Blue Point adds Diamond Jubilee to his 2019 Royal Ascot tally

Blue Point became the first horse since Choisir in 2003 to win the Group 1 King’s Stand and the Group 1 Diamond Jubilee in the same Royal Ascot meeting.

A 1 1/4-length winner of the five-furlong King’s Stand on Tuesday’s opening card of the meeting, Blue Point wheeled back four days later and held on to win the six-furlong Diamond Jubilee by a head over Dream of Dreams. Third place Kachy tore off to a big early lead, Blue Point chasing from second, taking the lead with a furlong left to race, and lunging for the wire just ahead of onrushing Dream Of Dreams.

“It is incredible for him to win two races at Royal Ascot in a week,” said jockey James Doyle. “He is a highly trained athlete and when they are at the top of their game, they are capable of performances like this. To be fair to the horse, he did not have a real gut-buster of a race on Tuesday.”

Charlie Appleby trains Blue Point for Godolphin and connections all along had their eye on the two-sprint double at the Royal Ascot meeting. Blue Point, who’s to be retired to stud after this racing season, won the King’s Stand in 2018 but didn’t start again for a month. He now has a five-race winning streak having swept through three turf-sprint stakes during the Dubai World Cup Carnival, including the Group 1 Al Quoz. Blue Point, by Shamardal out of Scarlett Rose, by Royal Applause, is an 11-time winner from 20 starts, though when and where his next race comes is uncertain after a tremendous first half of 2019.

“We’ll enjoy this moment and let the horse have a rest – he probably needs it for a couple of weeks,” said Appleby.

The Diamond Jubilee is a Breeders’ Cup Challenge race and Blue Point earned automatic fees-paid entry plus travel expenses to the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint this fall.

The Wesley Ward-trained Bound for Nowhere continued the string of modest American performances this Royal Ascot meeting, finishing 13th.

Winning time for the straight-course six furlongs over good-to-firm ground was a snappy 1:11.42.

Defoe wins Hardwicke, Masar a troubled fifth

Defoe maintained his position as one of the top middle-distance males in Europe with a half-length win over longshot Nagano Gold in the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes.

Mirage Dancer got a perfect pressing trip but only could finish third, followed by Morando and Masar, who was fifth in his first start since winning the 2018 Derby at Epsom. Masar stumbled badly at the start, which not only hurt his own chances but compromised Nagano Gold, who had to be taken up to avoid the lurching Masar. Christophe Soumillon aboard Nagano Gold, who had shipped from his base in the Czech Republic, said the early trouble cost his mount victory.

Still, Defoe was a worthy winner for owner Mohammed Obaid al Maktoum, trainer Roger Varian, and jockey Andrea Atzeni. The 5-year-old gelding was coming off his first Group 1 win, a victory in the Coronation Cup on May 31 at Epsom and pulled a favorable midpack trip in the 1 1/2-mile Hardwicke. Defoe, by Dalakhani out of Dulkashe, by Pivotal, has won half his 18 starts and could make his next one in the Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

► Longshot Space Traveller won the card’s other Group stakes, the Group 3 Jersey, giving jockey Danny Tudhope an improbable fourth winner of the Royal Ascot meeting. Tudhope rode more winners during the five-day stand than any rider save Ryan Moore, who had five wins, and Frankie Dettori, the meeting’s leading jockey with seven victories. Dettori rode four winners in a row on the Thursday program. Aidan O’Brien was leading trainer at the meeting.