Big boost for Andrew Balding as he gets two ‘exciting’ new recruits from Queens favourite trainer Michael Stoute
ANDREW BALDING will get a big boost to his three-year-old crop in the form of two horses redistributed from Sir Michael Soute’s yard.
The legendary Barbadian trainer earlier this season announced he would be retiring, leaving much speculation about who would train his current crop of horses.
Sun columnist Balding got lucky in the redistribution and has been chosen to take on the exciting pair Jonquil and Formal.
Jonquil, owned by Juddmonte, won on debut but disappointed in a Listed contest next time out at Doncaster.
While Formal won her first two races before coming fourth of five in the Group 2 Rockfel Stakes at Newmarket.
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Either way it’s good news for Balding, not that he needed any more ammunition.
The 51-year-old has had the season of his life, training more winners than anybody else – 157 so far – and pocketing over £5 million in prize money.
The Hampshire trainer told The Sun: “I’m obviously delighted. I’m thrilled to be getting two such exciting horses.
“But also I’m very sad that Sir Michael is giving up. He has been a constant in my career and THE elite trainer in my lifetime.
“We haven’t made any exact plans for either of them yet. They’re just settling into Kingsclere and then we will get a handle on them when they start doing some fast work in the spring.
“We already train a lot of Juddmonte and Cheveley Park horses and so have a good relationship with both those owners already.”
Following his retirement, Sir Michael Stoute put his historic Newmarket yard, Freemason Lodge, on the market.
And Kia Joorabchian of AMO Racing, the football agent who famously spent big at the Tattersalls sales in October, has put in a bid for the yard.
Unfortunately, Sir Michael did not go out with the bang he so deserved, and his final runner at Nottingham last Wednesday trailed in last.
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