Blue Point, trainer Charlie Appleby and Ameet Tikare | racingfotos.com

In another piece of theatre on Royal Ascot’s opening card, the second act of the Blue Point (Ire) (Shamardal) and Battaash (Ire)(Dark Angel {Ire}) stage play saw the spotlight fall once again on Godolphin’s TDN Rising Star at the end of the G1 King’s Stand S. With Battaash denied an ideal lead into the race after Houtzen (Aus) (I Am Invincible {Aus}) bobbled leaving the stall next to him and kept him removed from the main action up the centre, Blue Point was forced to plough his own furrow without cover near the pace set by Soldier’s Call (GB) (Showcasing {GB}). Jim Crowley had to make a move at halfway to get involved and Shadwell’s 2-1 favourite loomed ominously, but James Doyle was getting a typically generous response from his main adversary. Forging ahead from 150 yards out, which was a touch earlier than he had done 12 months previously, Blue Point had eked out a 1 1/4-length verdict over his foe at the line, with the 3-year-old Soldier’s Call sticking on courageously to be 1 1/2 lengths away in third. “He’s one of the old warriors of the yard and he’s always going to find for you,” an emotional Charlie Appleby said of the 5-2 second favourite, whose repeat win came in the gloom of a rain-hit afternoon. “We had him in the form of his life today and he was electric when James got on him last Wednesday. He said he was the fastest horse he had sat on. He’s been close to us all for a long time and always pulls on your heart strings.”

Blue Point has been able to perform to a high standard from the outset, with his 11-length novice win on his second start at Doncaster in July 2016 marking him out as one of the special ones. It was at York the following month that he shone in a pattern-race as he belied fears about similarly rain-afflicted conditions to these when taking the G2 Gimcrack S. by three lengths but he was second in the G1 Middle Park S. before a sole try at seven furlongs resulted in a third placing in the G1 Dewhurst S.

Charlie Appleby always held out that he would be better as he aged and so his defeat of Harry Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in the 2017 G3 Pavilion S. and third in this meeting’s G1 Commonwealth Cup represented important bonuses, as did his successful 3-year-old finale in the G3 Bengough S. again over this course and distance. On international duty last spring, he bounced out of the G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize where he was last after missing the break to down Battaash in this before running seventh in the G1 July Cup and third in the G1 Nunthorpe S. back at York in August.

William Buick had steered him to three commanding victories in the carnival’s Feb. 14 G2 Meydan Sprint, Mar. 9 G3 Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint and G1 Al Quoz Sprint and told all connected that the Blue Point that would head back to the Royal meeting was the finished article, so it was cruel fate that he was stood down for this crowning moment. James Doyle, who had previously partnered the bay when second in the G2 Richmond S. as a juvenile and when fourth in the G1 Haydock Sprint Cup at three, was in no mood not to be making this third time lucky and opted to keep it simple on the powerhouse despite being exposed as Soldier’s Call raced a few horse widths away.

Whereas Battaash’s draw in 12 was seen as a positive beforehand, with the view being that he would be able to gain an all-important lead for the first half of the race, it turned out a poisoned chalice with the bullseye on Houtzen proving misplaced after the filly’s early stumble. Out of sync with the remainder as she carted Shadwell’s great hope alone towards the stand’s rail, she was always adrift of Soldier’s Call with Blue Point’s one stall proving more favourable. Jim Crowley was holding on to Battaash for as long as he dare, but despite a phenomenal move from the three to the two he was always going to empty where it mattered and Blue Point was ruthless in his dismissal of his great rival in the closing stages.

On an important day for Doyle, he was not holding back on his mission accomplished. “It’s a feeling of immense satisfaction that I haven’t messed up the ride, as the two times before it hadn’t worked out for me,” he said. “Charlie said for me to sit on him a few weeks ago, as he can be a bit tricky and that’s what makes him the trainer he is and it’s a real team effort. It was very smooth, just how we saw it on paper. I knew we’d have to do it on our own and while I wasn’t always in front, I was leading my batch and I thought it was a real testament to him. He’s more electric on faster ground, but he’s a real tough horse and the good ones go on anything.”

Of his bond with Buick, he added, “This is why I’m in place, if things go wrong and it must be very difficult for Will being here watching the good horses, but I guess it will soften the blow knowing his best mate is riding them. I know what it feels like and he was one of the first to come over and give me a hug. He’ll be back soon and that’s the main thing.”

