By Alan Carasso
The late Daylami (Ire) (Doyoun {Ire}) carried the Godolphin blue to victory in the GI Man o' War S. at Belmont Park fully 25 years ago and it didn't take long for the Dubai-based operation to strike again, as the outstanding Fantastic Light (Rahy) followed suit just two years later.Both stars would go on to prove victorious in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf in 1999 and 2001, respectively. No one will confuse Warren Point (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) with either of those luminaries, but the homebred bay should jump favored to provide his incredible sire and trainer Charlie Appleby with yet another elite-level winner on these shores.
Campaigned exclusively over 10 furlongs and beyond in his eight starts to date, the 4-year-old earned his first black-type success in the Listed Floodlit S. (2400m) over the Kempton all-weather last Halloween and has had his passport stamped in a couple of exotic ports of call in the Middle East so far this term. An easy three-length winner of the Listed Crown Prince's Cup over 10 furlongs in Bahrain Feb. 3 (see below), Warren Point was last seen finishing a bang-up second in the valuable Listed HH The Amir Trophy in Qatar just 15 days later (video, SC 6). Fifth that afternoon was Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}), who returned to win the G2 Dubai Gold Cup on World Cup night Mar. 25.
“He's a horse that can latch on. I'm happy for him to take the lead, but he is versatile,” Appleby said. “If you pop him in front, he'll prick his ears and go. But I'd rather give him a target than for him to be the target.”
Frankie Dettori, fresh off his win in last weekend's G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas, has the call.
WATCH: Warren Point wins the Crown Prince's Cup in Bahrain
Four of Saturday's seven other entrants emerge from Keeneland's GIII Elkhorn S. Apr. 22, where Verstappen (War Front) got just the better of Red Knight (Pure Prize), but Soldier Rising (GB) (Frankel {GB}) can pick up a big chunk of this on his 5-year-old debut. Having chased home Godolphin's Yibir (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the 2021 Jockey Club Derby Invitational, he was a good third in last year's GI Sword Dancer Invitational S. and races for the first time since finishing down the field in the GII Red Smith S. back in November.
The afternoon's co-featured GIII Peter Pan S. is led by 'TDN Rising Star' Bishops Bay (Uncle Mo), who defeated next-out 'Rising Star', subsequent GSW and GI Preakness S.-bound First Mission (Street Sense) on debut Feb. 18 and proved ultra-game in annexing his first start around two turns in a Mar. 19 allowance in New Orleans. Dettori rides Mine That Bird Derby romper Henry Q (Blame) for Doug O'Neill, while Listed Al Bastakiya S. hero Go Soldier Go (Tapiture) makes his first U.S. for Todd Pletcher. He was a latest well-beaten fifth in the G2 UAE Derby on World Cup night, but the track was likely against him on that occasion.
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