Andrew Balding Stable Tour: Guide to his 2025 team

Andrew Balding might have had to play second fiddle to Aidan O’Brien in the trainers’ title fight in 2024, but there is every chance he could go one better this time around judging by the quality of his team.

Last year saw Balding register a career best domestic tally of 163 winners along with smashing through the £5,000,000 barrier in prize-money for the first time since taking over at the helm of Park House Stables back in 2003.

Victory for Kalpana in the British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes at Ascot was a notable moment, but big race success was not just limited to home shores with New Century landing the Grade One Summer Stakes at Woodbine and Bellum Justum taking out the Nashville Derby Invitational Stakes at Kentucky Downs.

With a smart older team, headed up by Kalpana, in place along with a clutch of exciting three-year-olds all with Classic aspirations and a good number of useful handicappers, then you have a team capable of mixing it with the best.

Balding said: “I think finishing second in the trainer’s championship was a good achievement and the most encouraging thing about it was the development of some really smart horses that stay in training this year. Particularly satisfying was Kalpana’s campaign. New Century’s win in America was pleasing as well.

“What else was a very satisfying moment was Bellum Justum winning the Nashville Derby, which was the most valuable race we won by some way last year. At the same time we didn’t have a Royal Ascot winner, which was disappointing, but I think by and large if you finish second in the trainer’s championship you would take that all day long.

“It is early days with the two-year-olds and I have a lot that will be seen out later on in the season that look like nice middle-distance types, but I’m happy with where we are with them.”

ALMERIC

He has been working very well and he is a handy horse that has a decent level of ability. He will start in the Feilden Stakes at Newmarket and we will take it from there. I’ve a feeling that he will stay a mile-and-a-half no problem from what I’ve seen. He is probably more one for Royal Ascot, but we will keep all options open.

ALSAKIB

He is a lovely horse. He has been gelded over the winter, which will be a help. He is moving great. We just felt he wasn’t fully focussed at home sometimes. He loves soft ground and he stays well. There will be races to be won with him. He won the Silver Cup up at York and is good on his day. I hope he is up to progressing into a Stakes horse on the right conditions this year.

ARRAY

He has been off for a while but he has done plenty of work. Coming back from not having had a start for a long time you are going to expect him to just improve with racing. We still don’t know what his best trip is. He has got entries from six furlongs to a mile and anywhere in between. The plan at the moment is to start him back over seven in a conditions race up at Thirsk and take it from there. We were hoping to have him back this season, but he had to go and pass a lot of vet checks and they did a lovely job with him in pre-training in Ireland.

BELLUM JUSTUM

He is one to look at the nice ten furlong races with, but I certainly wouldn’t rule out a mile-and-a-half with him. He goes on fast ground which is a help and in all likelihood he is going to start over nine furlongs in the Earl Of Sefton at Newmarket to sharpen him up, however he does also have an entry in the John Porter at Newbury on Saturday as well. We hoped his campaign would shape up like it did last season, but the nice thing about him is that he is perfect for the international circuit as well. We will look at all our options, but that capability to travel does open up a lot of other races in North America for him.

BERMUDA LONGTAIL

I thought she ran a good race in the conditions at Kempton Park. The plan was to always go there and then on to the Listed Michael Seely Memorial Stakes up at York. She didn’t do anything at Kempton Park that suggests she isn’t capable of doing that. She has got a mark of 89 and if she comes up short in the Michael Seely then you have got the Sandringham at Royal Ascot. At the moment though with all the fillies like her the priority is to get Black Type.

COLTRANE

Coltrane is back in training with us again. He really has been a star for the yard. He is just shy of winning a million pounds in prize money and we would like to get him past that mark if we can. He will start off in the Sagaro Stakes at Ascot which he has won twice. If he is not up to that level we have got the Queen Alexandra as a back up plan for him at Royal Ascot this year, as opposed to the Gold Cup, and realistically that is probably his race.

If he could get to a million pounds in prize money and win a race this year it will be job done and he then can have a long and happy retirement. He doesn’t do anything at home and I could probably run faster than him! It was a brilliant day when he won the Sagaro last year and he also ran a great race in the Cadran as well. He has just been a fabulous horse to have in the yard and train.

CONTACTO

He is a nice horse and was due to start at Thirsk at the weekend, but that would be weather dependent as he wouldn’t want to go on fast ground. He is a really smart staying type that will start off in handicaps and we will then go from there. He would be a very similar horse to Coltrane. I would think if he gets to Royal Ascot that the Copper Horse Handicap over a mile and six furlongs would be for him. It won’t be until the end of the year that we try him over two miles. I’d hope he can make the jump out of handicaps as he is a very solid horse who is very willing.

