'I think he'll be hard to beat' - quotes and analysis for a belter of a British Champions Sprint
The British sprint Pattern centres on Ascot, and the various apparently exceptional winners of this race down the years only serve to prove the rule.
There have been five double-figure-priced winners of the British Champions Sprint since it became part of Champions Day. What linked Art Power, Glen Shiel, Donjuan Trumphant, Sands Of Mali and Librisa Breeze was that they had all recorded big runs at Ascot before their win in the race.
Often, soft-ground form at the track was also in their back catalogue. As a result, beyond the obvious major trials of the Jubilee Stakes, Commonwealth Cup and this race itself, you want to focus on other autumn races here. The Bengough Stakes, a Group 3 over course and distance, has come up a lot. So has the Challenge Cup over seven furlongs, or even the Balmoral Handicap over a mile.
The takeaway from these trends, in common with what you often see on Ascot's straight course, is that course form is king and ground is a nice-to-have. It is also no bad thing if your form is over a little further.
While we are proving rules, the strongest exhibit here may not be Vadream, with her 12 course runs and mudlark status. It is arguably Kind Of Blue.
If you can breed for something, it surely exists and this horse is the third from his immediate family to make the frame in a Group 1 sprint at this track. His dam is a sister to Deacon Blues and half-sister to The Tin Man, both winners of this race. Before he won this, The Tin Man was second in Haydock's Sprint Cup and Kind Of Blue did exactly the same last month.
Ascot pedigrees are bound to emerge when more than half of the Group 1 sprints for non-juveniles take place here. A win for Kind Of Blue would continue the Champions Sprint's strongest trend of all.
Race analysis by Keith Melrose
Kinross out to avenge last year's heartbreak
Kinross is back for more in one of his usual quests for big-race autumn glory and Rossa Ryan is confident he will be able to strike again after his agonising defeat a year ago.
The Ralph Beckett-trained seven-year-old took this impressively two years ago and looked set for back-to-back wins last year, only to be nabbed by a neck by Art Power after hitting the dreaded 1.01 on the Betfair Exchange.
The Marc Chan-owned star showed he remains in fine fettle with victory in the Park Stakes last month before finishing runner-up behind Ramatuelle in the Prix de la Foret on Arc day. He makes another quick 13-day return on a familiar path as he bids for a third Group 1 triumph.
"He's doing well," Ryan said. "He ran a great race at Longchamp giving all that weight away against a filly. We're going there with the yard in good form and he's got a solid chance. His draw in stall 18 isn't ideal but he's overcome worse before."
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What they say
John Gosden, joint-trainer of Audience
He's back in trip but has plenty of speed and it's going to be a testing six furlongs in the ground. He could be in the right place in stall two as I'm sure they'll be heading over there owing to the grandstand shadow.
Jane Chapple-Hyam, trainer of Mill Stream
He’s never let us down. When he ran at Deauville last time we thought he’d get the trip, but the extra half-furlong was just too far for him. Everything has been smooth sailing and his form is as good as any. He goes there in very good order.
William Haggas, trainer of Montassib and Unequal Love
Montassib will do really well to beat Kind Of Blue because I think he'll be hard to beat. I've always thought Montassib wanted really soft ground and he's going to get it. Now I seem to have got his right trip, he's upped his game a bit. He's still relatively unexposed at six furlongs and he's surprised me in the right way. Unequal Love ran a great race at Haydock. I'm concerned about the soft ground but there's nothing else for her and she'll take her chance.
Richard Brown, racing adviser to Wathnan Racing, owners of Shartash and Kind Of Blue
Shartash will enjoy the ground and we think he's drawn well in stall five. Archie Watson says he's in good form and the stiff six furlongs on soft ground could see him run into a place. Kind Of Blue is the progressive three-year-old sprinter. We'd have liked him to have been drawn lower but James Fanshawe thinks he'll like the ground as his family went on it.
Karl Burke, trainer of Spycatcher, Elite Status and Swingalong
All are in good form. Spycatcher will love the soft ground and Swingalong should handle it too. We'd have preferred better ground for Elite Status but he's in great form and will take his chance.
Yann Barberot, trainer of Beauvatier
He finished like a train the other day in the Foret and it's very exciting to be going to Ascot with him. He's perhaps in better form than before the Foret. He's straightforward and adapts to all types of track and ground.
Reporting by Matt Rennie
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Champions Day previews:
3.55: Economics 'ready to go' again in Champion Stakes showdown with Calandagan and Los Angeles
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- Watch: Maddy Playle, Graeme Rodway and Johnny Dineen preview the weekend's racing on The Morning Post
- Saturday updates: sore foot rules Lossiemouth out of Morgiana clash with State Man and Brighterdaysahead
- 'He won't even need to be at his best to win this' - Harry Wilson returns with his fancies for every race on ITV on Saturday
- 'He could be anything and he's 20-1' - David Jennings answers the big questions ahead of a super Saturday of jumps action
- 2.30 Haydock: 'I’d love him to step into open company' - Dan Skelton on his two runners in valuable staying handicap hurdle
