Hill Road staying in USA to pursue Kentucky Derby dream

Hill Road’s American stint will be extended after his third-placed run in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Del Mar.

The two-year-old, who is owned by Amo Racing, has been handled by Adrian Murray so far in three starts throughout this season.

He first took to the track in August to win a Leopardstown maiden, after which he was ninth when stepped sharply up in grade for the National Stakes at the Curragh.

Connections were happy to put a line through that run and switch to dirt to take aim at Breeders’ Cup glory, a decision that proved wise when he ran a huge race to finish third under Umberto Rispoli.

As a son of Quality Road, his pedigree points to more to come on a dirt surface and with that in mind he is set to get comfortable in the States, with May’s Kentucky Derby a possible target.

“He ran a blinder, I was delighted with him,” said Murray.

“He’s actually going to be staying in America now, he’s going to concentrate on the dirt.

“I’m not sure where he’s going yet, I don’t know that they’ve decided regarding who he’s going to go to.

“They’ll see how he goes over there, how he takes to the dirt – if he goes well, he could be a horse for the Kentucky Derby.”

Also doing the stable proud at Del Mar was Arizona Blaze, who finished second for Amo Racing behind Magnum Force in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint.

The colt has been incredibly consistent all season, starting out with a maiden win on debut at the Curragh and never coming home out of the money since.

After winning the Marble Hill, he enjoyed a successful summer during which he finished in the top three in the Norfolk, the Railway Stakes, the Phoenix Stakes and the Goffs Premier Yearling Stakes.

A spin on the all-weather at Dundalk tuned him up for the trip to Del Mar, where he was partnered by Rispoli to go down by just half a length in a field of 12.

“I was thrilled with him, delighted. With a big journey, you’re always fearful of something going wrong but everything went well and we were over the moon,” Murray said of the colt, who he will continue to train next season.

“He’s had a long season but he thrives off racing, he’s never looked as well.

“That was probably his best run, he won on the opening day of the Flat season in March and he’s been on the go ever since.

“He’ll be something to look forward to next year, that’s for sure.”