Kind Of Blue Joins Wathnan Racing

Kind Of Blue (GB), recently beaten a head when second in the G1 Sprint Cup at Haydock, has become the latest in-training signing for Wathnan Racing. 

The three-year-old son of Blue Point (Ire), who has until now raced for his breeders Michelle Morris and Jan and Peter Hopper, will remain in the stable of James Fanshawe.

Kind Of Blue was unraced at two but has made rapid progression since making a winning debut in April. Fourth in the G1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot after two straight wins, he has also been placed in the G3 Hackwood Stakes and G3 Phoenix Sprint Stakes.

Wathnan Racing's advisor Richard Brown said, “Kind Of Blue is an impressive horse with a big future. He has been extremely well-handled by James, who knows this family so well. Kind Of Blue's dam is a sister to two former stable stars, The Tin Man and Deacon Blues, both winners of the British Champions Sprint. That could well be the target for this fellow, too.”

Wathnan Racing, the operation owned by the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, will be represented in both Group 1 races at Newmarket on Saturday, with the unbeaten Defence Minister (GB), trained by Hamad Al Jehani, set to line up in the Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes and the G2 Queen Mary Stakes winner Leovanni (Ire) heading to the Cheveley Park Stakes for Karl Burke. 

Throughout the last two seasons the Wathnan team has won nine group races in Europe, headed by the G1 Gold Cup victory of Courage Mon Ami (GB) at last year's Royal Ascot. Major purchases this year have included Steve Parkin's homebred G1 Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Fallen Angel (GB) and G3 Jersey Stakes winner Haatem (Ire).

Asked whether there are plans for the operation to stand some of their best colts at stud in future, Brown told TDN, “At the moment, it's all about racing. Until we are forced to make a decision on something else then [Wathnan representative] Olly Tait has made it very clear that this is a racing stable and that's our focus, to keep trying to produce good results that the Emir and his family can enjoy and be proud of. That's the remit. 

“If we are in the position where a colt has to retire to stud we'll deal with that as it happens but we're not at that point yet.”