Denton Hall News

Dods hails Azure Blue as 'proper Group 1 horse' after York triumph

Trainer Michael Dods has described star filly Azure Blue as "a proper Group 1 horse" after her brilliant victory under a confident Paul Mulrennan ride at York today.

The four-year-old grey stepped up significantly on her listed win at Newmarket to outgun multiple Group 1 winner Highfield Princess in the Group 2 1895 Duke of York Clipper Stakes on The Knavesmire.

Owned by Peter Appleton and Anne Elliott, she was recording her fourth successive win, and her seventh in 14 runs overall.

Dods said: “She’s done nothing but improve since the end of last season. We didn’t feel we had her ready at Newmarket as she’d had a few issues, nothing serious but we just didn’t feel we’d got the work in. She went there and did it well and I knew there was improvement to come.

“It was a big step up to go from a Listed mares’ race to today, but looking at the calendar there wasn’t a lot else coming up in the short-term, which is why we came here. I think today she’s shown she’s a proper Group One horse.”

In a thrilling six furlong contest, Mulrennan brought Azure Blue through in the final furlong to win by half a length at rewarding odds of 12-1. Stablemate Commanche Falls also ran a gallant race to be a further length and a quarter adrift in third.

The Denton Hall team, which has already tasted Group 1 wins with sprinting fillies Mecca's Angel and Mabs Cross in recent years, can now dream of further top grade success.

Azure Blue is not entered in either the King’s Stand or the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot, but Dods did not rule out supplementing her. However, she prefers cut in the ground and the trainer warned that she wouldn't want it too firm.

He added: “I don’t know where we’ll go now. Because today was the start of her career really in these races, we hadn’t made any plans and didn’t have her in some of the early-closing races. I wouldn’t be frightened to come back to five furlongs with her on slow ground, so there’s plenty of targets for her and a lot to look forward to.

“Mecca’s Angel was different, she was all speed and everything was five furlongs. This filly set off at six, but she’s getting that speed a bit later on now as a four-year-old. She is in that class.”

Dods added that the Prix de l'Abbaye - a race he won with Mabs Cross in 2018 - was on the radar.

He also praised the run of Commanche Falls, saying he ran "a super race" after a big step up in class.

“To have the first and third in what is really a Group One is tremendous for everyone involved,” he commented.

Sadly, the race was marred by the death of Charlie Appleby’s Group One winner Creative Force, who sustained a fatal injury and Dods said: "While we are elated to have won such an important race with Azure Blue, our thoughts are with the connections of Creative Force."