2021 European Horse of the Year St Mark’s Basilica (Fr) will be headed back to Coolmore Australia later this year and he featured overnight when the Andrew Balding trained colt Venetian Prince made a successful raid on the Group II Derby Italiano (2200m) at San Siro.
A winner at Newbury from just two starts as a juvenile, Venetian Prince has been competing against the best three year-olds this year with a fourth in the Group III Craven Stakes won by Oxagon and then a tenth in the Group I Newmarket 2000 Guineas behind Bow Echo and Gstaad.
Stepped out to a staying trip with Jason Watson to ride, Venetian Prince was strong at the finish, hitting the line hard to win by a long neck running away.
Andrew Balding was thrilled to emulate the success of his father Ian Balding, who won the Derby Italiano back in 1981 with Glint of Gold.
“It's a race I've always wanted to win. My dad was lucky enough to win it in 1981 and I remember it well,” said Andrew Balding.
“We've had a couple of near misses since, so, yes, we're thrilled. Anna Lisa [Balding's wife] is out there, along with Fabrizio Specchio, who is one of my head lads. He's Italian and he always takes Derby week off. He took that off before he even knew that we had a runner, so that was lovely that he was out there.”
Venetian Prince has the overall record of two wins and two seconds from seven starts and Royal Ascot may be his next assignment.
“If he comes back alright, I'd imagine we'd probably go to the [G2] King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot. He doesn't get a penalty for that and he obviously stays well. Watching him today, he looked like another furlong would be right up his street,” said Balding.
“He's not built like a middle-distance horse, but the mare [Arabian Queen] is just amazing – Spirit Mixer can win a Northumberland Plate and See The Fire could win a Group 1 at a mile.”
Venetian Prince is a homebred for Jeff Smith’s Littleton Stud and is a half-brother to multiple Group II winner See the Fire and two more stakes horses being the second stakes-winner among six foals to race that have all won Group I winning Dubawi mare Arabian Queen.
Venetian Prince is the fifth stakes-winner for St Mark’s Basilica, who returns to Australia at a fee of $38,500.
