Arizona Blaze on course for 'wide open' Nunthorpe Stakes at York
While stablemate Power Blue caused a major shock against the long odds-on True Love in the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes on Saturday and Bucanero Fuerte ran out a Group Three winner on the same Curragh card, Arizona Blaze is vying for favouritism in the five-furlong feature on the Friday of the four-day Ebor Festival.
Second at the Breeders' Cup, he has been running to a remarkably consistent level this season in a division that continues to surprise, finishing second in the Commonwealth Cup to Time For Sandals and then winning the Sapphire Stakes by a clear-cut two lengths.
"He's among the favourites and that is because he always turns up on the day – hopefully he will do again in the Nunthorpe," said Murray.
"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 favourites, but it's wide open.
"I was talking to Roger O'Callaghan (owner of star two-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."
Reflecting on a big-race double for Kia Joorabchian's Amo Racing he described as "unbelievable", Murray said: "We expected a run from Bucanero, well we expected a big run from both of them, but we were taking on Aidan O'Brien in the Group One.
"I was always told never be afraid to run, they don't win anything stood in their stable.
"Power Blue ran very quick sectionals all the way and that is what won him it, he has a high cruising speed but isn't a horse who finds a whole lot off that speed. He can maintain a very high cruising speed.
"He'll probably go for the National Stakes now on Champions Weekend, that will be his next target I think. He's in at York in the sales race, but he's a Group One winner now.
"Bucanero was just very comfortable the whole way through the race and the further they went, the more it looked like he was going to win.
"He was never out of his comfort zone and is a very good horse."
Murray went on to praise his assistant Robson Aguiar and his role in the victories.
"We're very lucky to have these horses and it's all down to Robson, he's sourced them and didn't really spend fortunes on them. He's a brilliant man at picking these horses," said Murray.
"None of the good ones were that expensive in the grand scheme of things, but I think we got a little bit lucky with Bucanero as he's by Wootton Bassett and we got him just before he really took off."
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The Irish Sun
a day ago
- The Irish Sun
Cathal Murray's ‘unfinished business' mission complete as Galway land third All-Ireland crown under his reign
HIS decision to stay on after last year's heartbreak paid off in style as Galway toppled Cork to reclaim the O'Duffy Cup JOB DONE Cathal Murray's 'unfinished business' mission complete as Galway land third All-Ireland crown under his reign CATHAL MURRAY has been hailed for orchestrating his Galway tenure to a glorious crescendo in Sunday's All-Ireland senior camogie final. The hugely successful Tribe boss admitted the O'Duffy Cup triumph over Cork was the sweetest one yet as an unfinished symphony was completed. 2 Galway claimed yet another All-Ireland Camogie title after a win over rivals Cork on Sunday in Dublin 2 Galway manager Cathal Murray led the side to glory for a third time at GAA HQ On a day when the Rebels were chasing a three-in-a-row, three ended up being the magic number for Murray instead. The Sarsfields man led Galway to All-Ireland glory for the third time – no mean feat in a county that had only landed the holy grail twice before he took the reins in 2018. Murray revealed that he effectively called time on his tenure after losing last year's final to Cork, only to cite 'unfinished business' for his decision to remain at the helm. And forward Niamh Mallon reckons the gaffer deserves enormous credit for conducting the women in maroon to achieve another pitch-perfect performance at Croke Park. She said: 'I'm just delighted for the group and delighted for Cathal. They put a massive effort in. It's easy for people to have pops at management teams and the way they set teams up. 'But the time and effort that group has put into us has been massive since the turn of January. And they got their just rewards. I'm just delighted to be part of the group and very grateful." It took a controversial Katrina Mackey goal to decide the contest in Cork's favour when the teams clashed in the 2024 final. Nevertheless, Galway were depicted as rank outsiders to flip the script. Their determination to upset the odds was evident from the outset as Murray's side brought a level of energy and aggression that Cork failed to match throughout the first half. Mallon reflected: "It was fierce intense, to be honest. And we kind of knew that coming into the game. "If we were going to turn Cork over, it was going to be intensity that was going to take us there. We brought a massive intensity this time last year, we just didn't have the composure to see it out. Inside Sharlene Mawdsley's birthday celebrations as GAA star boyfriend treats her to athletics-themed cake 'I think the experience of last year really stood to us, particularly coming down the stretch. We managed the game a whole lot better than this time last year. We're just delighted to get over the line." Galway were full value for their five-point lead at the interval. Indeed, it resembled an unassailable deficit for Cork when coupled with the dismissal of Hannah Looney in first-half stoppage time. But that blow seemed to galvanise the defending champions, who raised their game considerably after the change of ends. Orlaith Cahalane's goal in the final minute of normal time brought Cork level and nudged Galway out of the ascendancy for the first time since the opening quarter. Still, the final say was had by the women from the west. Having been fouled by Kate Wall, Galway captain Carrie Dolan aced a free that sealed their one-point win. Mallon explained: "We really went after stopping their running game at source. If they get out, they're a fierce dangerous side. 