TUESDAY, 19 FEBRUARY 2019 MIA TESORO TEAM EYES AUSTRALIA DATE PEDIGREE INSIGHTS: Deron Pearson=s homebred listed heroine Mia Tesoro (Ire) BLUE POINT (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), who ran a career best second in the G2 Balanchine at Meydan on Valentine=s Day, is set to head to the covering sheds trainer Charlie Fellowes announced. A winner of the Listed Nottinghamshire Oaks S. last summer, the 6-year-old is likely to be covered by Australia (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), winner of the G1 English and G1 Irish Derbies and G1Juddmonte International in 2014. Mia Tesoro=s record currently stands at 27-5-4-3, $143,365. "She's been amazing," said her trainer Fellowes. "To think she came to the yard rated 57, and there she is running second in a Group 2 in Meydan, is remarkable. We went over to Dubai for that reason, to try to get some group placing. We achieved that- -here's nothing out there for her now. As far as I know, the plan is to bring her home, and she's probably going to be covered by Australia at Coolmore--and then we'll see. She could come back into training for a couple of months, or that could have been her Blue Point | DRC/Erika Rasmussen last race. We'll leave that up to the racing manager." Cont. p5 by Andrew Caulfield In view of breeders= seemingly unquenchable thirst for fast and precocious stallions, I half-expected Godolphin to add not only Harry Angel (Dark Angel {Ire}) but also Blue Point (Ire) (Shamardal) to its Darley stallion roster for 2019. However, Charlie Appleby, the trainer of Blue Point, clearly thought that Blue Point, winner last year of the G1 King=s Stand S., still had more to offer and the handsome son of Shamardal has remained in training. Judging by the 5-year- old=s return to action in last Thursday=s G2 Meydan Sprint, the decision to delay retirement is going to pay off handsomely. Having overwhelmed inferior opposition, Blue Point now looks well placed to add a second Group 1 victory in the Al Quoz Sprint before returning to Europe in a bid to repeat his King=s Stand success. Trainer Appleby=s reaction Mia Tesoro | Racingfotos.com was that Afor me, he's at his peak now. He's a 5-year-old and is a strong, professional sprinter.@ Maybe the fully mature Blue Point will be robust enough to avoid putting in the occasional disappointing effort. As a 2-year- IN TDN AMERICA TODAY old, his impressive victory in the G2 Gimcrack S. had made him a very hot favourite for the G1 Middle Park S., but he failed to SOUTHWEST HEADS OAKLAWN’S PRESIDENTS’ DAY CARD cope with the 25-1 The Last Lion. Then last year he started The GIII Southwest S. at Oaklawn Park is one of three graded stakes on Monday and sees 11 3-year-olds face off in the latest favourite for the G1 July Cup on the strength of his victory over GI Kentucky Derby prep. Click or tap here to go straight to TDN Battaash in the King=s Stand, only to finish seventh. America. Cont. p2 TDN EUROPE • PAGE 2 OF 5 • THETDN.COM TUESDAY • 19 FEBRUARY 2019 mares in 2017 and 63 in 2018 and will be subject to similar restraint during the current season. Shamardal=s record must be reassuring to owners of stallions Blue Point Cont. from p1 entering those often-difficult fourth and fifth seasons. If he can do even better than in his first three Shamardal managed to establish himself as an elite stallion even seasons (in each though his fee in those fourth of which he and fifth years had to be enjoyed group reduced to half of his original success), he is fee of i40,000. Significantly, going to be a very popular those i20,000 crops, born in stallion prospect--especially as 2010 and 2011, extended his he is a son of Shamardal, long achievement of siring at least established as one of Darley=s one Group 1 winner per crop-- star stallions. an achievement which now Although Shamardal is still only extends to his first nine crops. It 17 years old in 2019, his career will be interesting to see has unfortunately been whether his 2016 crop can make compromised by physical issues it 10 in a row. It has already over the last few years. Having produced Emaraaty Ana, winner covered 156 mares in 2014 and Shamardal | Godolphin Photo of the G2 Gimcrack S. 129 in 2015, he hasn=t been able Among Shamardal=s other to cope with so many mares in subsequent years, when his fee achievements are his joint-second place behind Galileo (Ire) has been listed as private. While he covered 108 mares in 2016 among Europe=s most prolific sires of group winners in 2014 and for a crop of 81 2-year-olds in 2019, he was restricted to 65 his third places on the