Appleby added, “To do back-to-back wins in this race is fantastic, as I knew he’s going to have a great career at stud when he retires at the end of the season. During the winter we saw how much more professional he was. He’s strengthened and when William got off him after his first start in Dubai he said he was a different animal. We’ll give him a little break and work back from the [Oct. 6 G1 Prix de l’] Abbaye [at ParisLongchamp] at some stage.”

Charlie Hills endured a deflating day, but was dignified in defeat. “I think he probably just got a little bit outstayed again,” he said of the runner-up. “It is just testing his stamina a bit. He was drawn wide and unfortunately the horse [Houtzen] we thought was going to take us on early into the race slipped out of the stalls. We just got a little bit detached from the race and he had to make his move a little early, but he ran a really good race. The race worked out how we envisaged it. We will go to Goodwood now for the [Aug. 2 G2] King George.”

Archie Watson said of last year’s Listed Windsor Castle S. winner Soldier’s Point, who fared best of the 3-year-olds, “He ran a huge race. He ran against these horses at two, which very few horses do. That is the way to ride him and he showed a lot of speed today. He ran a very good race at York and has taken a big step forward today. We don’t have to be too clever to where we run him, either. I know he is good enough to win one of these and I hope he can. Goodwood was the one place where he didn’t like the track, so he won’t be going there and it is only a group two. All roads lead to the group ones at the end of the season.”

Blue Point’s dam Scarlett Rose (GB) (Royal Applause {GB}), who also produced the G2 Railway S. scorer and G2 Mill Reef S. runner-up Formosina (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}), is a half-sister to Tumbleweed Ridge (GB) (Indian Ridge {Ire}) who was a seven-furlong specialist who captured the G3 Horris Hill S., G3 Prix de la Porte Maillot and three renewals of the G3 Ballycorus S. Her other half-sibling Tumbleweed Pearl (GB) (Aragon {GB}) was responsible for Gilded (Ire) (Redback {GB}) who captured the G2 Queen Mary S. at this meeting before throwing the triple listed scorer and group-placed Fort Del Oro (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}). Scarlett Rose’s 2-year-old colt Desert Destination (Ire) (Night of Thunder {Ire}) has yet to race, while she also has a yearling filly by Invincible Spirit (Ire).

Tuesday, Royal Ascot, Britain
KINGS STAND S.-G1, £500,000, Royal Ascot, 6-18, 3yo/up, 5fT, :58.53, gd.
1–BLUE POINT (IRE), 130, h, 5, by Shamardal
1st Dam: Scarlett Rose (GB), by Royal Applause (GB)
2nd Dam: Billie Blue (GB), by Ballad Rock (Ire)
3rd Dam: Blue Nose (Ire), by Windjammer
(110,000gns Wlg ’14 TATFOA; 200,000gns Ylg ’15 TATOCT). O-Godolphin; B-Oak Lodge Bloodstock (IRE); T-Charlie Appleby; J-James Doyle. £283,550. Lifetime Record: G1SW-UAE, 19-10-3-3, $2,934,612. *1/2 to Formosina (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}), GSW-Ire & GSP-Eng, $185,830. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Battaash (Ire), 130, g, 5, Dark Angel (Ire)–Anna Law (Ire), by Lawman (Fr). (200,000gns Ylg ’15 TAOCT). O-Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum; B-Ballyphilip Stud (IRE); T-Charles Hills. £107,500.
3–Soldier’s Call (GB), 124, c, 3, Showcasing (GB)–Dijarvo (GB), by Iceman (GB). (85,000gns Ylg ’17 TAOCT). O-Clipper Logistics; B-Llety Farms (GB); T-Archie Watson. £53,800.
Margins: 1 1/4, 1HF, NO. Odds: 2.50, 2.00, 16.00.
Also Ran: Mabs Cross (GB), Fairyland (Ire), Imprimis, Equilateral (GB), Houtzen (Aus), Signora Cabello (Ire), Sergei Prokofiev, Enzo’s Lad (Aus), Judicial (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

No Nay Never’s Arizona Pounces For Coventry Glory

 

