Arizona Blaze shines brightest in the Sapphire Just denied in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot last month, Arizona Blaze gained some measure of compensation in the Barberstown Castle Sapphire Stakes. Sent off a 9/4 joint-favourite (4s in early shows) for this Group 2 contest, the Adrian Murray-trained three-year-old raced in second under David Egan. Pushed along to lead with a furlong and a half to go, the 113-rated bay ultimately found plenty for pressure when ridden, and came home two-lengths to the good in the colours of Amo Racing and Giselle De Aguiar. One of two UK raiders in the line-up, Mgheera (5/2) filled the runner-up spot under Ryan Moore, with the Johnny Murtagh-trained Songhai (25/1) another half-a-length away in third. Successful at Sandown a fortnight ago, Rumstar was the other joint-favourite and he finished a disappointing fifth. "We've had a tough time at the Curragh. This guy deserved a big win, to be honest," Kia Joorabchian of Amo Racing said. "He's been second in a Breeders’ Cup and second in a Group 1 at Royal Ascot. It 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 have done an amazing job with him in the past two years. "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. "I probably have to thank Aidan (O'Brien) for not running a horse in this race! "He's been professional all the way. He loves five and can go six and seven. He loves the five furlongs and hopefully we'll have a lot more fun with him. "I think we'll aim for the Breeders' Cup. I think he'll get a Group 1 somewhere." When asked where he'd go next he added: "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 that he has actually broken my duck. "This year we've had a very big investment in Freemason and a very big investment across the globe. That investment has to still show itself. "Most of our really top horses have not even come to run. We've been so unfortunate as well, 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. Then before that we've just had a series of injuries." When asked if he was good at handling bad news he added:- "You have to be, 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 is a very big victory and we're extremely happy with it. At least I've broken my duck at the Curragh, I was starting to think I was bad luck." STEWARDS REPORT * The Raceday Stewards reviewed an incident as the horses left the stalls involving Mgheera (GB), ridden by R.L. Moore, placed second, and Grande Marques, ridden by J.M. Sheridan, placed sixth, where it appeared Grande Marques jumped left into the path of Mgheera. Having viewed the recording of the race and considered the matter, the Raceday Stewards were satisfied that no further action was warranted. Additional reporting by Gary Carson
