Forbidden Fire aiming to keep up family tradition

After enhancing her reputation by beating the boys at Doncaster, Forbidden Fire will aim to boost trainer Andrew Balding’s title bid when she takes on fellow Town Moor scorer Musical Times in the bet365 Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket on Friday.

The Jeff Smith-owned Salisbury winner stepped up to Listed level with aplomb on just her second start, downing a smart cast of rivals including Roger Varian’s well-regarded Dewhurst possible Rock Montreal (second) and subsequent Mill Reef winner Nabati who was back in third.

A daughter of No Nay Never out of the outstanding racemare Arabian Queen, Forbidden Fire is a half-sister to See The Fire for the same connections and will now head to Newmarket seeking top honours as she stretches out to a mile for the first time.

Balding said: “Forbidden Fire is a lovely filly. She’s beautifully bred. She always looked like she had some ability. She started really well at Salisbury and stepped up on that again, second time out in a Listed race against colts.

“The form has worked out well. The third horse has won the Mill Reef Stakes after that, so she’s relatively lightly raced, with just two starts, and I hope there’s still improvement in her.

“The question mark is probably stepping up to a mile. Her siblings have deceived me in staying further than we ever thought they would. It’s probably worth a go, and she’s got the class. I’d hope to be very competitive.”

Forbidden Fire could be joined in Friday’s Group One event by stablemate Scommessa Sicura, who is part-owned by Chelsea and England’s Reece James and got closest to Fillies’ Mile favourite Musical Times when they met in the May Hill Stakes last month.

Balding added: “Scommessa Sicura has been so consistent this year. She’s had plenty of racing. She’s never run a bad race, and she was second in the May Hill, second in the Stonehenge. She won her maiden at the July meeting.”

Balding will also be represented in the weekend’s other Group One event on the Rowley Mile when Gentle Hurricane is poised to be the only non-Godolphin or Coolmore-owned runner in the Darley Dewhurst Stakes.

Fourth to Charlie Appleby’s Dewhurst favourite Desert Castle in the Champagne Stakes at Newmarket, the colt will bid to give the trainer back-to-back victories in the race after the win of the ill-fated Gewan 12 months ago.