'Trying to not let them build from the back and give them a platform, particularly in that middle third, that's where they got us last year. 'They hit 1-3 or 1-4 without reply by building solely from the back. We knew we couldn't let that happen if we were going to win and thankfully we managed the game better in that third quarter." Cork manager Ger Manley fumed at referee Justin Heffernan after the game, accusing the Wexford whistler of a 'shocking' performance. But Mallon felt Heffernan played his part in facilitating a refreshing level of physicality that significantly boosted the entertainment value of the showpiece. PLAYER'S PERSPECTIVE Asked if the game was as taxing as it looked, she said: "I think so. And I think the referee really played into that. He let the game go and it really contributed to a really good game. 'There were a few questionable decisions last year coming down the stretch on both sides. I think he did a great job to let the game flow. You got a spectacle out of it." After just two seasons with Galway, Mallon has already experienced both the agony and ecstasy of the biggest day in the camogie calendar. The former Down forward has been based in Galway since 2018 through her job as a sports scientist at Orreco. She finally made the decision to switch inter-county allegiances last year. Mallon, 30, admitted in the wake of the recent semi-final win over Tipperary that it was 'a huge challenge' to feel at home in her new surroundings. But having played a starring role in Sunday's triumph, the 2024 All-Star insisted: 'Cathal, the management team, the players – they were brilliant. "I spoke after the Tipp game that it was something in my own head. It was something I'd never experienced in a camogie dressing room in ten, 15 years and it was something I had to get over. 'I think the experience of coming into my first All-Ireland final was something I needed to work through. I think the experience of last year stood to me. Just very grateful to the group."
Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Irish Examiner
Cathal Murray's Galway rebuild will go down as his greatest achievement
Heading into the 2018 championship, Galway were holding a loose membership of camogie's big three. It had been five years since they'd bettered either Cork or Kilkenny in a knockout championship fixture. The latter pair had lifted themselves and their levels of preparation, Galway had been caught standing still. In the days after Galway's 2018 League semi-final defeat to Kilkenny, the panel passed a motion of no confidence in a management team headed up by Tony O'Donovan. It was the opening sentence in Galway players rewriting the county's camogie story of heartbreak and hard luck. The new man in was to be Galway's fourth manager in less than two and a half years. The new man in was Cathal Murray, player-manager for Sarsfields' Galway SHC final win three years earlier. The new man in brought an end to western stagnation, he raised standards, and he grew belief. The foundation stones were laid during the rest of a 2018 season where Galway again fell at the semi-final hurdle and during the subsequent winter months. The physical approach that so spectacularly unnerved Cork on Sunday was a card first played by Cathal Murray six years ago in the 2019 semi-final. Galway set the terms by unflinchingly getting in Cork's face. That Cork class were also going for three-in-a-row. They too were outworked and outmuscled. The tactical acumen and match-up mastery that so disrupted Cork on Sunday was a card first played by Murray six years ago in the 2019 final. Caitriona Cormican, who struck two points in the semi-final, was redeployed at centre-back and performed a superb shadow job on Anne Dalton. Kilkenny's leading scorer from play coming into the final hardly touched the ball in the opening half. 'Just with the culture there and environment, I had a gut feeling we were going to win something under him,' Cormican said in an interview last year. 'I wouldn't have two All-Ireland medals only for him. [The set-up] was really enjoyable, really professional. It was definitely the most professional that I have ever played at.' He took a team with an inferiority complex of the red jersey and oversaw eight consecutive victories over them between the '19 semi-final and '23 championship opener. Sarah Dervan was Galway captain for the '19 and '21 final wins. Her verdict on the first half of Murray's tenure continues to ring true. 'He has brought Galway camogie way further than it ever was,' she said after 2021 glory at Cork's expense. 'We were always knocking around semi-final stages, struggling to get to the final. He came in and the people that he brought in around him, the likes of Robbie Lane (S&C) who has done a massive amount of work with us, have brought us so far. 