King’s Stand Stakes winner Blue Print will get his chance to gain a Royal Ascot Group 1 double when he backs up in the Group 1 £600,000 Diamond Jubilee Stakes (6 furlongs) on the last day of the 2019 Royal Ascot Carnival on Saturday.
Trainer Charlie Appleby trained Cross Counter, above, to win the 2018 Melbourne Cup at Flemington. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
Blue Point scored back to back wins in Group 1 £500,000 King’s Stand Stakes (5 furlongs) on Day One of Royal Ascot when he beat Battaash for the second year in a row and trainer Charlie Appleby is keen to chase another Royal Ascot Group 1 sprint with the five year old.
“He came out of the race well and, from what we have seen so far, the signs have been good,” Appleby said.
“His well being will continue to be monitored ahead of Saturday’s race, but we felt that he deserved the chance to win another G1 at Ascot.”
“Blue Point seems to turn his A-game on at Ascot, he’s held the track record over six furlongs there and he seems to be in the form of his life,” Appleby told the Racing Post.
“He’s only got two more opportunities to run at Ascot this season before he retires at the end of the year and it was either this or wait for Champions Day when he could be taking on testing conditions.”
Blue Point runs his best races on top of the ground and Appleby is confident that track will be in the good range again for the Diamond Jubilee Stakes.
“The way the forecast is, it’s going to be drying out nicely towards Saturday,” Appleby said.
James Doyle will be in the saddle again in the sprint down the Royal Ascot straight and the Shamardal stallion has drawn mid-field at gate nine in the eighteen horse Diamond Jubilee Stakes field.
Blue Print has been installed as the $3.20 favourite for the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Ladbrokes.com.au ahead of the James Tale trained Invincible Army at $5 and Stephane Wattel’s French sprinter City Light at $9.
Invincible Army is coming off a last start win in the Group 2 £125,000 Duke Of York Stakes (6 furlongs) at York on May 15 while City Light finished second at his most recent outing in the Listed €52,000 Prix Servanne (1200m) at Maisons Laffitte in France on April 26.
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