The three-year-old son of Lope De Vega moves up in trip and down in grade after a midfield finish in last month’s Group 1 Commonwealth Cup.
Balding, who was speaking on the Nick Lucky Daily Podcast, reckons the Group 2 contest on day one of the Qatar Goodwood Festival will be right in Jonquil‘s wheelhouse after finding thigs happening all to quickly last time out.
“He was obviously a big disappointment at Ascot but I think we were asking him to do something that wasn’t natural for him,” said Balding. “We’ve spent most of the spring getting him to settle and try and get him to switch off, and then asking him to get the revs up and sprint was probably a little bit unfair.
“But he’s come out of it great and I’d hope he can show his true colours at Goodwood. His work has been excellent and very professional.
“He looked to stay a mile very well in the French Guineas so I think seven (furlongs) to a mile is to his liking. You’ve got to take the options that are there and the Lennox looks the most suitable race for him at this moment in time.”
Balding also provided positive updates on unbeaten juvenile Humidity who runs in the Group 2 Vintage Stakes on the same afternoon, as well as star older horse See The Fire who is set for the Nassau Stakes over 10 furlongs next Thursday.
“We’re very pleased with Humidity,” said the trainer. “He had a quiet time straight after Ascot, we’ve just gradually built it up and he did his main work yesterday which went well. I think he’s a high-class horse, the form might have taken a few knocks since but I thought he won well on the day.
“He’s entitled to keep improving. He just does what he’s asked to do and no more but what we’ve asked him to do has been fairly impressive at home, so I think there’s more to come from what he achieved at Ascot.
“He’s obviously effective at seven but he might improve a bit for going a mile. There’s all sorts of opportunities available for him later in the year so we’ll keep our options open.
“That (Nassau Stakes) is plan-A for See The Fire. She too worked yesterday and we were really pleased with her. As long as there are no ill-effects from yesterday’s work we are all systems go.
“We’re very happy with her, she had a mini-break straight after Ascot and seems to have bounced back from that really well and we’re looking forward to the rest of the season.
“I think it’s top-class form, the best of the older mile and a quarter horses in Europe I’d say. My feeling is, with the benefit of hindsight, that Oisin felt if he’d ridden her a little bit colder then she might have run better.
“But it’s easy with hindsight. I’d hope that the Nassau would be a suitable task for her.”
