Horse Profile: New Century

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Scouting Report

(Editor's note: Originally published in the 2024 BRISnet Breeders' Cup International Report)

Four years after Qatar Racing, trainer Andrew Balding, and jockey Oisin Murphy teamed up with Kameko, who finished seventh as the Mile favorite, they’re back hopeful of a better result with his son New Century. The progressive colt is 2-for-2 at this mile trip, including the “Win and You’re In” Summer (G1) at Woodbine, in the fast conditions that he’ll enjoy at Del Mar. 

From Kameko’s first crop, New Century is a half to Group 3 winner Passion and Glory. Their dam, Potent Embrace, is a daughter of Street Cry and multiple Grade/Group 3 heroine Karen’s Caper, who missed out on Grade/Group 1 scores in tough-beat photos on both sides of the Atlantic. 

New Century’s pedigree points to improvement with maturity. His juvenile season fits that pattern, including a case study of progress in his match-ups with Al Qudra.

Debuting over six furlongs on the Lingfield Polytrack, New Century was an encouraging fourth to the more experienced Al Qudra. He was a tad slowly away, but finished energetically down the lane and actually passed the winner on the gallop-out. 

New Century was favored next time in a Doncaster novice, where he made the anticipated move forward going seven furlongs. Into the game early to track the pace, he did his best work in the final furlong to prevail. Back in third was the green first-timer Field of Gold, the eventual Solario (G3) winner. 

Up to listed company for the Pat Eddery S. at Ascot, New Century crossed swords again with Al Qudra, who controlled the pace and beat him again. But New Century raced handier and put himself in a position to challenge before he was rebuffed and settled for second. Odds-on favorite Chancellor, who didn’t have the cleanest run in third, went on to bolt up in a Doncaster novice.

New Century adopted the front-running role himself to win the Stonehenge S. at Salisbury. He had only two rivals, but each took a run at him at varying stages of the one-mile affair. After disposing of O’Brien’s odds-on The Parthenon, New Century was confronted by late-running Luther. He showed a good attitude to knuckle down and deny Luther’s bid by a half-length. Luther won the Ascendant S. at Haydock in his next outing, although he later disappointed in the Royal Lodge (G2).

Balding commented that New Century ideally wouldn’t want to carve out the pace, and he did so only in the circumstances. Indeed, he showed what he’d really like to do when closing off a rollicking pace in the Summer at Woodbine, and finally getting the better of his nemesis Al Qudra. 

Off slowly and last early, New Century outmoved Al Qudra in the stretch. Al Qudra was inconvenienced by Dream On’s veering, but Al Qudra’s own reaction made him scrimmage with New Century. Even if Al Qudra arguably took the worst of it as the one in the middle, New Century simply appeared to be sharper and nimbler as he scampered clear in a blistering time of 1:32.80. 

The one caveat is that the Summer typically doesn’t produce the Juvenile Turf winner. The lone exception is Pluck, who turned the double back in 2010.