you know, within a $100 or something at champion's day, then, obviously, you'd, you know, change your focus a bit.
Speaker 2:But I I think at the end of the day, although it'd be a lovely thing to say, oh, I was champion trainer once, it doesn't... You know, there's no prizes attached, and then it doesn't do my owners any good, the fact that I was champion trainer. So I think we just, you know, carry on campaigning the horses, you know you know, for their benefit and for their owners' benefit.
Speaker 1:You mentioned before you're training about twenty years now you obviously took over from from your dad. You know the the apprenticeship for want of better words you served with him would have been very important. Did you travel much so? Did you work overseas or with other trainers before or during that during that time?
Speaker 2:Yeah. I did a stint in America with Dan Hendrix. Actually, he was based in Delmar at the time. And then I did sort of bust and sort of east to Australia, and I was riding riding as an amateur jumping. So I spent a lot of time in jump yards in England.
Speaker 2:So with Nigel Tristan Davis and Toby, my uncle. And then I spent two years with the Ramsons in Yorkshire, which was obviously, you know, huge education and and very worthwhile before coming back to be assistant to to dad for a bit.
Speaker 1:Yeah. I worked at Toby's for a little while as well. Back in the... I passed off, didn't cross back then, but it was in the, the Maguire era is probably the best way of describing it.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Was shortly after that. So, you know, we had a good team of, Emma Lovell Barry Festival.
Speaker 1:Was there. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah. AP AP, obviously, and myself. AP was sort of stable jockey at the time. Barry was conditional, Nemo's assistant. So it's a good, you know, good team of us, and I'm very happy memories of that.
Speaker 1:Yeah. No. He's a great man, Toby. I really enjoyed, my time there. And I know we're we're rapidly running out of time as well, but one thing I...
Speaker 1:I'm pretty sure your dad knew him or knows him quite well. I'm not sure if if you do or not, but Roger James, the the Kiwi trainer.
Speaker 2:Do you know Roger? Yes. Yes. Absolutely. Who who...
Speaker 2:I I think he he named his his training facility Kings Clear, and he was a big mill reef fan. I think he... Yeah. I think he... There's a there's a Kings Clear in New Zealand where Roger was based.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Well, that's what I was gonna ask if you could fill in the blanks because I I visited Roger. I know him a little bit... Visited the yard probably a decade ago maybe, and I saw all the signs of Kings Clear up around the the stables, and I thought it was too much of a coincidence. And I couldn't remember if he'd visited the yard or if he was just taken by all of the success through the seventies and eighties that your dad had and thought that it was a a lucky omen.
Speaker 1:I suppose it's it's proved that way for him as well.
Speaker 2:Yeah. No. I think there was something like that. I think he was a huge fan of Mill Reefs, and that was the... You know, his his sort of homage to Mill Reef was was to name the training yard Kingsley.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Well, it's it's served him well, certainly, over all these years. Look. I know you probably gotta get off and... Is it evening stables?
Speaker 1:Are you still very traditional in that sort of respect? 04:00 evening stables and go round?
Speaker 2:We used to be obviously but there's... Yeah. We've got... We swim horses in the evening, do stalls practice, that that sort of thing. Don't really...
Speaker 2:Not this time of year that we don't go round horses but there'll be probably a a list of potential problems I gotta see at at at... We we usually do about 04:30. We do jog ups for anything that the headlights aren't happy with, and then prepare for tomorrow for tomorrow morning by doing the list.
Speaker 1:Fantastic. Short and sharp, but very good, Andrew. Best of luck next week and obviously Thank
Speaker 2:you very much.
Speaker 1:Moving forward to the arc as well. And, yeah, hopefully, that... The the trainer's championship swings your way as well.
Speaker 2:I I think we we need a minor miracle, but we'll get it up.
Speaker 1:Well, it could be a busy end of the season then for Andrew and his, team if they find themselves in striking distance of Aidan O'Brien come the end of the, the turf season proper because the actual championship runs until the end of the calendar year, December 31, which different to the jockeys, which does end on champions day, which is a little bit strange for me to have the two different dates, but that's the way it is. Thanks again to Andrew, and best of luck to the, the Kings Clear team at the Ebor Festival next week. Make sure you like, share, and subscribe. To make sure you never miss an episode, head to the multilanguage website, idolhorse.com, to keep up to date with all the latest international racing news. That's it for this time, though.
Speaker 1:On behalf of myself and the rest of the Idol Horse Podcast team, thanks for tuning in, and bye for now.