Colin Keane enjoys the moment on Blue Bolt

Colin Keane looking ahead to Sun Chariot ride on thriving filly Blue Bolt

Horse Racing

Wed September 30, 2026 · 1d ago

Colin Keane can hardly wait to get the leg-up on winning machine Blue Bolt again in Saturday's Group 1 feature at Newmarket.

Juddmonte's number one rider has partnered the Andrew Balding-trained filly to five straight victories so far this season, the most recent three coming at the highest level, and he sees no reason why we should expect anything less heading into the BetMGM Sun Chariot Stakes this weekend.

Speaking on Wednesday's Nick Luck Daily Podcast, Keane - who rides Kalpana in the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe on Sunday - said: "Her record speaks for itself this year, she's gone from strength to strength. All the fillies that are running she has taken on, and she handled the track there last year when she bumped into Fallen Angel.

"If she turns up like she has done all year, she's the one they all have to beat. Like Kalpana, she's very straightforward - she's good from the stalls, she's a high-cruiser and she lengthens and gallops.

"To look at her you'd say she was a colt, she's very manly and I suppose that's why she's such a good filly. She's growing with confidence and probably knows she's a good filly now.

"She came a long way in a short space of time last year, then was second to Fallen Angel in this race on her last run. She's come back a bigger and stronger filly again and has obviously gone from strength to strength."

Regarding a potential trip to the Breeders' Cup at Keeneland, he said: "I suppose the logical thing would be to keep her against her own sex (BC Filly & Mare Turf rather than the BC Mile), the little bit of extra distance wouldn't be an issue for her. But I'll leave that to cleverer people than me to decide."

Keane was an eyecatching third on Sunly in the Prix Vermeille and feels Francis Graffard's filly will take all the beating under Christophe Soumillon as she looks to atone in Saturday's Qatar Prix de Royallieu.

He said: "She was very unlucky the last day when she fell out on her face out of the stalls and got interrupted up the straight, and still ran on to get as close as she did.

"Please God she gets a clean run around, she hopefully will take a lot of beating."

Keane will be in France come Sunday, though, and is looking forward to getting back on the Graffard-trained Amusingly in the Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac.

He just missed out on the No Nay Never filly in a course and distance Group 2 on September 6 and felt there were excuses for not coming out on top that day.

"She felt like a smart filly, she was a little bit keen in the middle of the race and got a little bit bumped around and still recovered to run a massive race," said Keane. "She travelled into it very easily but just got run out of it close home.

"She felt like a nice filly with a bright future."

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