3 minute read

Newmarket trainer David Simcock enjoyed a first Royal Ascot success when the lightly-raced Balios was produced with a well-timed run by Jamie Spencer to win the King Edward VII Stakes by a length and a quarter.

The Shamardal colt is seen as an exciting long-term prospect by Simcock.

"The route we have taken with this horse has suited him," said Simcock. "The Derby would have come too early for him; he is probably too immature. I'm very pleased for the owners, they are very sporting and they like to travel and this is a horse they can enjoy for the next two or three years. He'll be a flagship horse for them.

"He's going to be a really nice horse in 12 months' time, he'll probably have a maximum of three more runs this year. I see him as a 10-12 furlong horse. He's still very immature and can only improve.

"We have always liked the horse and we have made it very clear that we like the horse. He was a little inexperienced at Newmarket last time and I didn't want to change anything - I said to Jamie to give him a ballsy ride and it suited him down to the ground. It was a fantastic ride, even if he had got beat, he did what I had told him to do.

"Jamie got it so right and, I think when a jockey loves a horse, it makes a massive difference.

"Winning here is not a monkey off my back but it is a huge relief. Obviously, everyone wants to win at Royal Ascot."

Jamie Spencer added: "I have been watching the highlights every morning with Charlie, Chloe and Ella and they keep saying: "where are you? How come you are not winning?" so I can't wait for tomorrow morning's highlights!

"We didn't go that hard and Frankie's horse wasn't moving great in front of me. This fellow is a tribute to Jenny and David (simcock) - a lot of other people would have sent him to Epsom (for the Derby) but they have taken their time with him.

"His work a week ago was absolutely outstanding. I thought that he was one of my best chances of the week as long as he could get through the preliminaries.

"He gets the trip well and he is a very lightly-raced horse. He only had one run on grass before today so there is plenty of improvement. He is quite immature still and wants to race the other horses once he joins them. It took him half a furlong to get going but then he really mowed down the leader.

"He didn't get to show what he could do at Newmarket - it was his first run on grass and the undulations at Newmarket. I had to help him down into the dip and he really ran on. If I had given him a hard race there, he may have won but at least we had a horse for today.

"We will have to see how he comes out of this and where David wants to send him. The reason we drop him in is because he has loads of pace, so I wouldn't be worried about going back in trip.

"When I first came to England, I was with Luca Cumani and David was his assistant. He was probably the laziest assistant any trainer has had but he talked plenty about it. He and Jenny are brilliant together - they understand each other and they understand their horses.

"The horses I have ridden this week have all run well. Kevin Ryan brought down a small, select team and they have all run tremendously well. It would have been nice if The Grey Gatsby would have won - tactically everything went perfect but I just couldn't get any room on him. It's a long week and you are just hoping to get one winner, two winners or whatever."

Both John Gosden and Aidan O'Brien, responsible respectively for runner-up Mr Singh and third-placed Father Christmas, were looking to the future with their charges after the King Edward VII Stakes.

"He's a big, immature horse and I'm delighted," said Gosden of the son of High Chaparral. "He won well first time this season, then he got a bit lost at Goodwood, which can happen out on those undulations. They went two seconds under the median today and that would suggest he stays well. He'll have a holiday now after three quick runs, and then we'll consider options."

"Both of ours ran well," said O'Brien, responsible also for fourth-placed Ol' Man River. "Joseph [O'Brien, jockey] said his horse [Father Christmas] is still a big baby, and that was a great effort coming here from a maiden."

Ol' Man River, once the Derby favourite, has yet to fulfil high hopes held for him. "He has not really shown any spark this year, so he'll have a break," added O'Brien. "I still have faith in him and the ability I know he has. It's probably trainer error that has put him where he is."