BLUE POINT HEADS IMPRESSIVE LEGION OF SPEEDSTERS REPRESENTING THE BOYS IN BLUE
Blue Point, the Commonwealth Cup (Group 1) third from Royal Ascot who will line up for the $1 million Al Quoz Sprint (G1), looks another strong contender for Charlie Appleby on the day.
Runner-up to the now indisposed Ertijaal in the Meydan Sprint (G2) on his only start at Meydan this year, the 4-year-old has been putting in some good work at Godolphin’s private dirt training facility at Marmoom.
“The trip on the flat track at Meydan will suit him and his last race really took the fizz out of him,” Appleby said.
“I have been happy with what he has done during his preparation and he is in really good condition.
“He has developed into a really nice horse and has the physique of a sprinter.”
With Ertijaal, the UAE’s top rated sprinter out of the race due to an untimely stress fracture of the hip, the race looks like it will be run at a ferocious pace with so many pace burners in the field.
Conquest Tsunami and Richard’s Boy, who represent American trainer Peter Miller, boast a lot of early speed and could dictate proceedings from the go.
If that does not happen, Meydan scorer Hit The Bid and Music Magnate could grab the race by the scruff of the neck and blast off for the finish line.
Blake Shinn, who is a top Australian jockey, has arrived in Dubai to ride Music Magnate.
“He’s a genuine Group 1 horse and he’s set for the race. I wouldn’t have travelled over all this way if I didn’t think that he was up to winning,” Shinn said.
“He is a lovely horse to ride. He’s got a beautiful nature. He’s a push-button horse. He jumps. He’s got good gate speed. He puts his head on his chest. You can put him virtually anywhere you need to be. If they go too fast, you can hold him back. If they’re going slow, he can put himself on speed. He’s just like driving a car. You can put your foot on or off the accelerator whenever you need to,” Shinn added.
However, trainer Dean Ivory’s Librisa Breeze, who is the highest-rated runner in the field, looks the real deal.
Blessed with an incredible closing turn of the foot, the British-trained sprinter can do the most damage in the closing stages of the six-furlong race provided the pace is strong.
The six-year-old showed what he has to dominate races of this nature at the end of last year when he bolted home to win the British Champions Sprint at Ascot.
“I’m confident he’ll go well on Saturday and I’m happy with what I’ve seen since I’ve been over here,” said Ivory. “He probably ideally would like good-to-soft but we can’t do anything about that.
Another Godolphin speedster who can upset all calculations is Appleby’s Jungle Cat, who has the services of the brilliant James Doyle.
Blake Shinn | Jockey
Dean Ivory | Trainer