Kingsclere, the racing operation headed by trainer Andrew Balding, will bid to win Australia’s biggest race on Tuesday as Furthur lines up in the Group 1 Melbourne Cup.
Balding trains at Park House Stables an hour away from West London, where he benefits from the best facilities for racehorse performance and welfare. Those facilities, along with his team, have been key factors in Balding’s success as he has trained over 225 Stakes wins across 10 countries globally.
With 16 Group victories in 2025 as well as his record prize money and number of wins, Balding has been flying at home. He recorded three Group 1 wins in Britain, including two in October, for owners from China, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Furthur raced second at Group 2 level at Royal Ascot in June and won a Group 3 contest by three lengths in August (replay below).
He has been in Melbourne since mid-October and will compete in the Lexus Melbourne Cup for a partnership of British and Australian owners, including racing personality Lizzie Jelfs.
The three-year-old will not be the first Melbourne Cup representative for Balding as he saddled Spanish Mission to finish third in the race in 2021. Balding is no stranger to the winner’s enclosure at Flemington either as he won the Group 1 Mackinnon Stakes, now run as the Champions Stakes, in 2013.
With Balding busy over the weekend at Del Mar, where he had three runners at the Breeders’ Cup including Pacific Mission who finished second in the Grade 1 Juvenile Fillies Turf, it was his wife Anna Lisa who made the trip to the Melbourne.
Anna Lisa, who is a key part of the Kingsclere team, provided Great British Racing International (GBRI) with an update from Australia. She said: "Furthur has just come out of quarantine, having been in there for 14 days, and he’s settled in really well. I think it’s hard work for the team in the quarantine centre and Macie [Harris] did a great job.
“The horse has done a bit of quick work on the grass. Andrew has been tracking him back home using our Arioneo sensors and all looks good. We have booked Michael Dee, who is a really good lightweight jockey. He’s ridden him and is happy and confident.
“It’s just so exciting for Kingsclere to have a runner in the Melbourne Cup. We have had a really good October with two Group 1 wins, and now we have three runners at the Breeders’ Cup and one in the Melbourne Cup. It is great fun to be here and we are looking forward to this week."
About Furthur’s ownership group, Anna Lisa added: "Jason Singh, who works at Tattersalls, put the partnership together and they have had great fun at home this year. They are coming down to Australia and it will be exciting. They sold a share of the partnership to a couple of Australians as well and it will be a big social time down here with the Aussies and the Brits!”
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