Andrew Balding has been on a remarkable roll, but the 54-year-old Englishman isn't getting carried away. "Our luck will run out at some stage," he said, "but we are enjoying it while we can. "
Balding is chasing all-time great Aidan O'Brien for the British Flat trainers' championship, which is decided by purse earnings. He's still a distant second, about $514,000 behind, even after sweeping the Juddmonte International (G1) and Yorkshire Oaks (G1), the richest races at last month's Ebor Festival at York.
"It's a big climb anyway," Balding said, "because Aidan will win [$2 million more] before the end of the year."
That's a safe bet, but Balding will be favored to edge a bit closer to O'Brien on Saturday in the Group 1, $275,000 Matron Stakes at Leopardstown. Balding will send out 5-4 favorite Blue Bolt in the mile Matron, which is a "Win and You're In" race for the 1 3/16-mile Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1) on Oct. 31 at Keeneland. Back in 2019, Iridessa, trained by Aidan's son Joseph, won both races.
Aidan O'Brien will challenge Balding's 4-year-old star in the Matron with two 3-year-old fillies, 7-4 second favorite Precise and True Love, who's 8-1 in the morning line. Next in the odds are City of Memphis (9-1) and defending Matron champion Fallen Angel (10-1). The other seven in the field of 12 are 20-1 or higher.
Balding sees unlimited potential in Blue Bolt, who is 4-for-4 this year and 7-for-9 lifetime. "She's a powerful traveler with great strength and great desire," he said. "She's effective on any ground, which is a big help. We always felt that Leopardstown was her race, and after that, who knows?"
Blue Bolt beat Precise by two lengths July 10 in the Falmouth Stakes (G1) at Newmarket and by a half-length Aug. 2 in the Prix Rothschild (G1) at Deauville in France. Precise might have beaten Blue Bolt if she hadn't dwelt at the start in both races. She did it again in her last race, a third-place finish against males Aug. 16 in the Jacques Le Marois (G1) at Deauville.
Precise is 6-for-11 lifetime with five stakes wins despite her three-race losing streak and problems getting out of the gate. O'Brien was encouraged that she got within a half-length of Blue Bolt in the Prix Rothschild despite carrying nine more pounds.
O'Brien's other filly, True Love, has lost four in a row after finishing fifth in the 6 1/2-furlong Prix Maurice de Gheest (G1) at Deauville. City of Memphis is 3-for-3 this year, including a Group 2 and a Group 3. Defending champ Fallen Angel is 0-for-2, finishing last of four in a Group 2 at York and third of 10 in a listed race at Haydock.
Ed McNamara is an award-winning racing writer who has covered the sport since 1981 for The Bergen (N.J.) Record, Newsday, ESPN, Thorocap, and USRacing. He is the author of Cajun Racing: From the Bush Tracks to the Triple Crown and Racing Around the World, and a contributor to The Most Glorious Crown and The Racetracks of America. He has also written for racing publications in France and Italy.
