Breeders' Cup qualifier: Lady Iman, Arizona Blaze lead Nunthorpe

Group 3-winning 2-year-old Lady Iman is set to take on multiple group winner and last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint second Arizona Blaze in the Nunthorpe Stakes (G1) at York on Friday. The winner of the five-furlong showpiece is guaranteed an automatic starting position in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.

 

The Ger Lyons-trained Lady Iman, one of two 2-year-old fillies to be declared in the 17-strong field, has enjoyed a very impressive first season on the track, winning all but one of her five starts. The daughter of Starman won the Irish EBF Blackbeard Fillies Sprint Stakes (G3) at Naas early in the season before going on to finish second behind Beautify in the Airlie Stud Stakes (G2) at The Curragh and then most recently winning the Molecomb Stakes (G3) at Goodwood, claiming an automatic berth into the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint.

 

Lady Iman was supplemented to run, and Lyons is excited at the prospect of running at the Breeders’ Cup.

 

“The Breeders’ Cup is where I’d like to go, but I don’t own her. We won it last year with Magnum Force, and as Ryan just said, if Lady Iman gets a low draw at Del Mar, she wins it, she’s proper.

 

“I went there last year and I can promise you I never got a thrill like it. It is not all about me, I don't own this horse, but if I can dance on that dancefloor again, I'm going as that is what racing is about for me. What an end of a season. What a show they put on and to be part of it and to win it, wow. I promise you if I can get a taste of that again, I'll be there.”

 

Arizona Blaze has been running consistently well this season, most notably winning the Sapphire Stakes (G2) last time out after finishing a close second to Time For Sandals in the Commonwealth Cup (G1) at Royal Ascot in June and landing the Prix Sigy (G3) at Chantilly in April.

 

The smart 3-year-old son of Sergei Prokofiev ran at York last year, finishing second by a head in the six-furlong Goffs Premier Yearling Stakes and will be partnered by regular jockey David Egan on Friday.

 

Aside from Arizona Blaze, Irish-based trainer Adrian Murray has enjoyed multiple placings at the Breeders’ Cup, with Valiant Force chasing home Big Evs to finish second in the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint and Hill Road finishing third in the 2024 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

 

On Arizona Blaze’s chances, Murray said, “He’s among the favorites and that is because he always turns up on the day. Hopefully he will do again in the Nunthorpe.

 

“He’s a very exciting horse, he never runs a bad race and the sprint division is wide open this year. There’s no standout horse this season, all the big sprints are being won by different horses. Ours is one of the favorites, but it’s wide open.

 

“I was talking to Roger O’Callaghan (owner of star 2-year-old Lady Iman) the other day and they are going to York because of that, it could be a big field. It’s exciting times ahead, for sure.”

 

The Australian raider, Asfoora, who finished fourth in last year’s renewal, has been declared by trainer Henry Dwyer. The 7-year old daughter of Flying Artie landed the Irwin Stakes (G3) at Morphettville in April and will be partnered by champion jockey Oisin Murphy on Friday.

 

Sayidah Dariyan, trained by Richard Hughes, enjoyed Group 3 success at York last time out when winning the Summer Stakes (G3) in July beating the Ed Walker-trained Celandine, who has also been declared alongside stablemate Mgheera, in third. Three-year-old Sayidah Dariyan has had one attempt in Group 1 company when seen finishing fourth behind Arizona Blaze in Royal Ascot’s Commonwealth Cup.

 

Mgheera, a 5-year-old mare by Zoustar, finished second to Arizona Blaze in the five-furlong Sapphire Stakes at The Curragh on good ground in July, beaten two lengths, after winning the Prix de Saint-George (G3) at Longchamp and Temple Sakes (G2) at Haydock in May.

 

Jonathan Portman-trained Rumstar, also supplemented, finished fifth to Arizona Blaze in July after winning the Coral Charge (G3) at Sandown when beating She’s Quality two weeks prior. The daughter of Acclamation has finished second in her last four starts, all in Group company over five furlongs, most recently in the King George Qatar Stakes (G2) at Goodwood, won by the John & Sean Quinn-trained Jm Jungle, who has also been declared for Friday. The Yorkshire-based rival was victorious in the Epsom Dash in June, beating Spartan Arrow who finished second.

 

Night Raider finished third in the Clipper Stakes (G2) at York in May but has disappointed in Group company since. Karl Burke’s trainee was last seen finishing sixth behind Jm Jungle in the Aug. 1 King George Qatar Stakes (G2) at Goodwood, a head in front of Asfoora in seventh and Spartan Arrow in ninth. He finished down the field in the King Charles III Stakes (G1) at Royal Ascot, where Frost At Dawn finished second, and 11th in the July Cup Stakes (G1) at Newmarket.

 

Yorkshire-based Washington Heights, trained by Kevin Ryan, has recent course and distance form having won the John Smith’s City Walls Stakes in July after finishing seventh in Royal Ascot’s King Charles III Stakes. The gelding finished sixth in last year’s Nunthorpe Stakes after being outpaced in the closing stages under Tom Eaves. Connections will be hoping for improvement this year.

 

Spicy Marg, Kerdos, Ain’t Nobody and Manaccan complete the field.