John Magnier, Ryan Moore and Arizona | racingfotos.com

By Sean Cronin

   Aidan O’Brien matched jockey Sir Gordon Richards’ record haul and extended his own trainers’ record, as 15-8 favourite Arizona (Ire) (No Nay Never) pounced wide and late to secure a ninth edition for the trainer in Tuesday’s G2 Coventry S. at Royal Ascot. The bay was tenderly handled when second tackling six furlongs at The Curragh in his May 6 debut and obliterated eight rivals when streaking to an eight-length score back over the same course and distance in his only other start last time May 26. Racing off the pace in the far-side group of nine from the outset, he was scrubbed along approaching the final quarter mile and kept on relentlessly under a final-furlong drive to outpoint 4-1 market rival Threat (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) by a half-length in the dying strides with 6-1 chance Guildsman (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) a neck further back in third.
   “I’m delighted with him and Ryan gave him a great ride,” O’Brien said. “He was very green first time out and then won very easily next time, but probably didn’t learn a lot because of that so this is the first day that he has had to learn. He was a little bit slow away and a little bit lost through the race, but came home really well. He obviously has loads of speed or he wouldn’t be able to win like that, but we always thought he would be a horse who would have no problem getting seven furlongs. He could sharpen up a lot from that, but even if he does seven furlongs should be fine. He’s a fine, big horse and we’ll look forward to next year. He’s probably quicker than he lets on because he’s still a baby, but he’d have no problem getting seven and a mile next year. He was eligible for the [seven-furlong Listed] Chesham and we’d have had no problem running him in it.” Moore added, “Arizona has impressed me in all his starts and I think he is a high-class colt. He has a super attitude, but is not fully switched on yet and will probably benefit when he steps up in trip. He has come out of a maiden so this was a different tempo and you would have to be pleased with what he has done today.”
   Richard Hannon was not too downhearted after Threat lost his unbeaten record and commented, “We came here today to learn if he was a very good horse and that is exactly what we learned. He is a good colt and we can’t wait for the rest of the year with him. He saw the trip out well and is the sort of horse who will come out of the race fine. He is strong and mature and, hopefully, we can win a Group 1 with him at some stage this season.” In-form conditioner Archie Watson was thrilled with the performance of the similarly hitherto unbeaten Guildsman and said, “I was delighted with Guildsman. They have probably gone very quick in front and they have set the race up for the closers. I thought Threat’s run in second was full of merit on the other side of the track, but I couldn’t be happier with my lad. There is a very defined path for horses like him. He is a ready made 2-year-old and we will be looking for races like the [July 11 G2] July S. [at Newmarket] and the [Aug. 1 G2] Richmond S. [at Goodwood] with him. I don’t need to be very clever with him.”
   Arizona, half-brother to a yearling filly by Estidhkaar (Ire), is the fourth known foal and lone winner out of a half-sister to G3 Premio Guido Berardelli victor Fathayer (Volponi) and to the dam of MG1SW sire Dabirsim (Fr) (Hat Trick {Jpn}). His second dam is G1 Oaks d’Italia heroine and G1 Moyglare Stud S. runner-up Bright Generation (Ire) (Rainbow Quest), whose many siblings include Centinela (GB) (Caerleon), herself the dam of Listed Premio Terme di Merano victress Holy Moon (Ire) (Hernando {Fr}), who in turn produced a swathe of black-type performers including last term’s G1 Irish Oaks and G1 Yorkshire Oaks heroine Sea of Class (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}), G2 Oaks d’Italia victress Cherry Collect (Ire) (Oratorio {Ire}), G1 Premio Lydia Tesio and G2 Oaks d’Italia winners Charity Line (Ire) (Manduro {Ger}) and Final Score (Ire) (Dylan Thomas {Ire}) and G2 Derby Italiano second Back on Board (Ire) (Nathaniel {Ire}).

Tuesday, Royal Ascot, Britain
COVENTRY S.-G2, £150,000, Ascot, 6-18, 2yo, 6fT, 1:13.02, gd.
1–ARIZONA (IRE), 127, c, 2, by No Nay Never
1st Dam: Lady Ederle, by English Channel
2nd Dam: Bright Generation (Ire), by Rainbow Quest
3rd Dam: New Generation (Ire), by Young Generation (Ire)
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. (65,000gns Wlg ’17 TATFOA; €260,000 Ylg ’18 ARAUG). O-Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Stephen Sullivan (IRE); T-Aidan O’Brien; J-Ryan Moore. £85,065. Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0, $124,493. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Threat (Ire), 127, c, 2, Footstepsinthesand (GB)–Flare of Firelight, by Birdstone. (100,000gns Wlg ’17 TATFOA). O-Cheveley Park Stud; B-La Lumiere Partnership (IRE); T-Richard Hannon. £32,250.
3–Guildsman (Fr), 127, c, 2, Wootton Bassett (GB)–Dardiza (Ire), by Street Cry (Ire). (€67,000 Ylg ’18 AROYRG; €125,000 2yo ’19 ARQMA). O-Qatar Racing Ltd; B-SCEA Haras de Saint Pair (FR); T-Archie Watson. £16,140.
Margins: HF, NK, 1. Odds: 1.85, 4.00, 6.00.
Also Ran: Fort Myers, Golden Horde (Ire), Ropey Guest (GB), Royal Lytham (Fr), Maxi Boy (GB), Well of Wisdom (GB), Kuwait Direction (Ire), Makyon (Ire), Lord of The Lodge (Ire), King of Athens, Majestic Sands (Ire), Light Angel (GB), Monoski, Coase (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

 

Lord Glitters Prevails In Dramatic Queen Anne

1st at RAS, Gr. Stk, £600,000

G1 Queen Anne S.

