Qatar Racing's leading light Kameko will head to Ascot on British Champions day for a crack at the Group One QEII.
The three year old at the back end of his juvenile career beat a decent field of youngsters at Newcastle in the Vertem Futurity Stakes to truly put himself on the map
On his seasonal reappearance asa three year old he ripped apart an even better field in the 2000 Guineas, showing some serious pace to beat the other runners which included champion two year old Pinatubo.
He was stepped up in trip for the Epsom Derby and with many thinking the horse would not stay and he didn't as he could only finish a tiring fourth.
Stepping back down to a mile for the Sussex Stakes, with two furlongs out he looked to be travelling the best of the pack but getting no run and running into other horses, he could not unleash his challenge.
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He was tried last time out in a hot Juddmonte International where again the step back up in trip did not suit him and the penny has now dropped that the mile is the distance he should be raced over.
(Credit ATR) That's what he will get in the QEII and Balding said: “He’s great – he’s just having some down time, and hopefully we’ll head to Qipco Champions Day for the QEII.
“I just feel like we’ve been learning as we go along, and I probably should have had a better idea at the beginning of the season what his best trip is.
“He’s a horse with a lot of speed and a lot of class, and I think a mile is right for him this season.”
He added: “He hasn’t run a bad race all season, but it’s just been frustrating since the Guineas.
“In a conventional year, things might have panned out better for him, but that’s where we were through no fault of his own.
“He’s a high-class horse, and I’d love to have a go at Ascot if the ground is all right.”