Best Horses Not to Win a Championship Series: Point of Entry

Best Horses Not to Win a Championship Series
Number 8: Point of Entry

Joseph Di Rienzi

This is the next installment of the occasional series that features those somewhat forgotten thoroughbreds who did not win any championship but ran exceptionally well and under different circumstances might have garnered awards. This issue discusses my eighth ranked Point of Entry.

Point of Entry
bloodhorse.com

Owned by Phipps Stable, he was foaled in 2008 and grew to a towering 17 hands. A son of Dynaformer, Point of Entry descended from a significant female family. His half-sister, Pine Island, was denied a championship when breaking down in the 2006 Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Trained by Shug McGaughey, Point of Entry took a while to find himself as a racehorse. Unraced as a two-year-old, the gangly bay made his initial start at Gulfstream Park in January 2011. It took four tries to break his maiden, but when he did, it was by 15½ lengths on a rain soaked Belmont Park surface. After some encouraging efforts on grass, by the end of his three-year-old campaign, it was clear Point of Entry’s forte was long distance races on turf.

Point of Entry began 2012 with a fourth place finish in a 9 furlong allowance race at Gulfstream Park. In the spring, McGaughey sent the four-year-old to Keeneland Racetrack where he won an allowance race and then the Elkhorn Stakes, both at 1½ miles. In these two races, Point of Entry, ridden by John Velazquez, unleashed a strong closing kick to gain the victories. After these wins, McGaughey would race his grass star exclusively in top class contests. 

After his initial stakes success, Point of Entry went on a grade 1 winning streak. In July, the leggy son of Dynaformer came from just off the pace to powerfully win the 11 furlong Man o’ War Stakes at Belmont Park by 3½ lengths. In the beaten field was the odds-on favorite and internationalist Treasure Beach. Racing at Saratoga in August, Point of Entry again unleashed a powerful kick, once he found clear running room to win the 1½ mile Sword Dancer Stakes by 4 lengths. Facing not only Treasure Beach in the 1½ mile Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational in early fall at Belmont Park but also Arlington Million Stakes victor, Little Mike, Point of Entry was sent off the strong favorite. Racing on a yielding surface, Point of Entry had a tougher time but still came away with a 1¾ length victory over Treasure Beach. Little Mike, who set the early pace faded to fifth, beaten over 28 lengths. These three would face off again in the Breeders’ Cup Turf run this year at Santa Anita Park 

The 1½ mile Turf was one of the races on the Breeders’ Cup card that could determine Horse of the Year. Point of Entry was facing a strong field of domestic and international runners, but given his success this year, he represented a viable U. S. challenge to the foreign domination of the race. The strongest Europeans appeared to be last year’s victor, St Nicholas Abbey, and Shareta, a multiple group 1 winner this year in Europe. There was a Japanese presence in Trailblazer who tuned up for the Turf with a good second in a stakes race at Santa Anita.

Point of Entry was able to fend off the internationalists in the Turf. What he was not able to do was catch an American runner on the sun baked Santa Anita turf course. Breaking from the no. 1 post, Point of Entry assumed an inside position under John Velazquez, but he was soon shuffled back to eighth place due to some crowding. Noted early speed runner Turbo Compressor set a fast pace followed by Optimizer and Little Mike. The positions were unchanged until midway around the final turn when Little Mike forged to the lead. Trailblazer made a bid, and St Nicholas Abbey swung to the far outside for the drive. Meanwhile, Velazquez had nowhere to run with Point of Entry as he was trapped behind horses. In the stretch, Little Mike had a clear lead until Point of Entry was finally able to get through on the inside. Just before the finish, Velazquez angled his mount to the right of Little Mike, and Point of Entry closed dramatically but failed by a ½ length to catch his adversary. St Nicholas Abbey was ¾ of length behind in third, and Trailblazer finished fourth.

