Chindit has opportunity to shine without Baaeed

Horse Racing

Creditable efforts behind miling superstar make Hannon colt the one to beat at Newbury.

Having chased the tail of the brilliant Baaeed on a few occasions this season, Chindit bids to get back on the winning trail in the BetVictor Hungerford Stakes at Newbury on Saturday.

Richard Hannon’s four-year-old is a high-class colt in his own right, as advertised by his victories in the Doncaster Mile and the Summer Mile at Ascot earlier this season.

His other three outings in 2022 have all been in Group One races won by Baaeed, finishing third in the Lockinge, fourth in the Queen Anne and sixth in the Sussex Stakes.

The son of Wootton Bassett reverts to seven furlongs for the first time in this weekend’s Group Two feature, and his trainer is hopeful he can make the most of the opportunity.

Hannon said: “It’s a nice race for him, he runs well at the track and made most of the running in the Lockinge, so dropping back to seven furlongs shouldn’t be a problem.

“It looks a nice opportunity for him.”

The Everleigh handler has a second string to his bow in Happy Romance, who has won at Newbury twice and encountered traffic problems on her way to finishing fifth in the Hackwood Stakes four weeks ago.

Hannon added: “Happy Romance has had a bit of a break and in her last couple of runs she’s been looking like she wants seven furlongs now.”

The Charlie Hills-trained Pogo very nearly completed a hat-trick of seven-furlong Pattern race wins at Goodwood last month – finishing a close-up third in Lennox Stakes, having previously won the John of Gaunt at Haydock and the Criterion at Newmarket.

Hills is anticipating another bold showing, saying: “The ground should be good for him, I would have thought.

“There’s more runners than I thought there would end up being, but I think the track and everything will suit him and he’s been in great form.

“He’s doing great this year, we’re really pleased with him. He’s done us all very proud.”

Double Or Bubble steps down in grade but up in trip for Chris Wall after running with credit in both the Platinum Jubilee at Royal Ascot and the July Cup at Newmarket earlier this summer.

“She ran very well in the July Cup and I thought had we been drawn on the other side, the far side, which was where the race developed – we wouldn’t have won, of course, but I certainly think we would have definitely been fourth and might have been third,” said the trainer.

Double Or Bubble at Newmarket
Double Or Bubble at Newmarket (Alan Crowhurst/PA)

“But she ran very well. All credit to her for that. If she can run to a similar level of form on Saturday, then she has a good chance of being involved in the finish again.

“I don’t think Newbury will hold any horrors for her. I know it has one or two little undulations, but she has run well on the Rowley Mile and I would think Newbury is not too dissimilar to that.

“As long as the ground is a sound surface and not loose or anything like that, she should give her running with a bit of luck.”

Wings Of War, who finished fourth in the Phoenix Sprint at the Curragh last weekend, is sent back into battle by Clive Cox.

“He only ran last Saturday in Ireland, but he’s come back really fresh and well,” said Cox.

“Obviously he ran really well on the track last year when winning the Mill Reef, I’m pleased to have the opportunity to step him up to seven furlongs and he wears the cheekpieces again as well.

“He ran a super race at the Curragh and he has an amazing constitution, hence the reason we’re turning around so quickly.”

Tiber Flow (William Haggas), Dubai Poet (Roger Varian), Jumby (Eve Johnson Houghton), Primo Bacio (Ed Walker) and Run To Freedom (Henry Candy) also feature.

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