oak lodge stud
Pointing forwards T
O BREED A ROYAL ASCOT winner is the dream, and ambition, of many but to breed one that writes himself a special place in the annals of the Royal meeting ventures beyond the realm of dreams and edges towards fantasy. For Linda and Reddy Coffey, and Linda’s parents Claire and Pat Fitzsimons, it is no dream but flesh and blood reality in the shape of Blue Point, the son of Shamardal they bred and who, this year, won the Group 1 Diamond
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Jubilee and King’s Stand Stakes, in the space of five majestic June days. It was a second success in the 5f contest for the five-year-old who was subsequently retired to stand alongside his sire at Darley’s Kildangan Stud for 2020. Blue Point also won the Group 1 Al Quoz Stakes at Meydan on Dubai World Cup night in March and demonstrated top class form throughout his career, which included placings in the Group 1 Middle Park and Dewhurst Stakes at two, and in the
Commonwealth Cup, Haydock Sprint Cup and Nunthorpe Stakes during his career. For many, the accolade horse of a lifetime is awarded too easily but, when Reddy Coffey describes Blue Point as just that, it is no overstatement. “Blue Point is an amazing horse; he’s been the horse of a lifetime – to even breed one like him is amazing,” says his adoring breeder. “We’ve knocked some sport out of it, we had a barbeque at home on the Saturday of Royal Ascot and everyone came round to
