Best is yet to come from Blues, says Fanshawe after smooth Newbury win

By Marcus Townend for the Daily Mail
Updated: 17:04 EDT, 18 September 2011

James Fanshawe believes the best is yet to come from Deacon Blues, who has been cut to 11-4 favourite for next month’s big Champions Day Sprint after his smooth win at Newbury on Saturday.

Coral slashed the gelded son of Compton Place from 9-2 while quoting Society Rock at 12-1 for the clash of the sprinting stablemates in the £300,000 contest at Ascot on October 15.

The speedy duo produced a memorable Royal Ascot double for Fanshawe when Society Rock won the Group One Golden Jubilee Stakes and Deacon Blues landed the Wokingham Handicap.

Improving: Frankie Dettori riding Deacon Blues to win at Newbury

Saturday’s length victory over Masamah, however, made it three wins in Group Three company for Deacon Blues since his Royal Ascot success and he will go into the head-to-head as the higher rated Fanshawe horse and with Frankie Dettori, on board on Saturday, and Johnny Murtagh scrapping it out for the ride.

Fanshawe said: ‘Deacon Blues takes his races quite hard but the family improve with age. With another year on his back, he can be built up and become stronger.

Confident: James Fanshawe

‘They both love the track. Society Rock ran very well in the Prix Maurice de Gheest (when second to Moonlight Cloud at Deauville) and won the big sales race at Newmarket but his best races have been at Ascot while Deacon Blues has won the Wokingham there.

‘He was rated three pounds higher before Saturday and I don’t think there will be much of a change.’

Rivals for Deacon Blues in the Champion Sprint Stakes are likely to include Bated Breath and Hoof It, second and third in the Haydock Sprint Cup. 

Meanwhile, Kevin Ryan, who plans to take his Ayr Gold Cup winner Our Jonathan to the totescoop6 Challenge Cup at Ascot on October 1, has confirmed his Royal Ascot winning two-year-old Bapak Cinta on course for the Group One Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket on October 8. 

Meanwhile, Fox Hunt, under a powerful Silvestre De Sousa ride, won the German St Leger in Dortmund for trainer Mark Johnston, eight days after his Jukebox Jury had dead-heated in the Irish equivalent.

And Seanie, trained by David Marnane, belied odds of 40-1 when landing the valuable sales race at Fairyhouse under Colm O’Donoghue on Sunday.

Richard Hannon’s Three Am Tour fared best of the seven British raiders,
finishing fourth.