James Fanshawe is looking forward to the now Wathnan Racing-owned Kind Of Blue upholding family honour on QIPCO British Champions Day this Saturday.
The lightly-raced Blue Point colt is from the same family as former Fanshawe-trained stars The Tin Man and Deacon Blues, and has been snapped up by his new owners following an excellent head second to Montassib in the Betfair Sprint Cup at Haydock last month.
His trainer expects another bold show and, speaking on Wednesday's Nick Luck Daily Podcast, Fanshawe said: "He was only lightly trained as a two-year-old but in the spring he looked nice. When you're going up Warren Hill in the spring you never quite know if the ones all around him are just rubbish, but the way he travelled, he has always been an eyecatching horse up there. That's why before he ran we gave him an entry in the Commonwealth Cup - possibly due to his family too, his classy uncles."
Kind Of Blue certainly didn't disgrace himself in the white-hot heat of Royal Ascot battle, beaten just four lengths into fourth behind Inisherin in the top three-year-old sprint on ground considered plenty quick enough.
Fanshawe said of the Commonwealth Cup project: "I thought he'd run really well, the only thing was that the ground had dried out a lot there. And also, he'd only won two races and won them both easily so he wasn't really stretched.
"The difference between going from a maiden and a novice to actually having to stretch at full pace up the hill in a Group 1 is quite an ask. But he's always shown that class, I was keen to run him and he did run very well, he just got a little bit tired having travelled really well.
"I think his best run was his last run at Haydock where there was that little bit of ease in the ground."
But will he cope with potentially very deep conditions this weekend? Ascot's straight course is currently describes as 'Soft' with 8-10mm of rain expected Friday evening into raceday and the trainer admits that - like the rest of us - he is a little bit in the dark on that score.
"There is ease and there is ease isn't there..." Fanshawe said. "He's a horse I try to avoid quick ground with, but they have had a lot of rain at Ascot and it's going to be pretty testing. I'll tell you (whether he'll improve for it) after the race!"
One thing giving connections plenty of encouragement ahead of Saturday is Kind Of Blue's striking pedigree which features former Ascot heroes Deacon Blues and The Tin Man, both of whom prevailed here on soft or heavy ground throughout their illustrious careers.
Fanshawe said: "We've had the family - it must be nearly 30 years now. We had this horse's grandmother Pesario and she was a winner. She was a sister to a good, Group 2 and Group 3 seven-furlong horse called Warningford. She belonged to an owner-breeder and he then gave her to some other owners of mine - the Grundys - and she took over Pesario.
"She went on to breed Deacon Blues and The Tin Man, both of whom were previous winners of this race (QIPCO British Champions Sprint Stakes). Deacon Blues is the highest-rated sprinter I trained. Unfortunately, his career was short-lived. He won the three races coming up to the Champions Sprint in 2011, won at Ascot and then unfortunately he injured a tendon the next year so that was the end.
"He was absolutely brilliant. The Tin Man was tough and sound and was obviously a very good horse as well. But Deacon Blues showed that brilliant acceleration."
So how does the current top-level sprinter compare with those family members who came and conquered on Champions Day?
"They've all been enthusiastic. Both Deacon Blues and The Tin Man were handicappers at three and really got better at four, and that's when you get more attention and become the character. Kind Of Blue has got plenty of character, he's got a great personality and I think you'll find most good horses do.
"I'm really grateful that Wathnan have bought him as his pedigree suggests that he should improve from three to four, it's obviously a family that get better with age. The priority is to get Saturday out of the way but he's a horse I'm very much looking forward to next year as well."
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