COOL HOOF LUKE

Unfortunately Cool Hoof Luke has had a setback and he won’t be out until the second half of the season which is annoying, but we think everything has been resolved. That is why he missed the Middle Park last year and it has just rumbled on. He has had some surgery and they are fairly confident that will do the trick. I’m fairly confident we will see him back with a view to have him ready for something like the City Of York. I would hope he would get seven furlongs this year and he enjoyed last year when he won the Gimcrack so that would be the obvious target. With a horse of his ability there are international targets as well if it all goes well.

EYDON

He is a talented horse, but he has had a couple of below par starts on the all-weather, however we feel the surface didn’t suit him. There has been a lot of stop-start with him throughout his career which doesn’t help. Hopefully, we can keep him right this season and we are targeting the Aston Park at Newbury next month.

FALCONER

He's likely to start at Newbury this weekend, but I’ve got a feeling he is a horse that is likely to be better with a bit of give in the ground. He will stay well and is fit and ready to go. He has some nice entries next to his name, but has only run the once so we will see what route we go after his first run.

FLORA OF BERMUDA

She is back in fast work and looks great. She will either go to the Ellen Challoner Stakes at the Guineas Festival or the Duke Of York. She is a very decent filly. She has some top form in the book, but had no luck last year. There is a big race in her, but I think she is one that appreciates a bit of juice in the ground. I think going up to six furlongs has helped her, but now she looks like she might stay seven furlongs so that is something we might explore later in the year. We have got a strong team of older horses like her and that is what every yard hopes to have.

FORMAL

She is due to run in the Fred Darling and we have been very happy with her. She isn't the biggest, but is classy in her work and a lovely filly to have in the yard. It is difficult to make conclusions from her run in the Rockfel Stakes, but she had been impressive in her first two starts so I hope that she will be fine. I thought if we have a run at Newbury first then if she is good enough we can take another chance at Newmarket and go for the 1000 Guineas.

There are a lot of good races for fillies out there and you can’t be putting a line through not handling the track on one bad performance so you would have to try it again. You are looking forward to races like the Falmouth and Sun Chariot. It is a big track to put a line through on the strength of one start.

JONQUIL

I’ve been very happy with him and hopefully we will start him off in the Greenham at Newbury on Saturday. He looks a smart horse, but we are still learning about him. He has only had two runs and one of them was a write off for whatever reason. He looked very good at Sandown when he won on debut for Sir Michael Stoute. He has been working well and he is a smart horse.

I would hope we can treat him as a 2000 Guineas horse, but that is why the trial is there and that will tell us where we are at. He has been grand since coming down here. He had a bit of a break before he came to us, but has settled in well.

JOUNCY

He has been gelded since his run in the Middle Park at Newmarket on his final start last season. The plan is to go for a conditions race at Chelmsford. He is a little bit in and out, but he is there to go and try and earn as much money as he can. He could possibly be one that develops into a Jersey horse at Royal Ascot.

KALPANA

She was just one of those horses that kept improving with every run and every piece of work at home. I remember when we first started doing fast work with her I didn’t think she was much and we had gone as far as discussing a sales entry for her. Every time she worked she got better and every time she ran she got better. Those are the sort of horses you love to train.

I thought she looked very good in the Glasgow Stakes and the September Stakes and then really top class at Ascot on Champions Day. I think when Ryan Moore rode her at Newmarket in the handicap was the real turning point. I’d actually left the track, but he rang me and said this is a pretty smart filly and that was when we really knew what we had.

We jumped straight into the Pretty Polly after that and she was beaten by a very good filly in Friendly Soul in a tight finish, but they went miles clear of the rest. The only disappointment was the Ribblesdale at Royal Ascot as I thought she would win that day, but she was third. I think we are all agreed that the Arc is high on the wish list, but that is not until October. The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes might be a possibility mid-summer.

Where we start will be determined by when she is ready and ground conditions. I wouldn’t want to run her on very fast ground unless we absolutely have to. I think the most likely starting point would be the York for the Middleton and then take it from there. She will be fairly versatile in terms of trip, but she obviously stays that mile-and-a-half well and that is what she won her Group One over.

KASSAYA

She is back with us. It was no fault of her own that she was beaten in the Queen Mary. She never came off the bridle anywhere over the five furlongs as she just had nowhere to go. She is a very smart filly and we are looking forward to her year. She hasn’t won a Listed race yet so we are going to start her off in a three year old fillies only Listed race at Chelmsford on May 1st. We will look towards going back to Royal Ascot with her in the hopes that she could be a Commonwealth Cup horse.

