New Century , the full brother to the most expensive colt ever sold at Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, has been reported in great shape as his Breeders’ Cup assignment looms.

The Andrew Balding-trained 2-year-old and the 1 million guineas sale topper bought by Godolphin Oct. 16 are by Tweenhills sire Kameko , the 2020 Two Thousand Guineas (G1) hero, and out of the late Potent Embrace, a daughter of Street Cry.

New Century was a North American winner for Sheikh Fahad Al Thani and his brothers in last month’s Summer Stakes (G1T) at Woodbine, and the Qatar Racing homebred is among the contenders pointed to the Nov. 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) at Del Mar.

Having won three of his last four outings, the colt certainly goes into the race in top form.  

David Redvers, racing manager for Qatar Racing, said: “New Century was bred at Tweenhills, he’s by Kameko, and he’s trained by Andrew—the whole story has come full circle.

“Winning (at) the Breeders’ Cup is one of Sheikh Fahad’s unfulfilled ambitions. To have a genuine contender in New Century gives the whole operation a huge boost.”

Balding, also yet to win a Breeders’ Cup contest, said of New Century: “He’s got a great constitution and has taken everything in his stride. From traveling to Canada and winning, to preparing now for the Breeders’ Cup. He’s been flying at home since he arrived back from Canada.

“Del Mar is probably not the ideal track for him, but this is the Breeders’ Cup—a million-dollar grade 1—and we’re going for it. We’ll need a bit of luck with the draw.”

Balding added that the colt was something of a late developer: “When he first came into training, I wasn’t wowed by him until his fifth or sixth piece of work. He’s a horse that learns and improves, and he’s turned into a fantastic competitor.”

New Century carries the legacy of his sire Kameko, who Oisin Murphy rode in all his 10 races for the Balding yard, the highlights of which were top-level strikes in the 2020 Two Thousand Guineas and the Futurity Trophy (G1) the previous year.

Kameko also has the Royal Lodge Stakes (G2) winner Wimbledon Hawkeye  flying his flag amid a promising start to his stud career.

Murphy, who has ridden New Century on all five starts and has a Breeders’ Cup winner at Del Mar on his résumé, having partnered the Japanese-trained Marche Lorraine  to win the 2021 Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1), said: “New Century is compact and has a great mind. He’s not as big as Kameko, but his mentality is spot on. He’s improving with every run this season.