MONDAY, 24 JUNE 2019 At Book 1 less than a year later, he was sold through their THE ROYAL WRAP: family's West Moor Stud for 200,000gns to Kate's former boss, John Ferguson. It was good business on both sides of the ASCOT POINT TO POINT equation. The Sigsworths made a tidy profit for their client and Godolphin has Blue Point, who has been skilfully coaxed by Charlie Appleby to excel at Ascot and Meydan--arguably the two most important stages for the horse's owner, Sheikh Mohammed--and, perhaps even more importantly, will be one of the most enticing prospects to enter stud next season. "On pedigree before we went to the sales, I'd picked out three Shamardals," Sigsworth recalled. "One of them was Blue Point and I just loved the way he moved as well as his demeanour. He had quite a big head and a great big backside. At that stage his front end hadn't really caught up, but what really drew me to him was the way he moved. He was quite a nervy horse when we first got him home but he was always very gentle and kind, and very easy to do." Cont. p2 James Doyle and Ameet Tikare with Blue Point at Royal Ascot | racingfotos.com IN TDN AMERICA TODAY HOLLENDORFER BAN RAISES MORE QUESTIONS By Emma Berry The Stronach Group’s ban of Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer Conditions for Royal Ascot went from black rainclouds to an raises more questions than it answers, T.D. Thornton writes. altogether more agreeable sunlit second half, lifting hearts, Click or tap here to go straight to TDN America. drying the ground and allowing macs and brollies to be cast aside. The one creature to be completely unmoved by such radically different backdrops was Blue Point (Ire) (Shamardal). Come rain or shine, he stole the show as both a much-needed warm-up act and a dazzling star of the finale. Choisir (Aus) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) was flown halfway around the world to snare the audacious Ascot sprint double, which has been attempted in the meantime but took 16 years to be replicated by Godolphin's increasingly heroic 5-year-old, who must now be considered the best sprinter anywhere in the world. Not long after Choisir's epic feat, a young Kate Sigsworth reported for duty in Darley's nominations department at Dalham Hall Stud. Her elder brother Matthew worked just across the road at Cheveley Park Stud and still does. Along with their regular jobs, which for Kate also involves appearances on Racing TV, the siblings indulge in a spot of pinhooking. At the Tattersalls December Sale of 2014, they selected a Shamardal weanling from Linda and Reddy Coffey's Oak Lodge & Springfield House Studs, paying 110,000gns for the son of the Royal Applause (GB) mare Scarlett Rose (GB). TDN EUROPE • PAGE 2 OF 12 • THETDN.COM MONDAY • 24 JUNE 2019 With his restricted book, Shamardal has been pretty much off limits to breeders outside the Darley fold for several seasons Cont. from p1 now, his fee having been listed as private for the last four years, She added, "It's given us great pleasure to and his reputation as an elite sire is growing steadily all the follow him. Having worked at Darley in while. His son Lope De Vega (Ire) is already widely recognised as nomination sales and shown all those brilliant a high-calibre stallion in his own right, while Shadwell's stallions from the days when I was there, to Mukhadram (GB) is making progress with his first two crops on think that I've had even the smallest nugget to the track and recorded a first Royal Ascot winner of his own, do with a stallion who could end up standing Thanks Be (GB), who also notched notable firsts at the meeting at Dalham Hall Stud is unbelievable." for her owner Emma Capon, jockey Hayley Turner and trainer One of the most refreshing aspects of the Charlie Fellowes. Blue Point story is that he is still dazzling us on the racecourse at Shamardal has long been famed for imparting his noble Roman the age of five. This is not a reflection of him being slow to come nose to his offspring, but it is clear that looks are not the only to hand. He made his winning juvenile debut, a >TDN Rising Star= thing transmitted through those genes. He's a stallion whose performance, the week before Royal Ascot three years ago and range increases with each passing season: witness the fact that made six 2-year-old starts in all, winning the Gimcrack S. and this year his best performers include not just a crack sprinter, finishing second in the Middle Park and the Richmond S., and but the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches winner Castle Lady (GB), and then third in the Dewhurst. Saturday's thrilling Chesham and Wokingham