Blue Point breaks track record

BLUE Point produced an impressive perfomance to break the six-furlong track record at Ascot in the Group 3 Merriebelle Stable Pavilion Stakes on Wednesday. Placed in both the Middle Park and the Dewhurst Stakes, Blue Point was expected to go well and started at 13/8 favourite. With Clive Cox’s horses going well, he faced a live threat in Harry Angel but William Buick brought him from off the pace to account for that rival by a length and a half.

“We’ll keep him to what he’s good at,” trainer Charlie Appleby said.

“He has the potential to step up again but we don’t need to at present. I couldn’t have asked for it to go any better today.”

The track record was previously set by Roger Charlton’s Mince in 2012.

Tabarrak another for Hannon

SEASONS come and go but some things never change and the form of the Richard Hannon stable at this time of year fits neatly into that category. The East Everleigh yard, with a leading chance in today’s Qipco 2000 Guineas, warmed up in appropriate style when Sheikh Hamdan’s Tabarrak, 7/2, a son of Acclamation, proved just too good for Varian’s market leader Ennaadd in the Rundle’s Paradise Stakes, a listed event over a mile.

The Owen Burrows-trained Algaith did well to recover after rearing with Frankie Dettori and even managed to hit the front running to the two-furlong marker but Tabarrak collared him and kept on strongly as Ennaadd joined issue. After an all-out battle to the line, the winning margin was a neck, with Firmament keeping on pleasingly in third.

“Tabarrak tries very hard,” Hannon said. “We were a bit worried about stepping up to a mile but rode him a bit differently with Jim Crowley getting a lead. I think there’s a very nice race in him.”