Saints fan Balding hails The Foxes
Southampton fan Andrew Balding found himself in the unusual position of celebrating a Leicester win at the weekend when The Foxes landed him and owners King Power a Class 2 triumph at Glorious Goodwood.
The Kingsclere based trainer put rivalries aside when he advised Leicester City and King Power Racing owners the Srivaddhanaprabhas to name the colt, whom he was confident would be a winning horse, after the football club.
The two-year-old bounced back from a disappointing run in the Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot in June to land the seven furlong British EBF Maiden Stakes at the famous West Sussex racecourse.
"We were thrilled to see him win, he's a lovely horse, we were delighted," Balding, who has now won the Maiden Stakes for two successive years, said.
"He's always promised to be exciting, he's very well bred, he's a good looking horse.
"He was an expensive yearling, we thought going into Ascot he was probably our best chance of the whole meeting and he ran well below expectations.
"It was nice to see him back on track and hopefully tee him up for a smarter race later in the year.
"The owners had saved a couple of names that were of particular relevance to them for exciting horses and that was one of them.
"We wanted to try and give it to one of the better horses, so hopefully he will be."
Balding will now look to plot a course that will include a Stakes race and might well culminate with the Epsom Derby if the son of Churchill, who won the Irish 2,000 Guineas and the Dewhurst Stakes, lives up to expectations.
"We don't have too much of a plan, it's pretty fluid," Balding said.
"It'll be a Listed or a Group race at some stage, about three weeks from now.
"As for the Derby, you never know, his brother ran in it but couldn't quite stay a mile and a half, I think he's right up there."
For once in Balding's life, he'll now be hoping The Foxes keep on winning.