Azamour looks a nice sort

Racing Curragh report and news: Azamour put himself firmly into the 2004 Classic picture with a gutsy success in yesterday's Beresford Stakes at the Curragh.

Just a neck separated the John Oxx-trained colt from Relaxed Gesture at the line but his stable companion Alamshar was an equally narrow winner of the Group Two contest last year before graduating to Irish Derby and King George glory.

Oxx believes there is a limited future for Azamour beyond a mile but admitted that the Night Shift colt is the best of his juvenile string.

"Our two year olds in general are a bit behind but I would imagine he is the best of them and he looks a horse with a future.

"Two-year-old races don't prove anything though. They are an indicator for the future. Having said that, he is a lovely looking horse, a great athlete and he has scope.

"The dam won the Trigo over a mile and a quarter but I think he might be just a miler. He did a good job there to battle like that off a slow pace," the trainer said.

Despite Relaxed Gesture living up to his name at the front in the early stages, Azamour's winning time was almost three seconds faster than when Alamshar beat Brian Boru last year.

Cashmans reacted by making the colt a 25 to 1 shot for the Epsom Derby but it could be a Guineas that gives Azamour a shot at Classic glory.

Vintage Tipple tasted victory at that level in the Irish Oaks but a return to the course and distance in the Listed Barathea Finale Stakes proved an anti-climax.

The filly struggled home in sixth behind the all-the-way winner L'ancresse who gained revenge for her Irish Oaks second.

"She ran very flat," reported Vintage Tipple's rider Kevin Manning but the finale really was the finale for L'ancresse's racing career.

"She will be lucky to make it back to Ballydoyle," reported Aidan O'Brien.

"John (Magnier) said Sadler's Wells is looking out the door for her!" The Oxx-trained Zimbabwe landed the Cesarewitch under Cathy Gannon, who earlier had picked up the award for the Derrinstown apprentice series, and who now trails Pat Cosgrave by just one in the apprentice jockeys' table.

"Zimbabwe's next engagement will be on a tight, right-handed track," said Oxx. "He goes to the Goffs Sales tomorrow." The local trainer capped a fine afternoon in the Waterford Testimonial Stakes as Hanabad notched up a deserved black type success. Johnny Murtagh galvanised the colt in the final strides to short-head the English raider Millybaa.