MOUNT ATLAS

He ran a really good race in the Roseberry at Kempton Park, it just didn’t pan out for him. He got left in front sooner than we wanted and was just vulnerable the last 100 yards. Off a big weight he ran a hell of a race. There is a big race to be won with him. He could stay further, but we will stick to a mile-and-a-half with him for the time being. Off his mark of 98, handicaps will be for him for the foreseeable future.

MUSIC PIECE

She is a lovely filly that has just been slow to come in her coat and we are playing things by ear. She would be another for one of those Oaks trials, maybe even the Pretty Polly at Newmarket. She built on a solid debut at Ascot by then winning next time out up at Haydock Park. Hopefully she can continue going forward this season and develop into a smart type.

NEW CENTURY

I’m really pleased with him and my feeling is that he will appreciate further than a mile. His work has been very good. He is a Group One winner and I think he has been overlooked in the Classic markets. He will have a run in the Craven. Depending how he shapes up there will determine where he goes after that. We hope he has got the class to run very well in the 2000 Guineas.

That will still take a lot of winning, but there aren’t many Group One winners in there, however he is one of them so you have got to think he can be competitive in it. He was a bit like Kalpana last season in that he improved with every piece of work and every race he had and that is why we are keen to run him in a trial. From that debut run each time he stepped up he improved and that is what we hope will happen again this season.

OLD HARROVIAN

He is now six, but he has only had 10 starts in his career. He has steadily worked his way back to form and was an impressive winner under Callum Hutchinson over a mile-and-a-quarter up at Newcastle last-time-out. We will head back to Newcastle over the same trip for a tilt at the Easter Classic. I’m sure it will be a tougher race as it is worth a lot of money, but hopefully he can go well again up there.

REGAL ULIXES

He is a lovely horse that won the Haynes, Hanson and Clark last year at Newbury on his second start. It will be interesting to see how he goes as both of his runs have been on soft ground and I’ve got the feeling he will be better on a sound surface. He will hopefully start in the Blue Riband Trial at Epsom. He will certainly stay a mile-and-a-quarter; it is just whether he gets that bit further.

REMAAT

The plan is to start her off in the Nell Gwyn. It was a bit frustrating with her last season as she won very easily on the July Course but then had a problem which kept her off for the rest of the season. We are hoping to pick up where we left off, but she has been absent for a long time and it will be interesting to see how she goes next week.

I don’t think getting the mile will be a problem for her as she is very relaxed and she was strong at the end of her race on the July Course which she won so I think that trip will suit her well.

ROYAL PLAYWRIGHT

He was second in the Royal Lodge, but bombed out in the Futurity Trophy up at Doncaster, however a lot of horses disappointed that day and the ground was very tricky. It didn’t work out for us, but he has had a long time to get over it, but I would put a line through that run and we have belief he is a genuine Stakes horse.

I think Oisin’s (Murphy) feeling was that we should have finished after the Royal Lodge, but with a horse bred like he is we had to try and give him the opportunity to win a Group One as a two-year-old. He is a smart horse. The key to him is how far will he stay. We are going to start off in the Burradon Stakes up at Newcastle over the stiff mile and we will make decisions after that.

SEE THE FIRE

She is very much back with us again. She is very exciting and the hope is that we start off in the Dahlia Stakes at Newmarket. The Nassau is the main aim with her as she was second in it last year. After that if she is shaping like she is staying a bit further she might have a try at a mile-and-a-half as well. She ran a great race in the Champion Stakes having had a long hard season and was only beaten two lengths. She is without doubt a high class filly.

SECRET OF LOVE

She shaped nicely in the Montrose at Newmarket at the end of last season. She just looks like she will stay well, but is quite backward in her coat. We would be looking at an Oaks trial with her. I would imagine it would be either the one at Chester or at Lingfield to start with. She is not in the Oaks, but she is in the German Oaks and Irish Oaks, but there is every chance it could be the Italian Oaks she ends up in. She is that type of filly and is a nice horse to have in the yard. We expect her to more than pay her way.

SECRET SATIRE

She won the Musidora at York, but we didn’t really feel that she handled the track at Epsom in the Oaks. She ran a good race out in New York, but unfortunately came back with an injury and has been off the track ever since. She is back in fast work now. The Middleton back at York might come too soon, but that was the aim. She is a high class filly.

We will try a mile-and-a-half again with her as I think there was a lot going on at Epsom and you couldn't really read into that whether she stayed the trip or not. She is a talented filly who has done very well physically.

SPANISH VOICE

He is a lovely horse that we are aiming to take to Newmarket next week. I thought he shaped well on his debut and will now go for the mile-and-a-quarter novice at the Craven Meeting and go from there. It is often a race that has thrown up good horses. We will find out where we are after that as he has only had the one run unlike a few of those other three-year-olds who fall into the same category.

