Balding puts Item away for the season

Turfling

Europe

Tuesday 15 September 2026

The lead

Balding puts Item away and sends Kalpana to Longchamp

Andrew Balding said Item is unlikely to race again this season. The Juddmonte colt won the Group 2 Dante at York in the spring and the Group 2 York Stakes in July before taking the Juddmonte International at the same course in August, then finished sixth behind Hotazhell in Saturday’s Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown. Speaking at Windsor on Monday, Balding said the Leopardstown trip was a bit sharp for him, that there is not really anything for him now and that he will have a nice break (Thoroughbred Daily News).

Balding expects the colt to stay in training next year and to explore the mile and a half options, and raised the Sheema Classic rather than a trip to the Breeders’ Cup this autumn. Blue Bolt, who won the Matron at Leopardstown and has taken five in a row, has only lost six kilos since and is being pointed at the Sun Chariot at Newmarket on 3 October ahead of Keeneland. King George winner Kalpana is still bound for the Arc, the trainer saying all roads lead to Longchamp (Thoroughbred Daily News).

Things to know today

Joseph O’Brien has floated the Dewhurst for Folsom Blues, who beat his stablemate Monogram by six lengths in Sunday’s Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes at the Curragh. The trainer said the colt has done nothing wrong in any of his races and loved going back up to seven furlongs, and that Newmarket could come en route to America. He will talk to Barry Mahon and the Juddmonte team before deciding where Monogram goes next. Thundering On, his Oaks winner, came back to take the Blandford on the same card and could go to the Arc, the Prix de l’Opera or the fillies’ race at Ascot on Champions Day (Sporting Life)

Timeform has raised Sun Goddess to 120 from 110p after the Moyglare, the highest figure it has given a two year old this season, with John Ingles suggesting a drop back to six furlongs for the Cheveley Park rather than a mile at Newmarket. Musical Times goes to 114p from 95P after winning Friday’s May Hill at Doncaster by seven and a half lengths, the widest winning margin in that race this century, and Desert Castle to 111p from 94P after the Champagne Stakes (Sporting Life)

Katie Scott will aim Naana’s Shadow at the Prix de l’Abbaye after the Havana Grey filly made all in the Prix du Petit Couvert at Longchamp, the first Pattern winner for the Scottish Borders yard and its first runner in France. Scott said on Monday morning that her phone had been going mad, that the whole year has been a dream and that the filly has just kept on improving, and that the stable can now go back for Arc weekend with the pressure off (Sporting Life)

Monday was the acceptance stage for Saturday’s Ladbrokes Ayr Gold Cup. William Haggas has Binhareer, who was sixth in the Wokingham at Royal Ascot in June and fourth behind Symbol Of Honour in the Hackwood at Newbury since, and the improving three year old Thunder Call, who won at Ascot this month and is not certain to get into the race. Coul Angel, who won at the Curragh on Sunday, could be turned out quickly (Sporting Life)

Nine remain in Saturday’s Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury, run this year in memory of Ian Balding, who trained Mill Reef. Arapaho Gold is unbeaten in four for Michael Dods and won the Gimcrack at York on his latest start, and Andrew Balding runs Jolivette, who was third behind Libertango and Star Of State in the Lowther. Nabati, third in the Flying Scotsman at Doncaster last week, could be turned out again at the weekend (Sporting Life)

Sheikh Ahmed is sixth in the owners’ table in Britain and Ireland with what John Ingles reckons is the strongest team he has had at one time. The mare Talmada has produced two Group 1 winners this year: Almaqam, who took the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh in May for Ed Walker, and Saddadd, who won the Grosser Preis von Baden last weekend for Roger Varian. Every horse the owner currently has in training carries a seven letter name (Sporting Life)

Six items against a cap of fifteen. The weekend’s Group 1 results at Doncaster, Leopardstown and the Curragh were reported in the last two editions and are not repeated here, so what follows a big weekend is mostly plans, ratings and acceptance stages. Several sources on our roster could not be reached while this edition was assembled, so nothing has been included that we could not verify at an open source.

