Dewhurst Stakes

Trainer Andrew Balding has revealed that his unbeaten Solario Stakes winner, South Seas, is on course for Saturday 8th October's Dubai Dewhurst Stakes, one of the two Group One highlights of the Dubai Future Champions Festival at Newmarket's Rowley Mile Racecourse.


Andrew Balding, trainer of South Seas
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This prestigious seven furlong contest has 50 of Europe's best juveniles still engaged following Tuesday's scratching stage while the Group One Dubai Fillies' Mile - which is run 24 hours earlier on Friday 7th October - has 30 entries remaining. Both races are worth £500,000, making them Europe's richest Group One two-year-old events.

South Seas has yet to be properly tested in three career starts, which have all taken place with plenty of give in the ground.

The son of Lope de Vega followed up a runaway Windsor maiden success with a smooth victory at Haydock Park before taking the step up to Group Three company in his stride when notching a two and a quarter length verdict in the Solario at Sandown.

"The Dubai Dewhurst Stakes is very much the target for South Seas, that was the plan for him when I last spoke to his owner, Sheikh Fahad Al Thani," Balding said.

"He has intentionally had a quietish time since the Solario and I am very happy with him.

"He is a high class horse with a good cruising speed and, although the Dewhurst will be a lot tougher, he has three runs under his belt now so is well equipped to try his hand against the very best opposition.

"He handles cut in the ground very well but I think he will handle fast ground too when the time comes. Although he might possibly get a mile and a quarter next year, he is a potential Guineas horse - the Dewhurst will tell us more.

"In my opinion the Dewhurst is the number one two-year-old race of the whole season so it is great to have a horse in my care considered good enough to take part in it."

Taken 8/1 on South Seas a couple of weeks ago and sticking with him unless he's not declared. Already jocked up though!

Race does not look like cutting up as much as I thought as it seems Blue Point is going to run along with Thunder Snow.

7 runners. Looks a good race. South Seas will run a big race.

I don't see why Churchill is so short, he may have smashed Mehmas last time out but Mehmas is much better over 6f and is not a top class 2yo anyway.

Rivet was quite workmanlike at Doncaster and Haggas seems luke-warm about his chances.

Blue Point is only running to see if he gets the trip well enough to see if he'll be given a Guineas campaign next season, or a sprinting one.

Thunder Snow looks the most plausible of the rest imo.

South Seas and Rivet both much bigger on here now then they were at the 5 day stage.

Good race. Churhill looks short at 1.75. Lay.

Can't oppose the favourite

Churchill will need to win this well to cement his position as the head of the 2000G market (6/4, if so) otherwise the pressure to 'prep' Caravggio for the 2000G will increase significantly for AOB. Churchill has certainly improved given the way he managed to 'go' with Mehmas till the 6f marker before pulling away to win handsomely; Mehmas rang extremely well when behind The Last Lion and Blue Point despite encountering trouble in running.

I do not think Blue Point will perform better over 7f than 6f, and beat Churchill and others in the process but glad to be proved wrong.

When it comes to these end (ish) of season Big 2yo races I like to stick by the group form in the book horses over promising maidens.
Churchill will take all the beating but not a betting play for me, just a viewing brief with next yr in mind.
Gd luck with your plays lads.

On shown form Churchill is clearly the most likely winner but not my kind of price in a race with a few potential improvers. If Churchill does win he'll probably go even shorter for the Guineas but I'd still want to oppose him, as like Air Force Blue he looks a horse that is doing all his improving as a 2yo and I can see him going the same way.

i've never thought churchill was that quick but his last run impressed me more though not sure the second got home that day...i quite like the gosden horse and blue point continues to progress so have had a bit on both and a saver on south seas who is progressing nicely although not sure how good the race was he won at sandown...1.72 seems horrible about churchill to me but he has annoyed me so far in regards getting a solid angle on him, today will tell us more but not for me

Has to be marked up on the bare form as he was running away from the favoured stands rail.

All looks very similar to last year when AFB was head and shoulders the best two year old colt and the rest looked a very average bunch.
At three AFB was useless and the rest were still pretty average.

Correct Jack.

Uncle, think you're being a bit simplistic there me old mucker.  War Front is the most over-rated, over-hyped, useless piece of Yankie junk that has ever walked into a breeding shed.  Galileo needs no introduction. Struggling to see any correlation at all between the two colts.

I think there is a correlation in the way the two colts progressed throughout their 2yo year. Neither colt was outstanding in their first few runs. This is a totally different Churchill to the one that unimpressively beat a poor field in the Chesham. He has improved with every run but he'll need to improve again to win an average Guineas. When a 2yo makes improvement like Churchill has we always hear the tired old cliche that it is "sure to improve next year" but that's not always the case. I'd argue that when a horse makes large improvement throughout its 2yo year it's actually less likely to make much improvement from 2 to 3. Maybe this colt will, but as for taking 2/1 and under the odds compilers can stick it.

coolmore has invested in war front to mix up the breed.............he is a star sire of two year olds...........

A_T..........i take your point about this dewhurst..........beating lancaster bomber doesnt make him a super star........he has beaten nothing to date. i dont understand o'briens interview today.........he was saying hes special etc..........he should just say hes a decent g1 winner. the horse may never win another race.

Wasn't suggesting he won't train on for a minute - just saying you can't take it for granted. He looks to be crying out for a mile already.

Assuming Carravagio goes nowhere near the Guienas then it's 25/1 bar one on here which tells you how shocking the standard is this year. Depressing really.

dawn approach type