The battle of the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes between Modern Games and Chindit looks set for another chapter with the Newbury runner-up set to clash with the Godolphin-owned globetrotter again at Royal Ascot.
Chindit will form a strong Richard Hannon challenge in the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes at the Royal meeting next month on Tuesday 20 June, the first day of the festival with stablemate Lusail also holding an entry.
Chindit produced some solid form last campaign with a third-place finish in the 2022 Lockinge Stakes preceding a good fourth in the Queen Anne at last year's Royal Ascot. The son of Wootton Bassett showed his best form a month later at the Berkshire venue when a narrow winner of the Group 2 Fred Cowley MBE Memorial Summer Mile.
He was below par on his final two outings of the season but bounced back when landing the Listed Paradise Stakes over 1m at Ascot at the start of this month. It was a clear career-best when runner-up in the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes, despite biting Modern Games' rider William Buick inside the final furlong.
Chindit will be joined in the Queen Anne by stablemate and Lockinge sixth Lusail, who recorded an excellent second in last year's Group 1 St James's Palace Stakes, when only beaten a head.
The trainer said: "They are both going to the Queen Anne,"
"I was slightly disappointed Chindit only went up 2lb – he should have a much higher rating than that (115). Is a Group One going to come his way this year? He's improved a lot from last year and I was delighted with his performance. He has come out of the race bouncing.
"Lusail was himself, he just takes a bit of giddying up and is very lazy."