Today’s cards

Going and non-runners as published this morning for Tuesday 15 September. Thirty six horses are out across the five British and Irish meetings, and one French card is covered below. British declarations close 48 hours out, so what follows is the morning movement against fields that were already known.

Punchestown

Going: good, good to yielding in places, with the weather at the course given as partly cloudy (Racing Post). Fourteen out, the heaviest list of the day: Lusted and Harita from the 13:40, Sonoran and Prince Andorra from the 14:40, Brigerbad, Ballysax Boo and Pattyandselma from the 15:40, Idomything, Arizona Star and Curious Jane from the 16:40, and Hastily, Medieval Night, Casheldale Lass and Eldorado Glory from the 17:13 (Timeform).

Reasons are published for four of them. Harita and Medieval Night are recorded as out on a change in the going, Eldorado Glory on temperature, and Prince Andorra as a reserve non-runner. No source we could read states what the Punchestown going changed from, and nothing here has been reconstructed from that reason line (irishracing.com).

Yarmouth

Going: the two reports we can read do not agree. Racing Post has Yarmouth as soft on a GoingStick reading of 4.6, while Timeform’s going report still carries good to soft, soft in places. Both are given here as published and neither has been reconciled by us (Racing Post, Timeform). Stalls are on the centre in the straight and the inside over a mile and two furlongs.

Eleven out: Berlinetta and Name The Day from the 14:17, Ambience and Izabel from the 14:47, Scenic Blue from the 15:17, King Of Montenegro, Agitator and Regal Tiger from the 15:47, Princess Rascal from the 16:17, Miss Nightcap from the 16:47 and Courageous Sioux from the 17:18 (Timeform, GG).

Wolverhampton

Going: standard on the Tapeta, with stalls on the outside over seven furlongs and the inside for the remainder (Racing Post). Six out: My Dad Tom from the 16:28, Darjeel and Amorance from the 16:59, Tredegar Square from the 17:30, Exquisite Skye from the 19:00 and Dragon God from the 20:00 (Timeform).

Uttoxeter

Going: good, good to firm in places, on GoingStick readings of 5.0 on the chase course and 5.1 on the hurdle course, with watering. Fence 8 will be omitted, and the weather at the course is given as rain (Racing Post). Four out: On The Fly from the 14:30, and Diesel Line, Battle Stride and Finjimk from the 16:30 (Timeform, GG).

Redcar

Going: good, good to firm in places, with watering, and the weather given as mostly sunny. Stalls are on the centre in the straight and the inside on the round course (Racing Post). One out: Maximus Meridius from the 14:23 (Timeform, GG).

France

Compiegne races over eight on turf described as soft (Sporting Life). Three are out: Cormac from the 14:40, Blanquette from the 15:15 and Opa Hoppenstedt from the 15:50 (irishracing.com). Only one source we could read carries non-runners for the French card, so the Compiegne list should be treated as the thinner of the two.

Every name above appears on at least one open going and non-runner report, and most on two or three. The reports do not carry the same list: at the time this section was assembled Racing Post’s own non-runner page showed ten withdrawals where Timeform showed thirty six, so the fuller reports have been followed and the source named at each meeting. No meeting carries an abandonment or an inspection, and no report we could read states a going change in the form of a previous going alongside a new one. Nothing here has been estimated, interpolated or carried forward, and going and non-runners can move again before the off.

Results

Added to this edition after publication, on the evening of Tuesday 15 September. Four of the six meetings previewed above had finished by then. Every winner, trainer, jockey, winning margin and runner count below is taken from the dated meeting result pages at irishracing.com and is given as published there. Race times are shown in the 24 hour form used elsewhere in this edition, and each meeting’s first and last race times match the card published by Sporting Life for the same day. No starting prices are carried. Wolverhampton was still running when this section was written, and no results page we could read covers Compiegne, so neither meeting is reported here.

Punchestown

Going on the result page: good, good to yielding in places, overcast. All eight races were run. W J Lee, who appears as Billy Lee in the news lines on the same page, rode three of the eight winners, and M D O’Callaghan trained two (irishracing.com).