SERGEI Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. As the creator of acknowledged masterpieces across numerous music genres, he is regarded as one of the major classical composers of the 20th century.

The equine Sergei Prokofiev is a Whitsbury Manor Stud stallion whose son Arizona Blaze, in the silks of Amo Racing and Giselle de Aguiar, won the opening two-year-old race of 2024 in Ireland, the Castle Star and Alkumait at Capital Stud Irish EBF Maiden by just over a length, with the rest trailing five lengths and more in arrears.

Adrian Murray trains the winner, and last year he sent out Bucanero Fuerte to land the same race, and look what he achieved afterwards, adding the Group 1 Keeneland Phoenix Stakes and Group 2 Gain Railway Stakes to his haul of victories, while on the two occasions he was defeated he placed, in the Group 1 Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes and the Group 2 Coventry Stakes. Is Arizona Blaze as good?

Bred by Andrew Bengough and partners, Arizona Blaze sold as a foal at Newmarket for 36,000gns to Amanda Skiffington, and Glenvale Stud’s Ciaran ‘Flash’ Conroy turned this into a profitable pinhook when he resold the colt at the Goffs UK Doncaster Premier Sale to Rodrigo Goncalves for £82,000. Arizona Blaze is the third foal and winner for Liberisque (Equiano), and she was bought as a yearling by Amanda Skiffington in France for €40,000.

Winning bracket

Having finished second on three consecutive occasions over a mile and half a furlong, Liberisque finally gained her winning bracket when stepped up to 10 furlongs, again on the all-weather, for Andrew Bengough and his partners.

Her first two foals both won last year, Dreaming Spires (Cityscape) at three and Sailthisshipalone (Havana Gold) at two. Her fourth produce is a yearling son of Harry Angel (Dark Angel).

Liberisque is one of six winning offspring from Jane Austen (Galileo). Trained by Aidan O’Brien, she finished last on her only start at two, but won both her outings the following year, ending her short racing career with success in the mile and a half Listed Finale Stakes at Fairyhouse. While this family is not short of winners, it is not exactly full to the gills with stakes winners, though one name jumps out in the fourth remove of the pedigree. It is the Grade 1 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, Sizing John (Midnight Legend).

Given that he is the first of the new boys on the block to have a winning juvenile, Sergei Prokofiev warrants a special mention. Trained by Aidan O’Brien and bought for $1,100,000 as a yearling, the second highest-priced yearling ever by his sire, Sergei Prokofiev was a group winner at Newmarket as a two-year-old in 2018, when Timeform assessed him among the top colts of the year in Europe. This impressive Canadian-bred son of Scat Daddy (Johannesburg) also won a listed sprint in Ireland at three. He went to stud at the very reasonable fee of £6,500.

Spectacular winner

Racing over the minimum trip, Sergei Prokofiev was a spectacular winner as a two-year-old by seven and a half lengths in a maiden at Navan, and then he added the Listed Rochestown Stakes at Naas by four lengths. Sent to Royal Ascot, he was a close third in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes, only a length behind Calyx and Advertise, and he returned to winning form in the Group 3 Cornwallis Stakes at Newmarket, coming from last to first to score by more than a length.

At three, Sergei Prokofiev started off in the Listed Cork Stakes over five and a half furlongs at Navan, finishing fast to defeat 14 others, and afterwards he was a close fourth to Mabs Cross in the Group 3 Palace House Stakes at Newmarket. He remained in training at four, but failed to show his best in a couple of starts. Fortunately he found a place at stud, and has some 119 juveniles to potentially represent him this year. He covered an average of 150 mares in each of his first three seasons at stud.

Scat Daddy won the Grade 1 Florida Derby and the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes and became a leading sire in the USA, with over 135 stakes winners to his credit. Among those are the Triple Crown star Justify, one of the best young sires in the world. Other sons include No Nay Never (champion two-year-old colt in France and sire of Ten Sovereigns, Little Big Bear and Blackbeard), Caravaggio (Group 1 Commonwealth Cup and Group 1 sire), Sioux Nation (Group 1 Phoenix Stakes) and Mendelssohn (Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf).

First foal

Sergei Prokofiev is the first foal and one of three winners of his dam Orchard Beach, a half-sister by Tapit (Pulpit) to Necessary Evil, winner of the Grade 3 Hollywood Juvenile Championship in California. His grandam Song And Danz (Unbridled’s Song) is half-sister to stakes winner Forest Danz (Forestry). This is the family of champion two-year-old filly Over All (Mr Prospector) whose successes in the USA included the Grade 1 Matron Stakes and the Grade 1 Spinaway Stakes.

It is worth noting that Arizona Blaze’s win was not the first juvenile success this year in Europe. The first race for two-year-olds was run in France on St Patrick’s Day, the four and a half-furlong Prix du Premier Pas at Lyon Parilly. It was won by the filly Cylenechope, bred by Alain Chopard and he still retains ownership of half of the filly with some partners.

Cylenechope is a daughter of Gutaifan (Dark Angel) and from that stallion’s first French-conceived crop. Prior to his move to Haras des Faunes he completed five seasons at Yeomanstown Stud. Lack of stakes performers led to his move to France, and needless to say he then proceeded to deliver his star performer, the dual Grade 1 US stakes winner Fev Rover.

Unremarkable

A sixth winner for her placed Sin Kiang (Fabulous Dancer) dam Chopinette, Cylenechope is from a solid if unremarkable family in the first three generations. Sold to her trainer Kevin Tavares for €16,000 at the Osarus September Yearling Sale last year, she is a half-sister to a stakes-placed juvenile Laia Chope (Soave), and she in turn bred the pattern-winning juvenile Livachope (Goken). That filly won both the Group 3 Prix du Bois and Listed Prix La Fleche three years ago.

Talented juveniles are a feature of this female line, and Cylenechope’s grandam Ducie (Distant Relative) is also the grandam of the Group 3 Prix du Bois winner Cosachope (Soave). A winner in Belgium, Ducie had seven winning siblings, the best of which was Mine (Primo Dominie). That listed winner of 10 races was a yearling purchase for 64,000gns in 1999, 25 years ago, by Amanda Skiffington whose name cropped up a few times in the story of Arizona Blaze.

Mine’s dam Ellebanna (Tina’s Pet) was one of nine winners out of the unraced Mainly Dry (The Brianstan), and her best winner was the then Group 2 King’s Stand Stakes winner Bolshoi (Royal Academy). That gelding enjoyed a long and healthy retirement at Furnace Mill Stud.

Late challenge

David and Trish Brown bred and raced Bolshoi, who carried the colours of the latter. When he won the King’s Stand Stakes he came with a late challenge to deny the subsequent Nunthorpe winner Lochangel. Bolshoi also landed the Group 2 Temple Stakes at Sandown among nine career victories and was runner-up to Tamarisk in the Group 1 Haydock Park Sprint Cup.

Bolshoi was a foal share with Coolmore and from his sire’s first crop. He didn’t make the sales as a yearling due to an unsightly knock on a joint. Instead he raced in the early days in partnership with Coolmore. An apparent lack of talent led to him being gelded as a two-year-old. After he won a couple of handicaps, John Magnier gifted his half-share to Trish Brown.

A trip to Japan for the Nakayama Sprint led to a career-ending injury. Bolshoi fractured his shin in his last piece of work. He was nursed there before returning to England with a rug that said ‘Bolshoi, we love you’. After that he was retired.