Andrew Balding set to take aim with biggest team after best season

Kingsclere trainer Andrew Balding is readying a Flat team of more than 200 horses for the first time for this turf campaign following his best season.

Balding enjoyed seven Group victories among a record 123 winners in 2018, accruing more than £2.6 million in prize-money, with Beat The Bank, Horseplay and Here Comes When fulfilling star roles in a stellar year.

Balding is one of four Flat trainers in Britain to have 200 or more horses, according to the 2019 edition of Horses In Training.

Richard Hannon will have the largest published string in Britain for a sixth consecutive year, with 252 horses, closely followed by Mark Johnston's team, that has expanded to 250 horses from 221 last year.

Balding, who has 203 horses listed in the book, sits third, with Roger Varian training 200 horses for the second consecutive year.

Balding said: “We’re very much looking forward to the turf season and have a nice bunch of horses.

“We had our best year in 2018 and it’s great to have more horses off the back of it. We have great staff and fantastic facilities to deal with our higher numbers and aim to push on again this season.”

Balding nominated a couple to follow for the turf campaign in the progressive Fox Tal, owned by King Power Racing, who have 35 horses with the trainer, and sprinter Foxtrot Lady, owned by long-standing patron Jeff Smith.

He said: “Fox Tal was third in a Group 1 at the backend of last year and is potentially very useful, while Foxtrot Lady progressed through the ranks last year, enjoying a fine season, and should continue to improve with time, like her family has always done.”

Dan Skelton remains the British jumps trainer with the largest published string, with 180 horses, followed by Alan King, Nicky Henderson and Paul Nicholls, who have 160 or more listed in the book, while Olly Murphy's string has increased to 103 from 50 last year.

Leading dual purpose trainer Ian Williams has 139 horses to his name, up from 107 last year.

Neil Mulholland and Nigel Twiston-Davies are among the top ten jumps trainers, albeit with reduced teams according to Horses In Training. Both still have in excess of 100 horses.

Gordon Elliott's string is listed as 172, from 212 in 2018, with Willie Mullins leading the way in terms of numbers in Ireland, with a team of 202.

Aidan O'Brien has 197 horses listed in the book this year, up from 178 last year, including 88 two-year-olds.

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