Blue Point impresses in winning Al Quoz Sprint

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – In the 2018 Al Quoz Sprint, the favored Blue Point failed to make the start, but in 2019, there was no stopping him.

Following the pace-making American mare Belvoir Bay, Blue Point was turned loose by jockey William Buick with a little more than a furlong left to run, delivering his standard furious kick to pull clear and win by 1 1/4 lengths. It was a second straight win on the card for Buick, trainer Charlie Appleby, and Godolphin, following Cross Counter’s victory in the Dubai Gold Cup.

Blue Point might have been winning his second straight Al Quoz but for an unfortunate prerace incident a year ago, when he suffered a laceration behind the straight-course turf-sprint starting gate and was scratched moments before the start.

Belvoir Bay, returning to a straight-course sprint for the first time since she began her career years ago in England, turned in a mighty performance, bounding straight to the lead and holding off all save the winner.

“We got to the quarter pole and I said, ‘Hey, I have a chance,’ ” said jockey Flavien Prat.

Peter Miller trains Belvoir Bay and sent out third-place Stormy Liberal, who was second in the 2018 Al Quoz and three-quarters of a length behind Belvoir Bay on Saturday.

“Always a bridesmaid, I guess,” said Miller. “But no, you can’t be disappointed running second and third to one of the best sprinters in the world racing on his home track.”

Stormy Liberal broke from post 1, a deleterious draw in 1,200-meter straight-course turf races here, and the post hurt his chances, but there probably was no beating Blue Point. Already an easy winner of two turf-sprint stakes here this winter, Blue Point didn’t settle all that well for Buick after breaking alertly from gate 8, but he let Buick take his hold, and the jockey waited as long as he dared to play his hand.

Blue Point always travels well on this course, where he’s now 4-3-1-0, and his acceleration is electric. Buick started moving his hands as the field flashed in front of the crowd, and Blue Point, on point as usual, roared past Belvoir Bay.

The winning time over “good” ground was a snappy 1:08.39. Blue Point is a 5-year-old horse by Shamardal and out of Scarlett Rose, by Royal Applause, and he’s now won nine races in a career that began in 2016 and really took off here in Dubai. Appleby said he’d point Blue Point directly to the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot in late June, a race Blue Point sharply won last year.

As for Miller, he’d like to see Blue Point show up for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint to try him again with Stormy Liberal and Belvoir Bay.

“I’d like to take him on again on our home court at Santa Anita,” Miller said.

Because here at Meydan Racecourse, there is virtually no beating Blue Point.