Kind Of Blue on retrieval mission in Chipchase
James Fanshawe's star speedster claimed Group One honours at Ascot last October and was being teed-up for a return to the Berkshire track for the Royal meeting.
However, after his belated reappearance at Chantilly in the Prix du Gros-Chene went wrong leaving the stalls and with owners Wathnan Racing having a crack team for the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes, the decision was taken to take stock and divert to the slightly calmer waters of this Group Three event.
Wathnan's racing adviser Richard Brown said: 'The plan was to obviously give him the prep race in France and it all just went wrong and he was left standing in the stalls for a very long time, then the horse next to him reared causing him to rear just as they were about to let them go and we missed the break by a very long way.
'We decided to miss Ascot because we wanted to get him back on track before building back up, so we dodged Ascot and obviously we had Lazzat and Flora Of Bermuda for that race (first and third).
'We left Ascot behind in favour of coming here to hopefully give him a chance to start his season properly and we're looking forward to seeing him run.'
Kind Of Blue's display at Gosforth Park could determine how the rest of his season maps out, with connections keen to see the same dash of quality that made the son of Blue Point a must have purchase for the Emir of Qatar's team last autumn.
'I think the July Cup will come too soon, but we will see how this goes before making any firm plans,' continued Brown, when assessing future options.
'At the moment we want to see Kind Of Blue show us he's as good as he was on Champions Day last year. All the signs are positive and he's been working very well but he's got to go and show it on the racecourse.
'We'll watch him run and make a plan after that.'
However, Kind Of Blue will not get things all his own way with Jack Channon's progressive Ferrous now stepping into Group company in the form of his life after racking up an early season hat-trick.
'He's in great form, obviously after his last win we had the Chipchase on our minds so we've freshened him right up,' said Channon, whose five-year-old was a winner over course and distance in May.
'He's had time out in the paddock and has been training really well the last few weeks. He went for a racecourse gallop last week, it went really well so we are all set for Saturday.'
Others with winning form at Newcastle in the race include Clive Cox's Diligent Harry and Mick Appleby's Annaf, while Owen Burrows' Alyanaabi was second to City Of Troy as a juvenile and now scratches the itch of connections to try six furlongs sporting first-time blinkers.
'It's a stiff six at Newcastle and Jim (Crowley) has always intimated he wouldn't mind trying that' said Burrows.
'We're going first-time blinkers as well, so we thought this might be the perfect time to give it a go.
'He was obviously disappointing at Haydock last time and Jim felt he perhaps wasn't putting 100 per cent in hence the blinkers. But he's been fine since and goes there in good shape.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Leader Live
17 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Quinault not for passing in Criterion Stakes at York
The five-year-old has long been an admirable servant for his Newmarket handler and always capable of mixing it at a high level and proved so once again to notch his 11th career success. A 12-1 chance for the first running of the Group Three event on the Knavesmire, Hart wasted little time taking the initiative and although plenty tried to reel Quinault in late on, he held on gamely for a length success over Kevin Ryan's fast-finishing Room Service. Williams said: 'We're delighted and he's always been a high-class horse. We hoped he was up to winning at Group level, before he'd only won at Listed level but when he gets his own way in front he's a hard horse to get past and he's always determined to win which helps. 'Jason gave him a great ride and he had his conditions today which helped. He really likes York and funnily enough he's won three times at York now and is unbeaten at the track. He's just a really good horse basically.' Paddy Power make Quinault a 16-1 chance for the Lennox Stakes at Goodwood, but it is more likely he returns to Yorkshire for a tilt at Group One glory in the upgraded Sky Bet City of York Stakes during the Ebor Festival on August 23. 'I think for sure we'll have a crack at the City Of York and that was the reason for coming here rather than the Chipchase at Newcastle,' continued Williams. 'We'll see what he's like at home but I would imagine the plan would be to go straight to it. If he got a bit fresh at home, which he can and he does take his racing well, we might have to look at something else in between.'
