Arizona Blaze, right, beats Rowdy Yeats © Photo Healy Racing
David Egan cemented his new alliance with AMO Racing by steering Arizona Blaze home in the opening race of the Irish Flat season.
Egan was appointed first jockey to Kia Joorabchian's operation in December and got the leg up on 5/4 favourite Arizona Blaze in the five furlong maiden for juveniles.
AMO Racing and trainer Adrian Murray won this race last year through the smart Bucanero Fuerte and repeated the feat with this son of Sergei Prokofiev.
Arizona Blaze and Rowdy Yeats began to separate themselves from the field racing to the final furlong and they were locked together in the final 150 yards before Arizona Blaze found that bit more close home to go in by a length and a-quarter.
Noel Meade 's Rowdy Yeats showed plenty in second at 5/1 and was five lengths clear of a keeping-on Monotone (12/1) representing Jim Bolger.
Murray said: “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.”
Egan added: "Very smooth, he jumped and travelled and was the ultimate professional today. Great job by the team.
"Initially on the ground, he took a while to just find his footing. The last 100 yards was his best.
"He got into a good battle and I loved his tenacity to really outbattle the other horse.
"We spent the last sort of three months in America. I actually flew home for two weeks and went down to Mullingar and had a sit on all the horses and he was one that stood out for sure.
"They (AMO Racing) are a tremendous team with a great bunch of horses and I'm just very lucky to be in the position I am in - really excited."
Additional reporting by Alan Magee