'They have brought Galway camogie to elite level. Cathal always demands the best for us. We always get treated exactly the way any county hurling team would, and that's huge.' After two O'Duffy Cups in three years, equaling the county's haul of the previous 86 years, Murray's second chapter was one of renewal and reinvigoration. A period of transition threw in ahead of the 2023 season. From the 2022 campaign where their attempted title defence was comprehensively halted by Kilkenny at the semi-final stage, Heather Cooney, Cormican, and Niamh Kilkenny stepped away, Annmarie Starr was again absent, while goalkeeper Sarah Healy and half-forward Catherine Finnerty had gone travelling. Ciara Hickey was still a minor when a member of Cathal's All-Ireland intermediate winning side in 2022. Hickey was second only to Aoife Donohue on Sunday. Ally Hesnan and Jennifer Hughes were also members of that intermediate side. The pair were rolled off the bench against Cork. Sarah Healy, upon returning home, was enticed back into the set-up last year. Could you put a price on her penalty save from Katrina Mackey? Niamh Kilkenny was similarly enticed back last year after giving birth. Ditto Annmarie Starr. Shauna Healy returned this year after missing 2024 to start a family. He made sure they all returned. Would they have returned for anyone else? The latter Healy and Starr performed superb suffocating jobs on Orlaith Cahalane and Amy O'Connor. Seven of the 2021 All-Ireland winning team were absent on Sunday, including the McGrath sisters Orlaith and Siobhan. An eighth member of the 2021 starting team, Emma Helebert, didn't start. His success in rebuilding Galway and returning them to the summit when not everyone who could have been on board was on board will go down as his greatest achievement. He once again outsmarted Cork. He once again nullified key performers with spot-on match-up calls. Siobhan Gardiner didn't start the semi-final and yet she was entrusted to shadow Cork's semi-final player of the match Saoirse McCarthy. The Ardrahan woman relished the gig. The manager himself grew and learned. Too slow to make changes in last year's final, he did not repeat that mistake on Sunday. 'We were probably guilty ourselves last year of not using our bench enough. I thought the bench made a massive impact today,' he said. Three All-Irelands in seven seasons. Three Leagues in the same period. Six wins out of 11 final appearances. Add in the 2022 intermediate and the inaugural U23 All-Ireland of recent weeks. Murray almost walked 12 months ago. Should he go now, his latest act of service to Galway camogie has further cemented his legacy.
RTÉ News
2 days ago
- RTÉ News
Arizona Blaze on course for 'wide open' Nunthorpe Stakes at York
After a weekend to remember, Adrian Murray is relishing another bid for Group One glory at York next week, when Arizona Blaze goes for gold in the Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe. While stablemate Power Blue caused a major shock against the long odds-on True Love in the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes on Saturday and Bucanero Fuerte ran out a Group Three winner on the same Curragh card, Arizona Blaze is vying for favouritism in the five-furlong feature on the Friday of the four-day Ebor Festival. Second at the Breeders' Cup, he has been running to a remarkably consistent level this season in a division that continues to surprise, finishing second in the Commonwealth Cup to Time For Sandals and then winning the Sapphire Stakes by a clear-cut two lengths. "He's among the favourites and that is because he always turns up on the day – hopefully he will do again in the Nunthorpe," said Murray. "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 favourites, but it's wide open. "I was talking to Roger O'Callaghan (owner of star two-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." Reflecting on a big-race double for Kia Joorabchian's Amo Racing he described as "unbelievable", Murray said: "We expected a run from Bucanero, well we expected a big run from both of them, but we were taking on Aidan O'Brien in the Group One. "I was always told never be afraid to run, they don't win anything stood in their stable. "Power Blue ran very quick sectionals all the way and that is what won him it, he has a high cruising speed but isn't a horse who finds a whole lot off that speed. He can maintain a very high cruising speed. "He'll probably go for the National Stakes now on Champions Weekend, that will be his next target I think. He's in at York in the sales race, but he's a Group One winner now. "Bucanero was just very comfortable the whole way through the race and the further they went, the more it looked like he was going to win. "He was never out of his comfort zone and is a very good horse." Murray went on to praise his assistant Robson Aguiar and his role in the victories. "We're very lucky to have these horses and it's all down to Robson, he's sourced them and didn't really spend fortunes on them. He's a brilliant man at picking these horses," said Murray. "None of the good ones were that expensive in the grand scheme of things, but I think we got a little bit lucky with Bucanero as he's by Wootton Bassett and we got him just before he really took off."
