Dubai: Lazuli up against from post 1 in Blue Point Stakes
The Group 2, $180,000 Blue Point Sprint, a prep for the Al Quoz Sprint on the Dubai World Cup undercard, headlines a seven-race program Friday at Meydan Racecourse. But nothing on this Friday card seems likely to rival to top the best performance of last Friday’s.
Algiers had scored a nice, solid win going 1,600 meters last month in Round 1 of the Al Maktoum Challenge, but his Feb. 3 win over 1,900 meters in Round 2 marked a serious step forward.
Racing wide while tracking the pace under James Doyle, Algiers cruised to the lead in upper stretch and went on to a 6 1/2-length victory. His winning time of 1:56.08 was the fastest in the race’s history at Meydan. Trained by Simon and Ed Crisford, Algiers, a 6-year-old gelding by Shamardal, had previously been aimed toward the Godolphin Mile, but connections now are looking at the Dubai World Cup with a possible interim start later this month in the Saudi Cup.
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The Friday program also has a race in the World Cup division, the Curlin Handicap carded at 2,000 meters as race 4. The handicap is so-named because the great Curlin won it in 2008 while prepping for a memorable victory in the World Cup. No beast of that nature is in this group, though the field includes Hypothetical, last seen finishing seventh in the 2022 World Cup and a winner last season of the Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3.
Lazuli a year ago won the Blue Point Sprint, a 1,000-meter straight course contest, and he looked every bit the same horse capturing his first start this winter in the Dubai Dash on Jan. 6. But while the Blue Point Sprint is a weight-for-age race, Lazuli was handed a different kind of handicap – post 1. In straight course turf sprints at Meydan, everyone makes a beeline for the outside fence, trying to get above the crown of the track, and an inside draw can be very difficult to overcome. Man of Promise, a Godolphin horse like Lazuli, and Acklam Express, drawn well in post 12, are logical alternatives.
First post for the card is 9 a.m. Eastern. Catch all the action at DRFBets.com.
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