By Tom Frary
Monday's curtain-raising Curragh card saw Whitsbury Manor Stud's first-season sire Sergei Prokofiev register his opening salvo as his son Arizona Blaze (GB) captured the five-furlong Castle Star And Alkumait At Capital Stud Irish EBF Maiden.
Representing AMO Racing Limited and Giselle De Aguiar and the Adrian Murray stable, the £82,000 Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale graduate was always on the sharp end under David Egan. Asserting from Rowdy Yeats (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) inside the final furlong, the 5-4 favourite eked out a professional 1 1/4-length success.
“David [Egan] said he's a very nice horse with loads of improvement,” Murray said. “Hopefully he can build on this and maybe go to Royal Ascot. Whether he'll have a run in the meantime, we'll have to wait and see. He rolled around a bit on the ground and will improve on better ground. He's a very nice horse at home and we think a good bit of him. The further he went the stronger he looked.” The dam, who also has a yearling colt by by Harry Angel (Ire), is a daughter of the Listed Finale S. winner Jane Austen (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}).
1st-Curragh, €20,000, Mdn, 3-18, 2yo, 5fT, 1:08.60, hy.
ARIZONA BLAZE (GB) (c, 2, Sergei Prokofiev–Liberisque {GB}, by Equiano {Fr}) Sales history: 36,000gns Wlg '22 TADEWE; £82,000 Ylg '23 GOFFUK. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $13,067.
O-AMO Racing Limited & Giselle De Aguiar; B-Andrew Bengough & Partners (GB); T-Adrian Murray.
Arizona Blaze (Sergei Prokofiev) follows in the hootprints of Bucanero Fuerte with victory in the Irish Flat turf season opener for Adrian Murray and @amoracingltd at @curraghrace 🏆 pic.twitter.com/sqWXjTopte
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) March 18, 2024
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