Despite their good performances over the year, neither Point of Entry nor Little Mike would gain the Eclipse Award for Male Turf Horse. Instead it was the late Morton Fink’s Wise Dan whose victory in the Breeders’ Cup Mile was enough to convince voters that he should be the champion. (Wise Dan also garnered Older Male Horse and Horse of the Year Eclipse Awards.)

Point of Entry, now owned jointly by Phipps Stable and Stronach Stables, stayed in training in 2013 and made his initial start as a five-year-old in February in the 9 furlong Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap. He was second choice (giving 2 lb.) to the 2011 Kentucky Derby winner, Animal Kingdom, who was also making his initial year start. The latter made a bold move along the backstretch to seize the lead on the inside, but Point of Entry came back and out fought Animal Kingdom to the wire for an outstanding 1¼ length victory. Animal Kingdom would leave the U. S. and travel abroad winning on the artificial dirt surface, the Dubai World Cup, but Point of Entry’s trainer, Shug McGaughey took the more conservative approach in keeping his charge in the United States.

The two best grass horses of 2012 – Wise Dan and Point of Entry were scheduled to face each other on Derby Day in the 9 furlong Woodford Reserve Turf Classic. An indication of the high esteem held for Point of Entry is that John Velazquez, the regular rider for both Point of Entry and Wise Dan, chose to ride the former over the prior year’s Horse of the Year. However, the anticipated clash between these horses never came to pass as Shug McGaughey deemed the Churchill Downs turf too soft for Point of Entry and scratched him on race day. In the Woodford Reserve, Wise Dan, under substitute jockey Jose Lezcano, had no trouble with the yielding course, drawing away to a 4¾ length victory.

Point of Entry appeared next on Belmont Stakes Day in the Woodford Reserve Manhattan Handicap where he again was confronted with a soft turf course. This time McGaughey decided to run his turf star, and Point of Entry gained the lead in the upper stretch of this 1¼ mile race and edged clear for a 1½ length victory over Optimizer who was a neck in front of late closing Real Solution. Subsequent to the Manhattan, it was discovered that Point of Entry suffered a small fracture in his left hind leg which required surgery. After recovering, McGaughey decided to bring Point of Entry to the Breeders’ Cup Turf without any intervening starts.

In November, the Breeders’ Cup Championship races returned again to Santa Anita. The most significant question among the starters in the Breeders’ Cup Turf was whether Shug McGaughey could have Point of Entry ready off only workouts since his victory in the Manhattan Handicap in June. An added complication was the loss of rider John Velazquez who suffered a significant injury from a fall earlier in the day. This forced McGaughey to substitute Joel Rosario who had never ridden the horse. The betting public did not believe Point of Entry could do it, making The Fugue, who was third in last year’s Filly and Mare Turf, the favorite. Also, in the field was last year’s Turf victor, Little Mike, who was coming off a victory in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Belmont Park his only to date in 2013.

The winner was a horse who had never raced beyond a mile. Magician was a three-year-old son of Galileo who last raced in June at the Royal Ascot meet, finishing ninth in the St. James Palace Stakes. He had previously showed high quality in winning the Irish 2000 Guineas Stakes. Relishing the firm footing on the Santa Anita turf, Magician surged from next to last under Ryan Moore to catch The Fugue in deep stretch for a ½ length victory. Indy Point finished third ¾ of a length further behind. Point of Entry, without his customary powerful closing kick, still rallied to be fourth, another ½ length behind. Little Mike, who had reached the lead at the top of the stretch, faded to seventh in his attempt to duplicate his Turf win of 2012.

In the Eclipse voting, Wise Dan, who repeated his victory in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, was again a triple champion – Older Male Horse, Male Turf Horse, and Horse of the Year. However, I believe that Point of Entry, who narrowly lost the Breeders’ Cup Turf in 2012 and was having such a strong year in 2013 till his untimely injury, could have contended for champion honors.

At the end of 2013, Point of Entry was retired to Adena Springs Farm in Paris, Kentucky where he currently stands. His progeny have shown some success with recent stakes performers Analyze It, Plus Que Parfait, and Admission Office.