Simply Blue

A winning three-year-old gelding by Blue Point, Simply Blue has recently joined Deva Racing and will be trained in Newmarket by James Owen.

He is the second foal out of the talented Society Rock mare So Hi Society, who won twice, earned numerous black-type placings and finished fourth in the Gr.2 Lowther Stakes. She is a half-sister to the Listed winner Galtee Mist, and the extended family includes the Gr.1-winning sires Loup Sauvage and Loup Solitaire, so it is perhaps unsurprising that Simply Blue made £180,000 when sold at the Goffs Premier Yearling Sale at Doncaster. 

Previously trained by David Loughnane, he demonstrated distinct promise almost from the outset of his career, but a first win proved elusive for quite some time. He was a short head second over 5f at Leicester on his second career start as a two-year-old and then filled the same spot over 6f at Hamilton on his third appearance. 

Both of those races threw up future winners, but Simply Blue would go on to disappoint on his final outing as a juvenile and was gelded ahead of his three-year-old campaign. Initially given a mark of 83 by the handicapper, he struggled for form in the early part of the 2025 season, and gradually his rating began to decline. However, he confirmed that he retained plenty of ability when second in a 7f 0-70 handicap at Chester in July. Several more placed efforts followed before he finally earned a deserved victory in a 7f handicap at Wolverhampton in October.

The Wolverhampton win, which came from an official mark of 64, was given a boost shortly afterwards when the runner-up went on to win at Southwell. Simply Blue was raised 3lb by the handicapper following the breakthrough victory and remains more than a stone below his opening handicap mark. As a well-bred three-year-old with relatively few miles on the clock, there is plenty of scope for him to continue climbing back up the ratings.

A switch to the James Owen yard is another pointer towards renewed improvement. In 2024, his debut season on the Flat, James sent out 65 winners, and he has already topped the century barrier this year. Renowned for his deft touch with horses sourced from other stables, Simply Blue looks just the sort of horse that the trainer can take to new heights.

Ideally suited by six or seven furlongs and equally effective on turf or synthetics, he will debut for Deva Racing at Wolverhampton today and might be able to run up a sequence of victories on the all-weather this winter. Please get in touch for more details.