Oh, come on Chaldean as exciting colt lands Balding second 2000 Guineas in four years

Kingsclere’s Andrew Balding celebrated a second Group 1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas win in four years as Chaldean landed the opening Classic of the season at Newmarket on Saturday.

The Juddmonte colt set off as second favourite but the two horses expected to be fellow front runners, the Aidan O’Brien duo of Auguste Rodin and Little Big Bear, were well off the pace, leaving Chaldean to do battle with 125/1 outsider Hi Royal as he approached the final two furlongs.

Chaldean staved off a spirited performance from the Katherine Ryan-trained challenger and stormed home a length-and-three-quarters clear of the field to follow in the footsteps of fellow Park House stable star Kameko, who won the race following a Covid-imposed hiatus in 2020.

Balding was understandably delighted with his standout three-year-old, who made winning one of the country’s most competitive races look comparatively easy.

“He did it really well,” Balding said.

“He was really strong at the end of the race.

“He’s an exciting horse with a really impressive profile, and hopefully he can add to it this summer.”

The experienced handler admitted he was apprehensive about the soft ground ahead of the race, but Chaldean proved himself more than capable of staying a mile, having never raced further than seven furlongs in his six previous starts.

He said: “Not that we’ll do it for a bit, but the way he finished the race suggested he might even stay a mile-and-a-quarter in time.

“We’re thrilled, this was always his main objective and to get it done is a big deal for everyone involved.”

Chaldean’s preparation for the Group 1 contest was less-than-ideal, having unseated jockey Frankie Dettori on his seasonal return at Newbury a fortnight before his Newmarket trip.

That forced Balding to change his plans in the lead-up to the race, turning out Chaldean for a piece of work on Kingsclere’s gallops in the week prior to Saturday’s run.

“I don’t think we’ll be setting a new trend,” Balding said.

“Of course, we don’t want to make a habit of it but there were some positives from Newbury.

“He got out and saw a crowd and did some of the preliminaries.

“It wasn’t ideal but thankfully it didn’t have a negative impact.

“It was all about Saturday and we were just relieved and grateful that everything went well on the day.”

The victory was made all the more special by the fact that legendary jockey Dettori was on board, adding another classic to his distinguished resume in his final season in the saddle.

Balding said: “I think a lot of the racegoers were hoping he’d win.

“Frankie’s obviously a wonderful jockey but he’s also been a fantastic personality for the sport and it was a fitting way to finish his Guineas career.”

Chaldean is from fine stock, having been sired by Henry Cecil’s unbeaten hero Frankel.

His win on the weekend means he’s now won two of the same races as his father, the 2000 Guineas and the Darley Dewhurst Stakes, and is favourite to make it a hat-trick as he seeks to emulate Frankel further in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot next month.

“That’s the obvious target,” Balding said.

“It’s the perfect timing, we can give him a bit of a break and then build him up for that.

“It’s the logical next step.”