Arizona Blaze shows a willing attitude in Marble Hill

Arizona Blaze really showed his mettle in overturning the odds-on favourite Camille Pissarro in the Group 3 GAIN Marble Hill Stakes (In Memory Of Theresa Marnane).

The 7/1 shot (from 12s) was keen leaving the stalls and was soon allowed to go on by David Egan over this six-furlong trip.

Camille Pissarro was asked for more by Ryan Moore entering the final two furlongs and soon looked threatening on the leader's inner.

Arizona Blaze was joined and narrowly headed inside the final furlong, but he was well up for the battle and rallied to lead close home.

He won by a head from the 4/6 favourite with the pair half a length in front of the third home, Midnight Strike who kept on without getting on terms with the leaders.

Adrian Murray said: “The plan was to drop him out and come from behind, but there was no pace early on and he had choice but to go on.

“He stuck at it very well. He's still not the finished article, there is more improvement in him between now and the Coventry.

“He was an early horse, but we gave him an easy time of it after that to give him time to grow into himself.

“The last day he got beat here he wouldn't have been 110 per cent.

“He had a right little bit of a blow after that race so he'll come on again.”

On training these high calibre horses he added: “It's dream stuff. I never could have imagined that this would happen to me.

“Robson (Aguiar) asked me two-and-a-half or three years ago if I would train for them. He said that we're going to be training top drawer stuff and I kind of took it with a pinch of salt, but one year has been better than the next.”

Arizona Blaze is owned by AMO Racing Limited and Giselle De Aguiar.

Paddy Power were suitably impressed to give him a first show of 5/1 for the Coventry.

Additional reporting by Gary Carson