Sharpened Point

After trading blows with Harry Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), 'TDN Rising Star' Blue Point (Ire) (Shamardal) returns to Ascot for some respite on Saturday in the G3 John Guest Bengough S. Since his defeat of that dominant sprinter in the G3 Pavilion S. receiving four pounds over this course and distance May 3, he has been third behind him and Caravaggio (Scat Daddy) in the Royal meeting's G1 Commonwealth Cup June 23 and fourth when Harry Angel stamped his authority on the scene in the Sept. 9 G1 Haydock Sprint Cup. “He's in really good form. We've been delighted with him since Haydock,” trainer Charlie Appleby said. “That was his first run since Royal Ascot and he'd probably done a bit too well over the summer. We think he's definitely improved from that run going into Saturday. Getting back on a bit better ground will definitely help and if he can reproduce any of his previous runs at Ascot it will put him right in the mix. Rather than throw ourselves back in at the deep end again and go straight to Champions Day, we thought we'd go to Ascot and take it from there.”

Last of 11 in the Haydock Sprint Cup, Kennet Valley Thoroughbreds's Magical Memory (Ire) (Zebedee {GB}) was fourth in the Aug. 6 G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest over 6 1/2 furlongs at Deauville and is certain to be suited by this drier surface. “Charlie [Hills] thinks he's been in as good a form as he's been in all season,” the syndicate's racing manager Sam Hoskins said. “He has to put that Haydock run behind him, but he should run a really good race.”