Shuttling to Australia this spring for Coolmore, proven G1 sire Wootton Bassett (GB) featured overnight when his high class son Chindit returned to top form to win the Group II Fred Cowley MBE Memorial Summer Mile (1m) at Ascot.
Trained by Richard Hannon and ridden by Pat Dobbs, Chindit was a last start fourth in the Group I Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot following a third in the Group I Newbury Lockinge Stakes so appreciated a slight drop in class for this assignment.
He scored a head win over the favourite Mutasaabeq in a pulsating finish taking his overall record to six wins and two placings from 14 starts.
“Chindit is relaxing a bit better now so he's finishing his races off better,” said winning rider Pat Dobbs.
“Jim (Crowley, rider of Mutasaabeq) headed me and I thought he'd go away, but that helped me and we didn't go mad fractions which suited my horse. He had plenty in the tank and I always thought he'd get ten furlongs. He's always been a solid horse and once he gets fast ground, he runs to form.”
Chindit was a 65,000 guinea purchase from the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 2 and is the best of two winners from Always a Dream, a winning Oasis Dream mare from the family of Group I Epsom Derby winner Motivator.
A Group winner at two, three and four, Chindit is one of 28 stakes-winners for Wootton Bassett, who covered 188 mares here last year and returns at a fee of $71,500.
