Andrew Balding sweet on his 2000 Guineas 10/1 shot

Andrew Balding has talked up Kameko’s chances in the 2000 Guineas, for which he is a general 10/1 chance.

Last year’s Vertem Futurity Stakes winner at Newcastle, Kameko is a serious challenger to the ante-post favourite, Pinatubo, according to Balding.

Kameko is reported to have come through a racecourse gallop at Kempton last week in sparkling form, leaving Balding dreaming about what might come to pass at Newmarket on June 6.

“I’m really pleased with him”

Balding said: “I’m really pleased with him. He had a quiet period during the winter months and we got him back into faster work around Cheltenham time, which was when lockdown happened.

“At the time we were obviously still hoping that the Guineas would be on its original date in the beginning of May, so we had a period where we were cranking up the work.”

He added: “When we realised that wasn’t the case he was let down a little bit and I couldn’t be happier with him at the moment. He had a gallop at Kempton last week – Oisin [Murphy] rode him – and I couldn’t have been happier by the way he went. He looks magnificent and he’s a lovely horse to have anything to do with. We’re all very excited.”

On that racecourse gallop, Murphy, who revealed he has the choice of two high-profile fillies in the 1,000 Guineas that he wouldn’t name, described himself as pleased with how Kameko worked.

“He has a lovely turn of foot”

Murphy said: “I was really pleased. It was important that he went away and got a good blowout without doing anything crazy. He has a lovely turn of foot, as we all saw last year, but he’s also very relaxed and you can put him anywhere.

“From a jockey’s point of view, that’s very exciting and it leaves you with plenty of options. He goes to Newmarket with a massive chance.”

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