Tag Archive for: Sapphire Stakes

Arizona Blaze sparkles in Sapphire Stakes at the Curragh

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Arizona Blaze secured the biggest victory of his career to date in the Barberstown Castle Sapphire Stakes at the Curragh.

Adrian Murray’s charge has run a number of excellent races in top-class company, finishing on the podium in the Norfolk Stakes, Railway Stakes, Phoenix Stakes and at the Breeders’ Cup last season, while just last month he finished a neck second to Time For Sandals in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot.

Also a dual Group Three winner, the Amo Racing-owned Arizona Blaze was a 9-4 joint-favourite for this Group Two assignment and having been positioned on the front end from the start David Egan, he finished off strongly to deny Ed Walker’s hat-trick-seeking British raider Mgheera by two lengths.

Amo Racing supremo Kia Joorabchian said: “We’ve had a tough time at the Curragh. This guy deserved a big win, to be honest.

“He’s been second in a Breeders’ Cup and second in a Group One at Royal Ascot, this was a well-placed race for him.

“The ground was going a little bit softer than he’d like it because he likes really quick ground, but he just handled it very well.

“He’s never run a bad race really. Adrian and Robson (Aguiar) have done an amazing job with him in the past two years.

“I probably have to thank Aidan (O’Brien) for not running a horse in this race!”

Arizona Blaze (left) was a clear-cut winner
Arizona Blaze (left) was a clear-cut winner (Niall Carson/PA)

He added: “The entire team at Amo, whether it’s in the UK or here, needed this little boost. We’ve had a little bit of a tough start to the season, but it’s been good.

“You’re in sport and I’ve been in sport all my life. Unfortunately in football it happens as well. You’re going up for a big Champions League game and you get a hamstring, a knock or something goes wrong. You have to cope with those kind of moments and suck it in.

“This year we’ve had a very big investment in Freemason Lodge and a very big investment across the globe. That investment has to still show itself.

“We’ve had so many injuries this year – one after the other. We had a massive setback just recently with Ghostwriter, who unfortunately had an injury.”

Coral cut Arizona Blaze to 8-1 from 12-1 for the Nunthorpe at York, with Paddy Power 10-1 from 20-1 about the Sprint Cup at Haydock.

Joorabchian said: “We haven’t made any plans, this is a good moment for us.

“Everyone always said every time I came to the Curragh we always seemed to not get a winner, so I’m happy he’s actually broken my duck.

“I think we’ll aim for the Breeders’ Cup. I think he’ll get a Group One somewhere.”

Portman hoping to make Rum point at the Curragh

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Jonathan Portman said it was not too difficult a decision to supplement Rumstar into the Barberstown Castle Sapphire Stakes at the Curragh on Saturday.

The five-year-old has already enjoyed a successful season, winning the Palace House at the Newmarket Guineas meeting and the Coral Charge at Sandown.

With Portman keen to stick to five furlongs and not enamoured by taking him to Goodwood, he felt there was little to lose by adding him to the Group Two for €12,000.

“It wasn’t that difficult a decision in the end,” said Portman.

“We felt we’d been banging our head against the wall a bit in good company so we’d made a conscious decision not to spend Mr Ward’s (owner) money on entries – but then he goes and runs such a good race like he did at Sandown to give us a bit more faith.

“Whether it is the right thing is another matter entirely. Otherwise there’s just nowhere else to run him, as we’re very keen to keep him at five furlongs.

“He displayed a good turn of foot at Newmarket and again at Sandown. He didn’t disgrace himself at Haydock or Ascot, either.

“He’s come out of Sandown very well, I know it’s only a few weeks, but it’s all about what other options there were and they were very limited. Only the result itself will tell us if we’re being wise or not.”

There was 20 millimetres of overnight rain at the Curragh which will have been very welcome no doubt and that should not worry Rumstar.

“He won at Ascot on soft last October, but it wasn’t as soft as people say it was. He got away with it there. He’d be fine unless it got silly soft,” said Portman.