The Herald Scotland
41 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Spirit Mixer produces 25-1 Northumberland Plate surprise
Bred in the purple as a son of Frankel and owner Jeff Smith's Group One-winning mare Arabian Queen, Spirit Mixer was delivered with his challenge in the home straight and knuckled down to get the better Dancing In Paris by a neck under a delighted Rob Hornby, who travelled north for a solitary ride. Spirit Mixer comes out on top in the Northumberland Plate! The son of Frankel digs deep to take the prize at the third attempt, getting the better of Dancing In Paris on the run for home for @rob_hornby18 and @AndrewBalding2 at @NewcastleRaces! — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) June 28, 2025 'He was never a 25-1 shot in my head. I've won big races on him before and he was coming in off the back of a really good run at Goodwood,' said the jockey. 'I could have gone to Windsor and had four or five rides, but I wanted to come and ride him. He's a horse that's done no harm to me and it's fantastic to get that sort of reward today. 'There's a great crowd here today – I don't usually make the trek up north this far! I put it in my Sat Nav and it's just over five hours to get home, so this will make it a bit easier.' Jockey Rob Hornby with Spirit Mixer after winning the Northumberland Plate (Scott Heppell/PA) He added: 'He's such a cool horse, he's seven years old now and a beautifully-bred homebred of Mr Smith's. He's just thriving and really enjoying his racing at his tender age. 'The race went pretty smooth. I thought I was jostling for the lead early enough, but he got into a battle and outstayed them then inside the last furlong. 'It's important to be riding winners on Saturdays in these big races and I've been fortunate enough to win a July Cup in these colours (on Alcohol Free), they mean a great deal to me, as does riding winners for Kingsclere. 'What a joy he is to own and to train and to ride.'
Powys County Times
an hour ago
- Powys County Times
Whirl denies Kalpana in pulsating Pretty Polly Stakes
Whirl gained Epsom compensation when edging out Kaplana in an enthralling Paddy Power Pretty Polly Stakes. The Group One event looked a match on paper between Andrew Balding's proven Group One performer Kalpana (5-6 favourite) and Aidan O'Brien's narrow Oaks second, and so it proved as the pair served up a Curragh Classic. Ryan Moore was quickly away dictating terms aboard the 13-8 second-favourite, with Colin Keane never far away aboard the Juddmonte-owned Kalpana and must have thought the race was his for the taking when Whirl was asked for maximum effort with two furlongs to run with Kalpana still travelling menacingly. However, Whirl was not for giving in and after a titanic tussle the Wootton Bassett filly pulled out extra inside the final furlong to shade a length and a quarter verdict and deny Juddmonte back-to-back victories in the feature event after Bluestocking 12 months ago. Group 1 glory! Whirl strikes from Kalpana in a thrilling €300,000 @paddypower Pretty Polly Stakes for Ryan Moore, Aidan O'Brien and Ballydoyle 👏 @curraghrace — Racing TV (@RacingTV) June 28, 2025 'She's an incredible filly. She's just progressed and she loves getting into a fight,' said O'Brien. 'Obviously we saw that she stays a mile and a half at Epsom. She's absolutely concrete, really. We knew that obviously she wouldn't mind the mile and a quarter as she was very impressive in York when she won the Musidora. 'They got into a battle turning in and battling all the way up the straight like that at the Curragh takes some courage and they kept going together. Ryan said he felt 50 yards from the line that she had a look at the camera and he knew he had her then.' O'Brien was winning the Pretty Polly for the sixth time and reserved special praise for Moore, who was joining the list of great jockeys who have won the race three times. 'Ryan gave her a brilliant ride, he got the fractions absolutely spot on,' added O'Brien. Whirl returns after winning the Paddy Power Pretty Polly Stakes @curraghrace — Live (@IrishRacing365) June 28, 2025 'It's a difficult thing when you are running a mile-and-a-half filly back at a mile and a quarter. You are trying to spread the stamina out over a mile and a quarter without stretching the elastic too long, but he got it absolutely spot on. 'He got the favourite to challenge him and this filly gets a mile and a half so there was no point turning it into a sprint. It was the plan to spread it out and let the two of them get together and see who was going to be the best. 'As they say 'let the best horse jump the ditch' after that. Two great jockeys, what can I say about Ryan, day in day out he's incredible. 'They went strong and the two of them went together. Ryan and Colin knew they were each other's dangers and they weren't going to give each other an inch, which they couldn't afford to. 'Those kind of races are few and far between. When you have that type of quality horse lining up and two riders like that. On ground like this, in a place like this, it's a very special weekend.' As for the future for his winner, O'Brien is inclined to keep an open mind, with Whirl's Epsom conqueror Minnie Hauk also up his sleeve for the season's major events. He said: 'She can go anywhere now this filly. She can come back here to the Oaks, she can go to the Nassau (at Goodwood). 'She's an unusual filly. She's tough and she's not even blowing there, her nostrils weren't even flaring. 'She's obviously a very high-class filly and it's very exciting. It's possible she's kept apart from Minnie Hauk, but the lads could let them run together in the Oaks. 'I'd imagine if Minnie Hauk comes back to the Oaks and she's well she'll be let go by herself and this filly could do other things. 'She's not slow either.'
