'He looks like The Tin Man but he travels like Deacon Blues - that’s not a bad combination'

It was a different experience to several other experiences in the Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes for Peter and Jan Hopper but one they insisted was no less pleasurable as Kind Of Blue reached the top of the division.

There has been a long link with the Hoppers, along with Ken and Elizabeth Grundy and Mike and Michelle Morris, and a string of speedy horses with an affinity for Ascot. Kind Of Blue is a son of the unraced Blues Sister who, as the name implies, is a sister of the inaugural winner of this race in 2011 on what was to be his final start, Deacon Blues.

Their sibling is The Tin Man, also trained by James Fanshawe to run in the same event no fewer than six times, winning it in 2016.

Kind Of Blue, who was bred by the Hoppers and the Morrises and had raced for them all this season, including a narrow second in last month's Haydock Sprint Cup, was acquired privately by Wathnan Racing in the meantime.

"Do I look less happy?" said a beaming Peter Hopper when asked about his emotions. "No. Wathnan are very professional people to deal with, very straightforward and do a lot for British racing."

He added: "I was saying to James we should let somebody else win this race, it’s a bit unfair isn’t it, three times. But seriously, this family is brilliant. It’s been so much fun."

Kind Of Blue is the third Group 1 winner from the first crop of Darley's Blue Point, joining the decorated miler Rosallion and another sharp sprinter, Big Evs.

"We’ve got the mare with Mike and Michelle, she’s in foal to Pinatubo so hopefully that goes well, and probably we’ll go back to Blue Point, why not," said Hopper.

"He’s only three, and we all decided to run in the Commonwealth Cup on the back of two novices and he came fourth. He’s been placed in Group races ever since. He looks like The Tin Man in our view, but he travels like Deacon Blues. That’s not a bad combination to have, is it."

Wathnan Racing, the vehicle of the Emir of Qatar, have been spending lavishly on horses in training and managed four winners at Royal Ascot. Agent Richard Brown acknowledged Kind Of Blue was now a live stallion prospect.

Blue Point is now the sire of three Group 1 winnersCredit: Patrick McCann

"He won’t be gelded!" he said. "He’s a Group 1-winning sprinting son of one of the most exciting sires in Europe, but there’ll be plenty of time to worry about that. We’ll enjoy his racing career first."

Although he was a recent addition to the team, Brown explained that a deal could have easily been cut earlier in the campaign.

"He’d been on our radar from right at the beginning of the season," he said. "We thought about making a move before the Commonwealth Cup but then thought we should probably wait, we wanted to see a little bit more. 

"Obviously at Haydock he ran a tremendous race in defeat, then we thought it was time to make a move. I thought the sprinting division was quite open and a three-ear-old had the chance of stepping up. He has, thank goodness."

Blue Point was not the only sophomore to register a Group 1 win. Lanwades Stud's Study Of Man sired a first from from his maiden crop as Kalpana raced to a convincing victory in the British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes. 

Juddmonte’s homebred was already the highest rated of the Prix du Jockey Club hero's offspring and one of the sire’s three scorers at Group level.

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