same table in 2015 and 2016. Cont. p3 TDN EUROPE • PAGE 3 OF 5 • THETDN.COM TUESDAY • 19 FEBRUARY 2019 Pedigree Insights: Caulfield Cont. Shamardal excelled himself by siring Lope de Vega (Ire), His stock have also enjoyed widespread success, ranging from another winner of the Poulains and the Jockey-Club, in his first Europe to Australia and Hong Kong. There have also been a crop. Remarkably, Shamardal and Lope de Vega both became handful of graded stakes successes in North America, headed by the champion first-crop sire of their year, just as Shamardal=s Sheikha Reika (Fr)=s win in the 2018 GI E. P. Taylor S. sire Giant=s Causeway had done. It is easy to forget that Shamardal shuttled to Australia Shamardal began his stallion a total of six times and he made career in Australia, after Darley his mark, even though things moved quickly to add him to their didn=t always go smoothly. He shuttle team following an ankle didn=t cover in 2007, the year of injury which prevented him from Australia=s equine influenza tackling the 2005 G1 Eclipse S. His outbreak, and an injury to his record at the time stood at six withers, suffered in a fall quite wins from seven starts, the only early in the 2009 season, caused glitch coming when he ventured him to be given the rest of the onto dirt in the UAE Derby. season off. His total of live foals Shamardal had headed the from his five Australian seasons European 2-year-old rankings in stood at 311, of which 25 became 2004 and was busily staking his stakes winners. The best of them claim to a second championship Sheikh Mohammed & William Buick with Blue Point after the were Able Friend (Aus) (a star in prior to his injury. He had reeled 2017 G3 Pavilion S. at Royal Ascot | Horsephotos Hong Kong who ranked highly on off front-running victories in three the World=s Best Racehorse Group 1 races in the space of 31 days, taking the Poule d=Essai Rankings), Faint Perfume (Aus) (VRC Oaks), Maybe Discreet des Poulains, the Prix du Jockey-Club and the St James=s Palace (Aus) (SAJC Schweppes Oaks) and their fellow Group 1 winners S. Captain Sonador (Aus) and Delectation (Aus). Cont. p4 TDN EUROPE • PAGE 4 OF 5 • THETDN.COM TUESDAY • 19 FEBRUARY 2019 Pedigree Insights: Blue Point Cont. As Shamardal=s fastest son, >TDN Rising Star= Blue Point would have obvious appeal as a stallion, especially when Shamardal has already been responsible for a very successful stallion in Lope de Vega. Another son, the Eclipse winner Mukhadram (GB), was recently represented by his first smart winner when Vice President, International Operations Gary King his first-crop daughter A Bit Special (GB) landed the GIII Twitter: @garykingTDN Sweetest Chant S. on Gulfstream=s turf. [email protected] Shamardal is also making his mark as a sire of broodmares, + 1.732.320.0975 with his daughters producing the Irish classic winners Awtaad (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}) and Latrobe (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) and the International Editor G1 Prix Morny winner Pretty Pollyanna (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}). Kelsey Riley Shamardal has to share some of the credit for Blue Point=s Twitter: @kelseynrileyTDN talent with the colt=s broodmare sire Royal Applause (GB) [email protected] (Waajib {Ire}), who can certainly claim responsibility for Blue European Editor Point=s speed. Like Blue Point, Royal Applause won the G2 Emma Berry Gimcrack at two before becoming a Group 1 winner at four. His Twitter: @collingsberry male line has proved both successful and popular with breeders, [email protected] thanks principally to Acclamation (GB) and that one=s son Dark Angel (Ire). Associate International Editor Blue Point=s dam Scarlett Rose (GB) has proved much more Heather Anderson talented as a producer than as a racehorse. She had failed to win Twitter: @HLAndersonTDN any of her 13 starts, but Blue Point is her second group winner, Marketing Manager following the G2 Railway S. winner Formosina (Ire) Alayna Cullen (Footstepsinthesand {GB}). Blue Point and Formosina jointly cost Twitter: @AlaynaCullen 305,000gns as yearlings, which is pretty good going when [email protected] Scarlett Rose once failed to find a buyer at 11,000gns. It probably isn=t just coincidence that Blue Point and Formosina Contributing Editor were both sired by sons of Giant=s Causeway, Formosina being a Alan Carasso son of the 2000 Guineas winner Footstepsinthesand. Another Twitter: @EquinealTDN mare from the family produced the very useful Irish sprinter Cafe Racing Fort Del Oro (Ire) to Shamardal=s son Lope de Vega.