He came from Sir Michael Stoute’s later in the year, but they always liked him and felt he was ready to run. You have got to have aspirations for these horses and it would be nice if he was up to being a Stakes class horse.

STORM STAR

I’ve been thrilled with him as he has won both starts this year. He has improved as did his work. He is delightfully laid back which is a help. He will go to All-Weather Finals Day at Newcastle for the mile handicap. He has got some fanciful entries next to his name, but if he happened to win on Good Friday it would be the perfect springboard to chance our arm in the Lockinge. That race can often throw up some funny results and if you are fit, and some of them are having their first run of the year, it is not a bad spot to be in.

SUBSEQUENT

He has had a little setback so won’t be out until the second half of the season. He did nothing but improve last year and he is clearly a very talented stayer. It was an excellent performance in the Noel Murless. He stays well and he did nothing wrong last year. If he had a bit more luck, when he got mugged at Doncaster, he would have probably won five races last year. You would hope he could ply his trade at pattern race level and those stayers, as I’ve found in the past, tend to improve a lot from three to four then from four to five. He is an exciting horse.

TACTICIAN

He is another nice stayer, but I do think he is better with a bit of give in the ground. There is quite a valuable staying handicap at Southwell and the plan is to start there at the end of this month. After that he will have an entry in the Chester Cup and all those staying handicaps.

I think his defeat in the Cesarewitch Trial on his final start last season was down to the fact that he'd had a long season. He wasn’t anywhere near his best that day so we just put a line through it. I do feel there is one of those good pots in him. He stays well and is tough so there will always be good opportunities for him.

TEUMESSIAS FOX

He won the Roseberry well last time at Kempton Park, but has now gone up in the weights as a result of that win so it will be tough to place him. I think his best form is on the Polytrack, but having said that he has won a nice race on the turf at Newmarket with a bit of give in the ground, however that was off a low rating. We will pick our battles and I’m sure there is a race or two to be won with him, but in many ways his season is already paid for so he is ahead of the game.

THE FOXES

It was a great run from him out in Qatar and we are now probably going to look at the Huxley Stakes with him as a prep for Royal Ascot. By and large we try to get the King Power-owned horses to Royal Ascot if we can. Whether that will be for the Hardwicke, Prince of Wales’s or the Wolverton we will find out. I think if the race is right it doesn’t matter if you run him over ten or 12 furlongs.

We had problems with him for a good part of the year, but he came back strong and was very good when he won at Newcastle, before running well in both Hong Kong and Qatar. It looks like he is back to his best and in the second half of the year I would imagine travelling will be on the agenda with him.

THE LOST KING

I thought he looked very good at Newmarket when he won then we probably didn’t ride him right in the Ascendant Stakes up at Haydock Park. We can put a line through that effort and he is very much on a mark where handicaps are an option. He will start off in the Esher Cup at Sandown. That is over a mile, but I do think he will stay a mile-and-a-quarter as the season goes on.

TROPICAL STORM

He is a very handy horse who is very speedy. We are thinking he will either go to the Palace House or the Listed Westow Stakes up at York. We are hoping he is going to be good enough to take his chance in the King Charles III Stakes at Royal Ascot. He was still a maiden when he won the Listed race at York, but he was second in the Norfolk and he ran some very good races in defeat. We learnt plenty about him, and he is very speedy. He doesn’t give you that impression at home as he is very laid back.

It is only when he gets to the track and that adrenaline starts running that you see the best of him. He was very keen in the Richmond, but was very keen that day, and we thought he was nailed on to improve for six furlongs. I wouldn’t rule out trying that trip again at some stage.

WILD WAVES

He had a good year last season and I thought he ran a very good race in the Melrose up at York. He is the same as Mount Atlas in that he will be in handicaps for the time being. He will have a Chester Cup entry and will have a prep race before that. He is on the cusp of being Stakes horse as he could be one for the Chester Cup or the Ormonde.

I think the Ebor has got to be on his agenda this season. He is a really fun horse, and he is a fast ground horse, where a lot of these stayers need a bit of give in the ground so he will always have an opportunity.

WINDLORD

The form of his run in the Beresford Stakes looks rock solid with the winner (Hotazhell) then coming out and winning the Futurity Trophy. I don’t really send many over to Ireland, but it looked like a good fit and at the time we thought the track would suit him well. He just took time to get going there but finished his race well. The aim was always to go to Sandown Park at the start of this season for the Classic Trial and we will know more after that. He is a horse with good ability.

Also in the series:

Aidan O'Brien

Ralph Beckett

Roger Varian

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