(8f)

Winner: Lord Glitters (Fr), g, 6 by Whipper

 

 

Lord Glitters | racingfotos.com

Tuesday’s G1 Queen Anne S. will always be recalled with a sizeable footnote as last year’s winner Accidental Agent (GB) (Delegator {GB}) planted himself in the stalls and refused to race a yard of the Royal Ascot opener. In a twist of fate that may not have been coincidental, it was the runner-up in 2018 Lord Glitters (Fr)(Whipper) who ultimately prevailed in his absence from combat to provide owners Geoff and Sandra Turnbull, trainer David O’Meara and jockey Danny Tudhope with another red-letter day. In a pulsating tussle between three longshots, the 14-1 chance Lord Glitters crept into contention from rear and in the last 75 yards headed off Beat the Bank (GB) (Paco Boy {Ire}) and One Master (GB)(Fastnet Rock {Aus}), both of whom traded at 20-1. At the line, he was a neck to the good over the former, with One Master looking a non-stayer as she faded from surefire winner inside the final furlong to third, a further 3/4 of a length behind. “He deserves to win a big one like this and when things fall right he’s a super horse,” Tudhope said of the journeyman grey who recorded a highly respectable time despite talk of the recent rain slowing the surface. “David said to ride him cold and be brave and if there’s one track you can do that at it’s here as it’s a long way in the last furlong.” Godolphin’s 5-1 favourite Barney Roy (GB) (Excelebration {Ire}) was eighth after failing to land a blow.

On the same afternoon that Beat the Bank was winning Goodwood’s G2 Celebration Mile last August, Lord Glitters was registering his first black-type success when beating Mustashry (GB) (Tamayuz {GB}) in York’s G3 Strensall S. over an extended mile. In the year since he had been bought at the Arqana Summer Sale from Christophe Lotoux, under whom he had been second in the 10-furlong Listed Grand Prix du Lion d’Angers, he had been here four times and won once and been second on three occasions.

On two of them, he had been forced to follow home Accidental Agent in both the seven-furlong Challenge Cup H. in October 2017 and in this prize, with his success coming in the 2017 Balmoral H. at this trip and his other runner-up placing being behind Beat the Bank in the G2 Summer Mile over the round course in July. Outside of Ascot, he had been third in the G1 Sussex S. at Goodwood and runner-up to the afternoon’s Listed Wolferton S. winner Addeybb (Ire) (Pivotal {GB})–ironically also ridden by Tudhope on a day of days for the jockey–in the prestigious Lincoln H. at Doncaster last March.

Sent in mid-September to the GI Woodbine Mile like the owners’ prior winner of that contest, Mondialiste (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), he was a non-threatening sixth there before retreating back into his comfort zone to fill the same position but be just under three lengths off Roaring Lion (Kitten’s Joy) in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. on Champions Day. Third and ahead of some heavyweights in the G1 Dubai Turf tackling nine furlongs at Meydan Mar. 30, Lord Glitters followed a recent trend of Queen Anne winners by running well below-par in the May 18 G1 Lockinge S. at Newbury, finishing last of the main bunch with only the eased-down Without Parole (GB) (Frankel {GB}) behind.

Drawn widest towards the far rail, he was anchored in last of the pack racing up the centre with One Master alongside as Tudhope and Pierre-Charles Boudot waited on the strong pace to implode. As Laurens (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) seized the lead approaching the two-furlong pole, Lord Glitters was being threaded between rivals and with his racing brain duly engaged split that filly and Beat the Bank to enter the thrust of the finish. To his left, Boudot had unleashed Lael Stable’s sweet-travelling One Master with a flourish that showed why she had been able to win a G1 Prix de la Foret from an outside draw and for a spell inside the last furlong the race looked hers for keeping. With that merciless stamina-sapping run to the line still to come, the 6-year-old sensed weakness and reeled in the Haggas trainee and fought off old rival Beat the Bank to become the oldest Queen Anne winner since Ardoon (Ire) in 1976.

