Blue Point to drop back in trip after early effort takes its toll

A drop back to the minimum trip awaits Blue Point, as Charlie Appleby's star sprinter paid the price for racing too hard early on in the July Cup.

The 5-2 favourite came into the race off victory in the 5f King's Stand at Royal Ascot and was unable to land a blow in the latter stages over this extra furlong, finishing seventh.

Jockey William Buick said: "He won over five furlongs last time and my plan had been to follow Ryan [Moore] as his horse [US Navy Flag] is quick and I knew what he’d do.

"My horse over-raced a bit early on, which didn’t help, but it might just turn out that he’s best over five furlongs."

July Cup replay, full result and analysis

That view was shared by Appleby, who will look to take Blue Point back to Ascot later in the season, a track where he has been beaten only once in four starts.

"He seems to turn up at Ascot and that’s where he seems to put in his best performances," said the Godolphin trainer.

"He’ll most likely go for the Flying Five at the Curragh and then finish his season back at Ascot in the Champions Sprint on Champions Day."

Not content with saddling the winner, Aidan O'Brien also had the third home in 50-1 outsider Fleet Review.

Jockey Wayne Lordan was delighted with the three-year-old's run, and said: "He stays well, he tries hard and he's working his way into maybe getting a big race one day.

"He’s a fine horse and I’m delighted with the way he ran."

Also pleased was David Elsworth, as Sir Dancealot finished well to take fourth. The trainer felt the four-year-old was a live each-way shot, and so it proved as he nearly grabbed third.

Elsworth said: "At the very highest level he's just come up a bit short. He ran very well and I can't be disappointed with him."

O'Brien also supplied the fifth, Sioux Nation, while just denying Blue Point the smallest share of the prize-money pie in sixth was another Godolphin horse, Dreamfield.

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