Keane backing Bolt to be at her best in Sun Chariot
By Racing TV
Last Updated: Fri 2 Oct 2026
After what Colin Keane regards a career-best performance in Ireland last time out, Blue Bolt will be a warm order to continue her exceptional season at Newmarket in the BetMGM Sun Chariot Stakes.
Given the Andrew Balding-trained filly is unbeaten in five this season, including at Group One level in her last three races, Keane’s assessment could be regarded as something of a bold statement.
However, should she turn up in the same form as when leaving her rivals in the dust in the Matron Stakes at Leopardstown, Keane’s confidence looks well placed.
“She has just turned up every time we have asked her this season and hopefully she can turn up again this weekend,” he said.
“She’s done absolutely nothing wrong this year. She was second to Fallen Angel in this last year and she’d come a long way in a short space of time then.
“That was a massive run in the Sun Chariot last year, it topped off what had been a good year for her.
“This year she has just gone from strength to strength and she has looked fairly bombproof.
“She does handle an ease in the ground but she’s at her best on a sound surface. She’s uncomplicated, she wins, she saves her best for the track and that’s what you need.
“It would be hard to say her last run wasn’t her best in the Matron, she quickened between them well there and you’d have have to say that was her best performance.”
Blue Bolt beat Paddy Twomey’s City Of Memphis by two and a quarter lengths at Leopardstown and she takes her on again.
Karl Burke’s 1000 Guineas runner-up Evolutionist is also back for more, despite seeing the back of Blue Bolt in both the Falmouth Stakes and the Prix Rothschild.
One filly who has not clashed with the favourite yet is Owen Burrows’ Calendar Girl, but she would need to improve on her sixth place in a Sandown Group Three last time out.
Burrows said: “Obviously if Blue Bolt turns up in the form that she’s been in then she’ll be very hard to beat. We can hope maybe that she’s had a hard-ish season, but she hasn’t looked to have too many chinks in her armour at the moment.
“But our filly goes there as a fresh filly, the ground at Sandown was a bit soft for her and this will suit her much more – she won the Oh So Sharp here last year in similar conditions and we’d be thrilled if she could go and get placed.”
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