“Danny gave him a fantastic ride and there was hardly a moment when I didn’t feel it was going right,” O’Meara said. “Colm Bolger gets a huge mention, as he rides this horse at home and he can be strong, so it’s all come together nicely. He loves the track and in the Lockinge he had no cover and over-raced a touch–he likes to sit last and attack late. When he won the Balmoral here, he had 17 horses in front of him in the last furlong and that is what he likes. He’ll follow something similar to last year’s program this season. He ran well at Goodwood last year and that [the G1 Sussex S.] is another race you could say he was a touch unlucky in. I must also give a mention to Jason Kelly, my assistant, who bought him in France.”

Trainer Andrew Balding was also reflecting on the Lockinge afterwards, with Beat the Bank improving markedly on a similarly tame effort there when 11th. “I don’t know what went wrong at Newbury, but that was more like him,” he said. “These good horses, there’s not much between them and they set a good standard. We are keen to try him at a mile and a quarter, so we might look at the [July 6 G1] Eclipse [at Sandown]  if he’s all right.”

William Haggas said of One Master, “I’m not sure she quite got home. That’s what the jockey thought. She ran a great race, travelled well. She came to win and just flattened out the last bit. I think she stays a mile, but in this competition it’s hard to wait any longer with her. While she’s got her group one penalty, it’s difficult.” Romanised (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) may be the hard-luck story of the race, being affected by the refusal of Accidental Agent next door as he started tardily and then was held up two out before staying on into fourth.

Lord Glitters’s dam Lady Glitters (Fr) (Homme de Loi {Ire}), who was twice listed-placed, is also the second dam of the G3 Prix Gontaut-Biron winner Petit Chevalier (Fr) (High Chaparral {Ire}), while the second dam Marie Glitters (Crystal Glitters) was responsible for the G3 Prix de Lutece runner-up Grey Glitters (Fr) (Grey Risk {Fr}). Her half-sister is the G3 Prix Fille de l’Air winner Marie de Ken (Fr) (Kendor {Fr}), who in turn produced the GII San Francisco Breeders’ Cup Mile winner and GI Shoemaker Breeders’ Cup Mile runner-up Charmo (Fr) (Charnwood Forest {Ire}) and the top-class Ana Marie (Fr) (Anabaa).

Ana Marie captured the G2 Prix d’Harcourt and was runner-up in the G1 Prix Vermeille and G1 Nassau S. before producing the G1 Prix Saint-Alary third Ana Americana (Fr) (American Post {GB}) who is now a smart producer in her own right. Also from the family of the G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud winner Morandi (Fr) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), Lady Glitters has an as-yet unraced 3-year-old colt by Anodin (Ire) named Iron Skater (Fr) and a yearling filly by Style Vendome (Fr).

Tuesday, Royal Ascot, Britain
QUEEN ANNE S.-G1, £600,000, Royal Ascot, 6-18, 4yo/up, 8fT, 1:37.40, gd.
1–LORD GLITTERS (FR), 126, g, 6, by Whipper
1st Dam: Lady Glitters (Fr) (MSP-Fr), by Homme de Loi (Ire)
2nd Dam: Marie Glitters, by Crystal Glitters
3rd Dam: Marie de Vez (Fr), by Crystal Palace (Fr)
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (€25,000 Ylg ’14 AR14; €270,000 4yo ’17 ARJUN). O-Geoff & Sandra Turnbull; B-SCA Elevage de Tourgeville & Mme Hilary Erculiani (FR); T-David O’Meara; J-Daniel Tudhope. £340,260. Lifetime Record: G1SP-UAE & SP-Fr, 22-7-8-2, $1,860,909. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Beat The Bank (GB), 126, g, 5, Paco Boy (Ire)–Tiana (GB), by Diktat (GB). (18,000gns RNA Wlg ’14 TATFOA; 30,000gns Ylg ’15 TAOCT). O-King Power Racing Co Ltd; B-A S Denniff (GB); T-Andrew Balding. £129,000.
3–One Master (GB), 123, m, 5, Fastnet Rock (Aus)–Enticing (Ire), by Pivotal (GB). O-Lael Stable; B-Lael Stables (GB); T-William Haggas. £64,560.
Margins: NK, 3/4, 3/4. Odds: 14.00, 20.00, 20.00.
Also Ran: Romanised (Ire), Le Brivido (Fr), Laurens (Fr), Mustashry (GB), Barney Roy (GB), Sharja Bridge (GB), Matterhorn (Ire), Stormy Antarctic (GB), Hazapour (Ire), Mythical Magic (Ire), Dream Castle (GB), Olmedo (Fr), Accidental Agent (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

fonte : TDN