The opening Castle Star At Capital Stud Irish EBF Maiden at the Curragh on Sunday saw Darley's first-season sire Space Blues (Ire) get off the mark as Power Blue (Ire) ran out an emphatic three-and-three-quarter-length winner in the hands of David Egan. It was also a third consecutive win in the race for trainer Adrian Murray after those of Bucanero Fuerte (GB) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) in 2023 and Arizona Blaze (GB) (Sergei Prokofiev) last year.
Representing the LNA Racing Syndicate, Power Blue was a £44,000 purchase at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale, having initially sold for €30,000 at the Goffs November Foal Sale. He was bred by Finanza Locale Consulting and is the first foal out of the G3 Premio Elena e Sergio Cumani third Visions (Ire) (Worthadd {Ire}) who, in turn, is out of the G3 Premio Tudini winner Charming Woman (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). The dam also has a yearling colt by Starman (GB).
“He was the ultimate professional really,” Egan told Racing TV. “For a horse who travels with such ease, he showed a little bit of greenness but really quickened up in the last 100 yards and galloped out all the way to the boards afterwards. He'll be getting a bit further than five furlongs, that's for sure. He won by a wider margin today than Arizona Blaze, who is a Breeders' Cup-placed horse. Bucanero Fuerte probably won it in similar fashion, but he's a nice horse who is sure to make plenty of improvement.”
The three-time Group 1 winner Space Blues, who is based at Kildangan Stud in Ireland, was out of luck with his first runner earlier on Sunday as Amelia (Fr) brought up the rear in Lyon Parilly's Prix du Premier Pas.
Déjà vu 🤍🩷@AMurrayRacing won the season opener 12 months ago with Arizona Blaze and he's gone and repeated the trick with Space Blues colt Power Blue, who looks VERY promising.@DavidEgan99 | @curraghrace pic.twitter.com/xcu5Au0d12
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) March 16, 2025
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