James Fanshawe targeting third Champions Sprint success with close relative of previous two winners

James Fanshawe is bidding to win Saturday's Group 1 British Champions Sprint for a third time with a close relative of his previous two winners in Kind Of Blue, but the trainer is hoping the Berkshire track gets the lesser end of the rainfall that is forecast before the weekend.

The son of Blue Point is 8-1 third favourite with William Hill for the six-furlong contest which previously went the way of his close relatives Deacon Blue (2011) and The Tin Man (2016).

Kind Of Blue made a winning debut at Kempton in mid-April and has come a long way in the six months since, with his campaign featuring several near misses in Group company, most recently when a head second to this weekend's rival Montassib in the Sprint Cup at Haydock last month.

Since that narrow reversal, Kind Of Blue has been purchased privately by Wathnan Racing from his breeders Michelle Morris and Jan and Peter Hopper.

The Tin Man: won the Champions Sprint in 2016Credit: Mark Cranham

Speaking at Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, Fanshawe said: "I'm sure Kind Of Blue will appreciate some cut in the ground at Ascot as his family have in the past, it just depends on how much [rain] they get."

He added: "The other two won it on the easy side of good ground but they were older horses then, whereas Kind Of Blue is a three-year-old. I expect Kind Of Blue to handle some cut in the ground but how much depends on what rain they get at Ascot before the weekend. There are many in the field in the same boat."

The dam of Kind Of Blue, Blues Sister, is a sister to Deacon Blues, who won the race (which was then a Group 2) in 2011 on ground described as good. Blues Sister is also a half-sister to The Tin Man, who was also successful on good ground in the race five years later.

It was a dry day at Ascot on Tuesday but 6-8mm of rain is forecast on Wednesday and 20-25mm by midday on Saturday, with the three round-course races likely to be switched to the inner course. The going is heavy, soft in places on the round course and soft on the inner round course and straight.

Clerk of the course Chris Stickels said: "The forecast remains unsettled and keeps changing a little bit. We're expecting some rain tonight, rain on Wednesday night into Thursday and again on Friday night into Saturday morning.

"If it's still heavy in places on the round course on Wednesday evening, it's highly likely to be so the next morning and we'll take a view tomorrow on the extent of how heavy it is and whether there is any prospect of it improving."

Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes (1.55 Ascot, Saturday)
William Hill: 9-2 Kinross, 5 Montassib, 8 Kind Of Blue, Unequal Love, 10 Mill Stream, 12 Beauvatier, Flora Of Bermuda, 14 Swingalong, 16 bar

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