By Sean Cronin
James Fanshawe trainee and G1 King's Stand Stakes fourth Kind Of Blue (GB) (Blue Point {Ire}–Blues Sister {GB}, by Compton Place {GB}) was acquired by Wathnan Racing after a posting a second-place finish in last month's G1 Haydock Sprint Cup and provided an immediate return on investment with a brave success in Ascot's G1 Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes.
The 10-1 chance and 'TDN Rising Star' employed patient tactics from flagfall and settled off the tempo through halfway. Cruising into contention at the quarter-mile marker, he was ridden to the fore approaching the furlong pole and kept on in resolute fashion under a continued drive to hold the rallying Swingalong (Ire) (Showcasing {GB}) by a head. Flora Of Bermuda (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) contributed to a thrilling finale in the six-furlong dash and was a neck down in third, a half-length ahead of Beauvatier (Fr) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) in fourth.
“Kind Of Blue is the third close relation that has won this race, all from the same family and all bred by the Hoppers, the Grundys and the Morrises,” said the custodian of all three. “All trainers get attached to families that do them well and this is a family that has done us tremendously well. Wathnan Racing bought him three weeks ago and he's a really exciting horse for them going forwards. He's got the Group 1 under his belt now and it's been a big team effort to get him here. Dan Muscutt has ridden him in all his races and done all the homework on him. Obviously to all the team back home, I'm really grateful. He had a couple of niggles as a two-year-old, but up Warren Hill in the spring he was looking pretty special early on. He'll be done for the year now. We'll talk with Richard Brown and the connections, but he's had a long season and we'll look forward to next spring.”
Wathnan's retained rider James Doyle commented, “To think Kind Of Blue was unraced before the start of this season, he has made giant strides and run some cracking races in defeat. He ran well here back in June in the [G1] Commonwealth [Cup] and ran great in the [G1] Haydock Sprint [Cup], when he was just touched off. He improved with every race and there's no greater man than James Fanshawe to prepare a Champions Sprint winner here at Ascot. He knows what he needs and it was great. It was a long last 10 strides and Kind Of Blue was very brave. For a very inexperienced horse to lead a furlong-and-a-half out and still knuckle down when he felt the second horse come to me is a true testament to not only his ability but the heart that he has. There is a superb team behind Wathnan Racing, headed by Richard Brown, that source these horses. We've had some near misses through the season, so to get one of these proper Group 1 winners is very important. The team did a great job.”
Swingalong's trainer Karl Burke was not downcast in defeat and said of the runner-up, “She's brilliant and I am delighted with her. Three seconds in Group 1s in a year is a bit frustrating, but she's a fantastic filly to have and credit to everyone in the yard. Two furlongs out I thought, surely we'll get there. Then I thought we were beaten, then she was coming again at the death. She just doesn't know when to give in. Once she's in that rhythm, she doesn't stop, whatever the ground is. It is a good question as to whether she stays in training. It will be up to the owner. Whatever he decides to do, she has done enough to go off to the paddocks. If she had won today, I'd have said pack her in, but there's no reason why she can't go on another season. Physically, she's a very sound filly, touch wood. It's the owner's choice and I wouldn't like to recommend either way.”
It was a first visit to the podium in a top-tier contest for Flora Of Bermuda and connections were understandably thrilled with her third-place finish. “She is a very special filly and we're absolutely delighted,” beamed Anna Lisa Balding. “She has had a lot of bad luck, she was pretty unlucky at Haydock and that would have been her best career run. Today she has taken it off the charts. We've had a few little hiccups with her and, to do it like that on Champions Day, that's what we were dreaming of. She will stay in training and you never know, we might bump her up to seven furlongs in time.”
🇬🇧 Qipco British Chp Sprint Stakes @Ascot #ChampionsDay |@ChampionsSeries
Ascot – Groupe 1 – 3 ans et plus – 1200m – 20 Pts – Souple (3.5) – 580.695 €🏆 🥇Kind Of Blue (m) (Gb) 🏇James Doyle @the_doyler
🥈Swingalong
🥉Flora Of Bermuda
⏱️📖(Blue… pic.twitter.com/POfy8ki4Y2
— French and International Horse Racing (@Vincenzo0612) October 19, 2024
Pedigree Notes
Kind Of Blue, who becomes the third Group 1 winner for his second-crop sire, is one of two scorers out of an unraced full-sister to Deacon Blues (GB) (Compton Place {GB}), himself the winner of this contest in 2011. The February-foaled bay's dam Blues Sister (GB) (Compton Place {GB}) is kin to the race's 2016 hero and G1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes and G1 Haydock Sprint Cup winner The Tin Man (GB) (Equiano {Fr}). She is also a half-sister to the dual stakes-placed Holley Shiftwell (GB) (Bahamian Bounty {GB}). Kind Of Blue's second dam Persario (GB) (Bishop Of Cashel {GB}) is a winning half-sister to G1 Lockinge Stakes second and three-time G3 Leicestershire Stakes-winning sire Warningford (GB) (Warning {GB}).
Saturday, Ascot, Britain
QIPCO BRITISH CHAMPIONS SPRINT STAKES-G1, £500,000, Ascot, 10-19, 3yo/up, 6fT, 1:17.22, sf.
1–KIND OF BLUE (GB), 129, c, 3, by Blue Point (Ire)
1st Dam: Blues Sister (GB), by Compton Place (GB)
2nd Dam: Persario (GB), by Bishop Of Cashel (GB)
3rd Dam: Barford Lady (GB), by Stanford (Ire)
TDN Rising Star. 1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN; 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Wathnan Racing; B-Mr & Mrs M Morris, Mr & Mrs P Hopper (GB); T-James Fanshawe; J-James Doyle. £283,550. Lifetime Record: 7-3-2-1, $559,429. Werk Nick Rating: C. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Swingalong (Ire), 127, f, 4, Showcasing (GB)–Pilates (Ire), by Shamardal. (120,000gns Ylg '21 TATOCT). O-Sheikh Juma Dalmook Al Maktoum; B-Mount Armstrong Stud (IRE); T-Karl Burke. £107,500.
3–Flora Of Bermuda (Ire), 126, f, 3, Dark Angel (Ire)–Dubai Power (GB), by Cadeaux Genereux (GB). 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. (€65,000 Wlg '21 GOFNO1; €52,500 Ylg '22 ARAUG; £340,000 2yo '23 GOUKB). O-Bermuda Racing Ltd; B-Francisco Bernal (IRE); T-Andrew Balding. £53,800.
Margins: HD, NK, HF. Odds: 10.00, 8.50, 25.00.
Also Ran: Beauvatier (Fr), Montassib (GB), Spycatcher (Ire), Kinross (GB), James's Delight (Ire), Annaf (Ire), Unequal Love (GB), Shouldvebeenaring (GB), Audience (GB), Art Power (Ire), Moss Tucker (Ire), Mill Stream (Ire), Shartash (Ire), Bucanero Fuerte (GB), Vafortino (Ire), Elite Status (GB), Vadream (GB).
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