Royal Ascot absentee Kind Of Blue is the star name among 16 entries for the Jenningsbet Chipchase Stakes at Newcastle tomorrow.
James Fanshawe’s charge was a Group One winner at Ascot in last season’s Qipco British Champions Sprint and had been pencilled in to return to the Berkshire circuit for last weekend’s Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes.
However, owners Wathnan Racing instead opted to rely on new recruits Lazzat and Flora Of Bermuda in the Royal meeting’s final day feature and were fully vindicated, with Lazzat stealing the show by outgunning Japanese raider Satono Reve and Flora Of Bermuda finishing third.
Kind Of Blue, who reared up in the stalls and subsequently disappointed on his first start of this season in France, could get his opportunity to bounce back at Group Three level on the Northumberland Plate undercard at Gosforth Park.
“Kind Of Blue is all fine, but with us having two other runners for the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes we just decided to sit and hold,” said Richard Brown, Wathnan’s racing adviser.
“He’s not had the perfect start to the year so far and after what happened in France we thought it was best not to risk another bad experience in what was a really competitive race.
“The plan is to go to the Chipchase on Saturday which we think will be a nice spot for him on a fair all-weather surface.”
Kind Of Blue is one of two Wathnan-owned entries along with recent purchase Paborus, who has won four of his six starts for Ed Bethell.
William Haggas has won the last three renewals of the Chipchase and could this year be represented by high-class mare Unequal Love, with the Owen Burrows-trained Alyanaabi, Karl Burke’s Spycatcher and Al Shabab Storm from Marco Botti’s yard also in contention.
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