Arizona Blaze and David Egan (right) win at the Curragh
Curragh Monday review: Chazzesmee may bid for Lincoln double
By Sporting Life
17:16 · MON March 18, 2024
A review of the action from Monday's meeting at the Curragh where Chazzesmee teed up a potential Lincoln double in the space of six days.
Chazzesmee sets up Lincoln double bid
Fozzy Stack’s Chazzesmee justified his status as the favourite to land the Nua Healthcare Irish Lincolnshire.
The six-year-old was second over course and distance when last seen in July and also has heavy ground form from a previous Naas success.
He is lightly raced with only nine runs to his name due to a previous injury and came into the race off the back of a 260-day break, though that proved no hindrance to him as he made his seasonal debut.
Under Joey Sheridan he travelled in the latter half of the field and began to make progress in the final two furlongs, joining the front runners in the last half furlong and eventually prevailing by a length on the line.
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The run could now lead him to the Lincoln at Doncaster on Saturday should he come out of it well, and he has been halved from 20/1 to 10/1 for the contest with Paddy Power.
Stack said: “He did it well off a lay-off. We’ll see how he is during the week and he’s in the English Lincoln on Saturday. A 5lb penalty would get him into it. He’s never been short of ability, and we ironed out a few kinks in him. We brought him over to Saratoga last year and he got a stone bruise and couldn’t run on the day.
“Then when he was coming back he got stuck in some airport in Holland or Belgium for four days as a vet was giving out about some paperwork. We just ran out of time to run him. He broke his pelvis in Dundalk as a three-year-old so that’s why he was off for a year.”
Blaze makes perfect start
Arizona Blaze made the perfect start to his career with a taking win on debut in the Castle Star And Alkumait At Capital Stud Irish EBF Maiden.
The colt is trained by Adrian Murray and owned by Amo Racing, whose new retained jockey David Egan took the ride after a spell riding for the outfit in America.
Arizona Blaze is out of a mare named Liberisque and by Sergei Prokofiev, for whom he was the first progeny to take to the track.
It was therefore a perfect start for the sire also as his son ran a pleasing race to prevail by a comfortable length and a quarter as the 5/4 favourite.
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Murray said of the run: “David said he’s a very nice horse with loads of improvement. 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. We have about 15 to 20 juveniles to run this year, not all for Amo.”
Arizona Blaze and David Egan (right) win at the Curragh
Force too strong for rivals
Real Force came out on top for Gerard O’Leary and Wayne Hassett in the La Celia Wines Handicap over five furlongs.
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A 5/1 chance, the grey prevailed by three lengths in a convincing victory and will now take aim at a step up in trip and grade at Cork.
“He’ll go now to Cork for a Listed race in two weeks’ time over six furlongs,” O’Leary said, “He was in great form. We didn’t work him as such but gave him plenty on the heavy sand on the Curragh and got stamina into him as he has natural speed. He could stay a mile and is just an athlete. It’s his time of the year. We were a little worried as the lads were saying it was gluey but he got through it nicely.”
Twomey on target with Procrastinate
Paddy Twomey’s Procrastinate was another horse to hit the mark first time out as he took the Bermingham Cameras Of Dublin Maiden under Billy Lee.
The three-year-old is by Siyouni and out of Walk In Beauty and therefore the full brother to Walk In Marrakesh, a Listed winner for Mark Johnston in England before plying her trade with success in America.
Procrastinate started at 2/1 and delivered by three quarters of a length after a battle to the line with eventual runner up Marty The Party.
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The trainer said: “I was hoping he’d run a nice race coming here. He’s a horse that we’ve liked and didn’t run last year. Delighted that he was able to do that on debut.
“We came here knowing that he’d be fit but wouldn’t be sharp. I’m happy the way he travelled through the race and picked up. Hopefully there will be plenty of improvement to come when the penny drops.
“I didn’t envisage him being out the first day, but he’d been training well in the spring. I think he’ll be fairly versatile ground wise. I thought that he’d handle that ground without wanting it. If I can find a winners’ race that would be nice and if not he may have to run in something like the Tetrarch. I think he’ll get a mile.”
Dancer wins the Money
Noel Meade’s Money Dancer defied odds of 16/1 to take the Finlay Volvo Fillies & Mares Maiden by a neck under Colin Keane.
The three-year-old is by Belardo and struck at the first time of asking when defeating Aidan O’Brien’s Mayfair, the 13/8 favourite.
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Meade said of the chestnut: “She behaved herself better here than she does at home. She’s very bouncy and you have to be wary about her, but she’s always showed us plenty.
“We got her at the back end of last year and the couple of bits of work that she’s done we’ve liked her. We hadn’t really dipped her because she was so bouncy and I wasn’t sure what she would find but she found plenty. Colin thought she could go another furlong. We’ll try and go for a Listed race with her and see how we get on.”
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