Andrew Balding enjoyed a big race victory at Woodbine on Saturday evening as New Century quickened past the Charlie Appleby-trained Al Qudra to claim the $500,000 (£280,000) Grade 1 bet365 Summer Stakes.
Oisin Murphy, Frankie Dettori and William Buick were some of the big name jockeys at Woodbine, with Four Grade 1s and $2.7m in prize money up for grabs. It was Oisin Murphy who was celebrating after riding New Century to victory in what was a messy finish to the 1-mile contest for 2-year-olds.
Al Qudra, who had got the better of New Century when they met in the Pat Eddery Stakes at Ascot in July, found trouble in running in the final 2-furlongs as Dream On lugged left into him, but it was New Century who swept on by the pair to give his sire Kameko a landmark victory.
Kameko, who won the QIPCO 2000 Guineas for Balding, Murphy and Qatar Racing in 2020, is enjoying a fantastic year with his first crop as a sire and this was an emotional success for connections. A jubilant Murphy punched the air walking back into the winners’ enclosure shouting: “Go Kameko!”
The victory earned New Century a spot in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf through the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series “Win and You’re In”.
After the race, Oisin Murphy said: “It’s fantastic for Kameko to have his first Grade 1 winner. He’s had lots of success recently but this is his flagship horse in his first season. It was a Win and You’re In For the Breeders’ Cup, so I know Shaikh Fahad (Al Thani) and Andrew (Balding) will be really looking forward to Del Mar now.”
Murphy, speaking about how the race unfolded, said: “By the time we got to the turn, horses started to slow down in front of me after a fast early gallop. I managed to get inside Al Qudra halfway around the bend and then switch out into space as we straightened up. Late on, Dream On got tired and rolled out into the centre of the track but New Century was strong through the line.”
All roads lead to Del Mar now and Murphy is excited about his chances, he said: “He’s really sharpened up from run to run and his work is like that at home too. His homework even before the Stonehenge Stakes pointed towards the Breeders’ Cup. He hasn’t missed a beat and touch wood, that will be the same between now and the Breeders’ Cup.”
Andrew Balding now has three Grade 1 victories at Woodbine, with New Century joining Phoenix Reach (2003 Canadian International) and Blond Me (2017 E.P. Taylor Stakes). Murphy labelled Balding as a genius at travelling horses, he said: “He’s amazing at travelling horses. Bellum Justum recently won the valuable Nashville Derby. When Andrew sends them overseas, they don’t miss!”
When asked about his future prospects, Murphy said: “We know it’s a family which has plenty of stamina in it and hopefully he could get a mile and a quarter next season.”
Elsewhere on the card, Charlie Appleby, Godolphin and William Buick endured a frustrating evening. Al Qudra’s second behind New Century was their best result on the night with Mountain Breeze (8/15) finishing 8th in the Grade 1 Johnnie Walker Natalma Stakes and Naval Crown (4/9) only fourth in the $1m Grade 1 Rogers Woodbine Mile. Cinderella’s Dream was a non-runner in the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor Stakes.
In the Woodbine Mile, the feature on the card, Win For The Money won for trainer Mark Casse. Big Rock, employing more patient tactics and with blinkers applied, stayed on to finish third for Maurizio Guarnieri.
Feature image credit: Michael Burns
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