Kodiac Filly Unleashes Scintillating Turn Of Foot To Stun G2 Blue Point Sprint Foes

Just two races after her half-brother Mysterious Night (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) won the G2 Al Fahidi Fort, Godolphin's STAR OF MYSTERY (GB) (f, 3, Kodiac {GB}–Mistrusting {Ire}, by Shamardal) picked up strongly in the closing stages to take the AED850,000 G2 Blue Point Sprint Presented by Longines by 1 3/4 lengths. Ponntos (Ire) (Power {GB}) ran second, with Tajalla (Ire) (Kessaar {Ire}) a neck back in third.

The race was delayed for several minutes when both Tajalla and Thunder Of Niagara (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) broke through the gate and had to be reloaded. Group winner Ponntos was the first to receive a call, while Star Of Mystery was hunkered down near the tail of the field. Starting to make in roads toward the vanguard inside the final quarter mile, the filly hit the clear at the 250-metre mark, but still had several lengths to make up on the freewheeling Ponntos. She bounded by all comers in a matter of strides with 50 metres to travel under Mickael Barzalona before dashing away to win by daylight.

“We went a fast gallop and I just had enough time to come from that far back,” said Barzalona. “For a 3-year-old filly against these older horses, she showed some class. She's still learning, so everything is going the right way.”

Named a 'TDN Rising Star' on the back of an 11-length drubbing of a Haydock novice field at second asking, the half-sister to a pair of Grade I winners promptly won the Listed Empress Fillies S. last July. Tried later that month in the G2 Duchess Of Cambridge S., she was not disgraced when second. Sixth behind paternal half-sister Relief Rally (Ire) in the G2 Lowther S. at York in August, the bay was duly shelved. She won her 3-year-old bow going 1200 metres at this venue by a length and, based on Friday's heroics, has every chance to continue her progression later in the season.

Pedigree Notes

Tally-Ho Stud's Kodiac has accrued 93 stakes winners worldwide, and, with Star Of Mystery's Group 2 victory, he now has 44 Pattern race winners. Five of these stakes-winning progeny, including Star Of Mystery, are out of Shamardal mares, with the best of them young dual Group 1-winning sprint sire Hello Youmzain (Fr) the best of them. The cross is also responsible for fellow group winners Gifted Master (Ire), Umm Kulthum (Ire), and Island Of Love (Ire).

The 12-year-old mare Mistrusting, a winner of the Listed Boadicea Fillies S., has proved an outstanding producer, with all five of her foals to race winners. Star Of Mystery is her third group winner, with GI Just A Game S. and GI Diana S. heroine Althiqa (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}) her first foal. The 2022 GI Summer S. hero and Friday's G2 Al Fahidi Fort victor Mysterious Night (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) is her fourth offspring, with Star Of Mystery next in the pipeline. Her last reported foal, a colt of 2022, is by Dubawi (Ire). Second dam Misheer (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) won the G2 Cherry Hinton S. and was second in the G1 Cheveley Park S.

Friday, Meydan Racecourse, UAE
BLUE POINT SPRINT PRESENTED BY LONGINES-G2, $850,000, Meydan, 1-26, 3yo/up, 5fT, 0:56.14, gd.
1–STAR OF MYSTERY (GB), 117, f, 3, by Kodiac (GB)
                1st Dam: Mistrusting (Ire) (SW-Eng, $120,206),
                                by Shamardal
                2nd Dam: Misheer (GB), by Oasis Dream (GB)
                3rd Dam: All For Laura (GB), by Cadeaux Genereux (GB)
   1ST GROUP WIN. TDN Rising Star. O/B-Godolphin (IRE);
T-Charlie Appleby; J-Mickael Barzalona. AED510,000. Lifetime
Record: SW & GSP-Eng, 7-4-2-0, $258,506. *Half to Althiqa
(GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}), MGISW-US, MGSP-Eng, SW & GSP-Fr,
GSW-UAE, $761,213; and Mysterious Night (Ire) (Dark Angel
{Ire}), GISW-Can, GSW-Fr & UAE, MGSP-Eng, $489,372. Click
   for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Werk
   Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Ponntos (Ire), 132, h, 6, Power (GB)–Blessing Box (GB), by
Bahamian Bounty (GB). (€2,200 Wlg '18 GOFNOV; €6,800 Ylg
'19 TIRSEP). O-Dr Eva Nieslanikova; B–Liam Butler &
Churchtown House Stud (IRE); T-Miroslav Nieslanik.
AED170,000.
3–Tajalla (Ire), 132, c, 4,  Invincible Spirit (Ire)–Cuis Ghaire (Ire),
by Galileo (Ire). 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. TDN Rising Star.
(€55,000 Wlg '20 GOFNOV; 90,000gns Ylg '21 TATOCT).
O-Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum; B-Michael Lyons &
Michael McGlynn (IRE); T-Michael Costa. AED85,000.
Margins: 1 3/4, NK, HF.
Also Ran: Clarendon House (GB), Emaraaty Ana (GB), Thunder Of Niagara (Ire), Seven Questions (Ire), Zoulu Chief (GB), Logo Hunter (Ire), Equality (GB), Equilateral (GB), Zorken (Fr), Urgent Appeal (Ire). Click for the ERA chart & video.

Blue Point Sprint (G2)
1.010 m – 181.624 AED – for 3yo+
Meydan

Star Of Mystery (GB)
(3F Kodiac- Mistrusting , by Shamardal)
J : Mickael Barzalona
T :Charlie Appleby
O : @godolphin pic.twitter.com/bIVwToGtSN

— (@WorldRacing1) January 26, 2024