Chaldean made it four wins from five starts with a bold front-running display to win the Gr1 Darley Dewhurst Stakes, Europe’s premier juvenile contest and the highlight of Dubai Future Champions Day, at Newmarket on Saturday.
A son of Frankel, who won this contest back in 2011, Chaldean was slowly into his stride but recovered to take the lead after two furlongs. From that point onwards, he was not for passing and held on to score by a head from the fast-finishing Royal Scotsman with fellow 5-2 Joint-Favourite Nostrum, like the winner racing in the famous Juddmonte silks, a further two and a quarter lengths back in third.
The signature dismount! Frankie alights from Chaldean (Pic – Racing TV)
It was a first Darley Dewhurst Stakes success for trainer Andrew Balding in his first season training for Juddmonte, the racing powerhouse founded by the late Prince Khalid Abdullah. Balding’s father Ian enjoyed Dewhurst Stakes success three times with Silly Season (1964), Mill Reef (1970) and Dashing Blade (1989).
Andrew Balding said: “It is the first season I’ve had runners for Juddmonte and he was the first one in. It is a huge privilege to train for them particularly when you get sent horses like him. With the stallions they have access to it is a dream really.
“He was very smart. Funnily we thought he was very good early spring and into the summer but he got beaten first time out. Since then he has gone on and on. He has actually got less smart at home he has got smarter on the racecourse and that is how you want it really.
“He would always keep finding. He is just a dream horse really and an absolute star really.
“You wouldn’t have been surprised if anyone of four or five of them had won but the only sadness is to beat Jim and Fitri Hay as they are very good supporters of mine and that is the only slight negative on it as I hate denying them a good win, but apart from that I’m thrilled.
“I was fairly confident a furlong out but less confident with a furlong to go. He had been out in front a long time and Frankie felt he kicked a little earlier than ideal but it was probably a race-winning move.
“He is versatile and he didn’t have to make it but it didn’t look like there was any obvious pace here. What we didn’t want was it to turn into a sprint and for us to be out of our ground. He will be fine (in a Guineas) and the bigger the field the better off he will be.
“He is all speed on his dam side out of a Dutch Art mare and I’d be surprised if he got further than a mile.
“I don’t know yet (if we run him in a trial first). We will see how he is training in the spring and make a decision there. I would be comfortable going straight there but I can’t be making that decision at the moment.
“It was only a three-runner race at Doncaster but we got a bit of boost in the Autumn Stakes but sometimes they can be flattered in three-runner races so it was good to see him do it again against different horses on a different day on a different track.
“You work hard at the start of your career to get access to train horses like this for operations like Juddmonte and we’ve worked hard to get there. It is a great privilege to have them and get them the result.”
Frankie Dettori, riding his third Dewhurst winner after Too Darn Hot (2018) and St Mark’s Basilica (2020) said: “He fluffed the start but luckily I was able to get him up there. When I shot clear I thought I had it in the bag but I think he kind of lost concentration a bit as he was all on his own. Jim (Crowley, rider of runner-up Royal Scotsman) came late and fast and that kind of caught him by surprise – him, not me! Luckily for me, the line was there.
“I was nothing but impressed when I rode him at Doncaster and the first thing I said to Andrew after was Dewhurst and he obliged.
“He’s a proper Guineas horse for next year and we can dream now.
“The form is rock solid and the horse he beat there has won the Autumn Stakes. It has been an up and down day. When I hit the deck I was a bit shaken up but I’m still here but luckily I don’t have to ride with my head as I’ve got a thumping headache. He is a nice horse that is just solid. He is uncomplicated and tough and you can do anything you want with him. He handled the dip well and he should now be the Guineas favourite. It was definitely another step forward.”
Olly Cole, joint-trainer of runner-up Royal Scotsman alongside his father Paul, said: “He broke the track record when he won at Goodwood – people have crabbed the race but you can’t crab the race when you break the track record.
“Coming down the hill here he arguably might have been a bit unbalanced as we expected the Godolphin horse to go on but that didn’t so it took us a bit of time to get going.
“The Guineas over a mile next year where he is just galloping will be right up his street. He is seriously very good. To finish like today in the Dewhurst was good.
“I’ve been going around the sales telling everyone he was going to win as I thought he would and he nearly did. The dream is massively still alive.”
- www.racingtv.com
