Maarek flops as Murder takes the Sprint Scream Blue Murder sprang a 20/1 surprise in the Group Three Phoenix Sprint Stakes as the even money favourite Maarek flopped. The Tommy Stack trained victor disappointed on her last two starts on quick ground over five furlongs but had won on yielding to soft at Cork in May. Back on soft ground today and stepped up to six furlongs she chased the leaders in the early stages and was third after halfway. She was ridden into second two furlongs out and soon came with her challenge, hitting the front inside the final 150 yards before keeping on well to score by three parts of a length under Pat Smullen (his first time aboard). Wayne Lordan usually rides the daughter of Oratorio but he is in France today where he partnered Viztoria to finish a disappointing twelfth in the Group One Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville The David Marnane trained Jamesie (10/1) kept on well to snatch second on the line under Colm O’Donoghue while Hamza was a head back in third under Jamie Spencer for Kevin Ryan. Maarek never really looked like winning and he finished a disappointing fifth under Declan McDonogh for Evanna McCutcheon. Fozzy Stack said afterwards: "That was a bit of a surprise but she does like the ground. She toughed it out well. "She's a Group Three winner now to go along with her Listed win, so anything from now on is a bonus. "She'll probably come back here for the Renaissance Stakes and we could look at the Flying Five. We'll probably draw stumps with her at the end of the season." Additional reporting by Alan Magee
