THE Stack family have enjoyed plenty of success on the first day of the Irish flat turf season at the Curragh down the years and that trend continued on Monday when Chazzesmee came through to win the Nua Healthcare Irish Lincolnshire in fine style under Joey Sheridan.

The six-year-old gelding, trained by Fozzy for his mother Liz, broke his pelvis as a three-year-old and has raced just four times since but has shown himself to be very talented on each of those starts.

Sent off the well supported 3/1 favourite, the eye was drawn to the son of Excelebration as he made smooth headway from his held up position under Sheridan at the two-furlong pole and he picked up well to see off the race-fit Smooth Tom and the British raider Raadobarg.

“We’ll see how he is during the week. If everything was okay with him, we could go to Doncaster (today) under a 7lb penalty,” said Stack.

“He has never been short of ability once we ironed out a few kinks in him. We brought him over to Saratoga last year and he got a stone bruise and couldn’t run and then coming back he got stuck in some airport in Holland for four days. Some vet was giving out about his paperwork. In the end I just ran out of time to run him, so it wasn’t his fault.

“I’d say eventually he can step up to listed class. We’ll see how he is during the week but if he’s okay we might as well have a go at the Lincoln, he’d have nothing to lose.”

Typical

Paddy Twomey got his season off with a typical profile winner, Procrastinate making a winning debut in the Bermingham Cameras Of Dublin Maiden over seven furlongs.

The three-year-old son of Siyouni came clear with favourite Marty The Party in the final furlong, eventually outstaying that Fozzy Stack-trained colt to win by three quarters of a length.

“We haven’t worked the horse that much so we came here knowing he’d be fit but he wouldn’t be sharp,” Twomey said of the Mohammed Ahmad Ali Alsubousi-owned colt. “Billy was happy and I was happy with the way he travelled and picked up.

“There should be plenty of improvement to come. He’s a nice horse and we probably didn’t envisage having him out the first day but he was training well in the spring.”

Brilliant success sets eyes on classics

BRILLIANT (7/2) set herself up for classic targets with a hard fought win in the one-mile Group 3 Lodge Park Stud Irish EBF Park Express Stakes, giving Declan McDonogh a win for Aidan O’Brien.

He was seen here to good effect, switching the daughter of Justify to the stands’ side after the two-furlong marker and proving strong on her in a driving finish with the Joe Murphy-trained Alpheratz.

“We’re delighted with her, for her first run of the year. Claire is in charge of her and has done a great job with her,” said O’Brien of the half-sister to Alcohol Free. “She has been working nice and she’s a hardy filly. It’s a big task for a three-year-old filly against older horses on heavy ground at this time of the year.

“She will step up and a mile is good for her. That is her trial done now so she will go into one of the Guineas now. She might end up going to Newmarket and then can come back here.”

For the second year running, the opening race of the Irish flat season went to owners Amo Racing/Giselle Aguiar and trainer Adrian Murray when Arizona Blaze (5/4 favourite) survived a stewards’ inquiry to get the better of market rival Rowdy Yeats in the Castle Star And Alkumait At Capital Stud Irish EBF Maiden.

The son of first season sire Sergei Prokofiev showed good speed on the far side to take up a prominent position for David Egan and picked up well to come clear with the runner-up. He rolled to his right when coming under pressure, impeding Colin Keane’s mount, but the distance was a length and a quarter at the line, rendering the enquiry to a formality.

“David says he’s a very nice horse,” reported Murray. “The aim would be Royal Ascot. Whether he’ll run in the meantime, we will have to wait and see.

“He’ll improve for better ground. He is quite similar to last year’s winner (Bucanero Fuerte) and he is a very nice horse at home. He was strong to the line, battled very well.

Merisi Diamond (2/1 favourite) landed a nice touch for Martin Brassil in the closing Cavalor Equine Nutrition Handicap over six furlongs.

The imposing five-year-old came through to challenge from a midfield position for Ronan Whelan and powered through the final furlong for a near five-length score from Dark Viper.

“He’s a fine big strong horse, a five-year-old now and he is after maturing,” said Brassil. “Ronan said he’s a stronger horse than the one he rode in October so it’s good.

“Hopefully there is more to come. I’d prefer to be coming back to a big long straight like this. He’s such a big horse and hopefully more to come.”