QREC
The 2019 and fifth renewal of the Gr3 Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club Phoenix Sprint Stakes, sponsored by the Qatar Racing & Equestrian Club (QREC), took place at the Curragh, Ireland in the evening of Friday, 9 August 2019.. The annual event has been sponsored by QREC since 2015 as part of QREC’s initiative to foster horseracing locally and internationally. QREC CEO Nasser bin Sherida Al-Kaabi was present and crowned the winners of six-furlong contest reserved for three-year-old and older thoroughbreds It was GUSTAVUS WESTON (EQUIANO), trained by Joseph Murphy, who secured first place in a photo finish with WOODY CREEK (ZOFFANY). The 3-year-old gelding, ridden by Gary Carrol in the colours of Alfred Sweetnam, was quickly away to sit in third in this dash down the straight that was led by seasoned campaigner GORDON LORD BYRON (BRYON). He made his move two furlongs from the post to take the lead and battled strongly with WOODY CREEK to the line.
GUSTAVUS WESTON finally managed to land the spoils a neck in front of the Craig Bernick–ownd and J. A. Stack–trained WOODY CREEK, who was ridden by Chris Hayes. The Morgan J. Cahalan–owned and T. Hogan–trained GORDON LORD BYRON, ridden by W. J. Lee, was further two and a half lengths behind in third place.
Lightly campaigned as a two-year-old, breaking his maiden in September 2018, GUSTAVUS WESTON was winning his first Stakes race here, having finished second in the Lacken Stakes (Gr3) at Naas in May.