Azada and Chris Hayes © Photo Healy Racing
Having failed to hit the heights on her two most recent starts, the Dermot Weld trained Azada was right back to her very best when staying on strongly to win the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Garnet Stakes (Listed Race) (Fillies & Mares) at Naas.
A maiden winner at Leopardstown on her racecourse debut last October, the Aga Khan owned filly was deemed good enough to run in the Irish 1000 Guineas on her seasonal debut this term.
Far from disgraced in finishing sixth, the daughter of Siyouni was a beaten favourite in a Listed race back at the Curragh on her next start.
Fifth of nine in a Group 3 at Gowran Park last time, left the Weld trained filly with some questions to answer in this hotly contested event.
Tracking leader Sakti throughout, Chris Hayes moved through to challenge early in the straight. Leading over a furlong out, the 9/2 chance stayed on well to beat that rival by two lengths, with Princess Child back in third.
Dermot Weld said: “It was important that she won that race.
“She ran a very good race in the (Irish 1,000) Guineas and won well as a two-year-old.
“She handles that ground well. It’s on the slow side but that’s what she likes.
“I would like to have given her a prep run before the Irish Guineas but the way the programme was this year the classic trial was only two weeks before the Guineas and I like to have three weeks before a Group 1.
“The nine and a half furlongs might have been a little too far for her the last day in Gowran. She had been working well and I thought she might be hard to beat today.
“Chris gave her a lovely ride, he was in the right place at the right time, and she idled a bit in front so that’s why he had to keep her up to it.
“She’s a very big filly and there is a possibility that she may be kept in training next year but that’s all for future discussion.
“The way she won there you would think there is every possibility she could win a Group race next year.
“That will be it for this year.”
Additional reporting by Alan Magee.
