By Sean Cronin
Last term's G1 Irish Oaks third Eziyra (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) went postward with the weight of crowd money for Sunday's G2 Moyglare “Jewels” Blandford S. at The Curragh returning from a trio of Group 3 victories–which came in the Give Thanks S., Kilternan S. and last month's Ballyroan S.–and a last-out third in York's Aug. 23 G1 Yorkshire Oaks. The hardened chestnut justified that support and kicked off the Day 2 features on Irish Champions Weekend with a game success in the 10-furlong contest. Settled second off the clear leader Curly (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) for the most part, the 11-8 favourite made headway in the straight to lead approaching the final eighth and was driven out to hold the late thrust of Who's Steph (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) by 3/4-of-a-length. I'm So Fancy (Ire) (Rajj {Ire}) was a head adrift in third. “She's a wonderfully consistent filly to train and has now won five Group races and been second in two Group 1s,” said trainer Dermot Weld after claiming a fourth win out of the last five editions. “We've won this race a lot of times and that's three years running now. I've had it in my mind to go to Canada for the [GI] E.P. Taylor and then we'll go on for the [GI] Breeders' Cup Fillies & Mares [Turf] with her after that. She used not to be that relaxed and that's why she wears the hood, but on the race track all she does is battle. She's a very courageous filly and a very good one. Everything worked out well today with the tactics–the plan was to be handy and, if nobody was willing, to make the running. She's very straightforward, she's a very genuine and very sound filly. She ran in a very good Yorkshire Oaks and was coming back going to the line [there]. I'd say this is it [for her] this year–she's been a Group-winning 2-year-old, a very good 3-year-old and a good 4-year-old.”
Eziyra is a half-sister to Listed Platinum S. winner Eshera (Ire) (Oratorio {Ire}), a yearling filly by Siyouni (Ire) and a filly foal by Gleneagles (Ire). She is out of a stakes-placed half-sister to G1 Ascot Gold Cup-winning highweights Enzeli (Ire) (Kahyasi {Ire}) and Estimate (Ire) (Monsun {Ger}), G1 Irish Oaks victress Ebadiyla (Ire) (Sadler's Wells) and G1 Moyglare Stud S. heroine Edabiya (Ire) (Rainbow Quest).
Sunday, Curragh, Ireland
MOYGLARE JEWELS BLANDFORD S.-G2, €200,000, Curragh, 9-16, 3yo/up, f, 10fT, 2:07.50, gd.
1–EZIYRA (IRE), 131, f, 4, by Teofilo (Ire)
1st Dam: Eytarna (Ire) (SP-Ire), by Dubai Destination
2nd Dam: Ebaziya (Ire), by Darshaan (GB)
3rd Dam: Ezana (Ire), by Ela-Mana-Mou (Ire)
O-H H The Aga Khan; B-H H The Aga Khan's Studs SC (IRE); T-Dermot Weld; J-Declan McDonogh. €118,000. Lifetime Record: G1SP-Eng & Ire, 11-6-3-2, $478,899. *1/2 to Eshera (Ire) (Oratorio {Ire}), SW-Ire. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Who's Steph (Ire), 126, f, 3, Zoffany (Ire)–Llew Law (GB), by Verglas (Ire). (€20,000 Wlg '15 GOFNOV; €40,000 Ylg '16 TIRSEP). O-George Strawbridge; B-Patrick Headon (IRE); T-Ger Lyons. €40,000.
3–I'm So Fancy (Ire), 131, f, 4, Rajj (Ire)–Royal Jelly (GB), by King's Best. O-James Nicholson; B-Lisheen Stud (IRE); T-Jessica Harrington. €20,000.
Margins: 3/4, HD, 1HF. Odds: 1.35, 7.00, 4.50.
Also Ran: Curly (Ire), Broadway (Ire), Beautiful Morning (GB), Panstarr (GB), Clear Skies (GB), Rionach (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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