Quicken Away (14:05 Goodwood — British EBF Peter Willett Future Stayers’ Maiden Stakes, Class 2, 1m)
A two-year-old bay colt by Frankel, owned by Mr Saeed Suhail and trained by Andrew Balding — in solid form at 20% over the last 14 days — and partnered again by Oisin Murphy. Quicken Away was an eyecatcher on his debut at Newbury on 14 August, going off at 5/4 favourite before finishing second of seven to King High, beaten just a neck despite a sluggish start and the penny clearly dropping late. He hit the line with real purpose and left a clear impression of a horse who would improve significantly.
He steps up to Goodwood today on good ground, Murphy retains the ride, and a Royal Lodge Group 2 entry in September tells you Balding has this colt firmly in his plans. Balding’s yard has won two of the last nine runnings of this race, and Noble Traveller at 9/4 is the only rival with any experience.
Verdict: Back to win — unlucky not to win on debut, top jockey retained, Balding targeting this race, and the step up in quality here suits a Frankel colt bred to improve. 🏇