S. heroes Pinatubo (GB) and Cape Byron (GB), while grandchildren, through sire and damline respectively, include Irish 2000 Guineas winner Phoenix Of Spain (Ire) and Oaks runner-up Pink Dogwood (Ire). A closer look at Blue Point's pedigree drops several hints as to his durability, including as it does two horses famed for their toughness. His grandsire is the 'Iron Horse' himself, Giant's Causeway, who lit up the summer of 2000 with his winning streak that started at Royal Ascot in the St James's Palace S. and continued through the Eclipse, Sussex, Juddmonte International and Irish Champion S. A little less celebrated but no less hardy was his dam's half-brother Tumbleweed Ridge (GB) (Indian Ridge {Ire}). His 10 wins from 58 starts included five Group 3 victories in a career spanning eight seasons. Admittedly, he wasn't top drawer, but his solid constitution was something that we don't often get a chance to see in colts these days before they are signed up at stud. We've seen it in Blue Point, whose achievements add more than a dash of class to a division in which this is sometimes lacking. Darley already has Shamardal's Blue Point as a foal | Kate Sigsworth sons French Navy and Bow Creek at stud in Ireland and France, but the arrival of Blue Point to one of its stallion barns, The two horses to which he was runner-up--Mehmas (Ire) and whenever that may be, will be a day to be celebrated. The Last Lion (Ire)--were both bustled off to stud the following year, while Churchill (Ire) and Lancaster Bomber, who finished Breathtaking Performances ahead of him in the Dewhurst, stuck around a little longer. Blue Royal Ascot was far from just the Shamardal show. Those Point went on to appear at three consecutive Royal meetings, dependable brothers Galileo (Ire) and Sea The Stars (Ire) played twice beating Battaash (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in the King's Stand their roles with their usual aplomb. The latter perhaps just had before pulling off this year's remarkable follow-up act in the bragging rights with his two Group 1 winners--Crystal Ocean Diamond Jubilee. Furthermore, he landed the G1 Al Quoz Sprint (GB) and the indefatigable Stradivarius (Ire)--but the manner of on Dubai's biggest day earlier this year, having been withdrawn Japan's win in the G2 King Edward VII S. suggested that the son at the start when favourite for that race 12 months earlier after of Galileo and Newsells Park Stud's classy matriarch Shastye (Ire) banging his head and suffering a nosebleed. (Danehill) is surely a Group 1 winner-in-waiting. TDN EUROPE • PAGE 3 OF 12 • THETDN.COM MONDAY • 24 JUNE 2019 The Royal Wrap cont. Galileo's sons Frankel (GB), Gleneagles (Ire) and Nathaniel (Ire) were also represented by Ascot winners. Frankel's Baghdad (Fr), bred by Haras de Saint Pair, was winning at Royal Ascot for the second year running for Mark Johnston, while his other winner The Grand Visir (GB) cemented a memorable spell for trainer Ian Williams. The excellent dual-purpose trainer notched a first Vice President, International Operations Gary King Royal Ascot winner just days after a listed victory for his Twitter: @garykingTDN Melbourne Cup hopeful and new signing, Gold Mount (GB) [email protected] (Excellent Art {GB}), who, under his previous name of Primitivo + 1.732.320.0975 had won at Royal Ascot three years ago. For freshman Gleneagles it was of course an important International Editor breakthrough stakes win in the Windsor Castle S., while Kelsey Riley Nathaniel's Dashing Willoughby (GB) provided a first Royal Ascot Twitter: @kelseynrileyTDN and group win for his owners Mick and Janice Mariscotti, of [email protected] whom we will hear more in Tuesday's TDN, as well as continuing European Editor a terrific week for his sire after the G1 Prix de Diane success of Emma Berry the Kilcarn Stud-bred Channel (Ire). Her success also started a Twitter: @collingsberry memorable week for trainer Francis Graffard and jockey [email protected] Pierre-Charles Boudot, who claimed the G1 Coronation S. with Watch Me (Fr), an important first Group 1 winner for Haras de Associate International Editor Bouquetot's Olympic Glory (Ire), himself a son of the Heather Anderson aforementioned Choisir. Twitter: @HLAndersonTDN One of the most pleasing aspects of the meeting for breeders Marketing Manager on more modest budgets was an excellent week for Bated Alayna Cullen Breath (GB), whose trio of Royal Ascot winners--Biometric (GB), Twitter: @AlaynaCullen Daahyeh (GB) and Space Traveller (GB)--was followed up by [email protected] Saturday's Santa Anita victory of Simply Breathless (GB) in the GIII Wiltshire S.