It’s a huge weekend in the Flat racing calendar, with the St Leger meeting running alongside the Irish Champions Festival.
There is high-quality action wherever you look and our focus is over the Irish sea at Leopardstown, where the opening day of the Irish Champions Festival takes centre stage on Saturday.
There are two Group 1s and a host of support races to look forward to.
Harry Wilson assesses the top-level action, including the Irish Champion Stakes and the Matron Stakes on Saturday, as well an interesting race on the undercard at Leopardstown.
3.25 - Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes
The highlight on day one is the Irish Champion Stakes, a race trainer Aidan O’Brien has had a stranglehold on in recent years, and he fields four of the eight runners in a bid to land his sixth renewal in a row.
Last year’s winner Auguste Rodin is the form pick of the three older horses trained by O’Brien, having won the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot in June. He drops back to that trip after disappointing as favourite in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes when last seen, but he’ll likely not get the rattling quick ground he needs and may struggle to concede 6lb to some interesting three-year-olds.
Stablemate Los Angeles has won both starts since finishing third in the Epsom Derby, landing the Irish equivalent and fending off all rivals in the Great Voltigeur at York when last seen. This big galloper has shown his improvement over a mile and a half and has questions to answer about his speed dropping in trip.
The most intriguing runner is Economics, who ran out an impressive six-length winner of the Dante before confirming his well being with success in the Prix Guillaume d'Ornano last month. He’s completely unexposed and looks potentially special, but he’s sure to go off a short price and GHOSTWRITER looks the play at likely odds.
An unbeaten juvenile who landed the Royal Lodge, Clive Cox’s colt has run big races behind Derby winner City Of Troy twice, finishing a two-length third in the Coral-Eclipse, form that has been franked by the front pair, before filling the same place in the Juddmonte.
Richard Kingscote knows him well and he can gain a deserved first success of the year here.
SELECTION: GHOST WRITER
NEXT BEST: ECONOMICS
2.50 - Coolmore America 'Justify' Matron Stakes
PORTA FORTUNA finally got the recognition she deserved when starting favourite for the first time in her career in the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes in July and duly obliged by three and three quarter lengths, following up her Coronation Stakes success in comfortable fashion.
Tom Marquand, who was on board for that Royal Ascot success, is back in the saddle and she should prove very hard to beat.
Fallen Angel, winner of the Moyglare on this weekend last year, proved her 1,000 Guineas run all wrong when comfortably taking the Irish equivalent when last seen in May. Her absence is a slight worry, but she’ll be a big threat to all if fully wound up.
Last year’s Fillies’ Mile winner Ylang Ylang hasn’t been able to build on the promise of her fifth in the 1,000 Guineas, but will be a threat if bouncing back, while the unbeaten Jancis is completely unexposed and could have more to offer.
SELECTION: PORTA FORTUNA
NEXT BEST: FALLEN ANGEL
2.25 - Tonybet Solonaway Stakes
The Solonaway has been a happy hunting ground for British challengers and MALJOOM can continue their fine record now back down to a mile.
He was slowly away and far too keen when trying a mile and a quarter for the first time in the Juddmonte, so it’s best to put a line through that and focus on his second in the Sussex Stakes. A repeat of that will make him hard to beat on this drop in class.
Diego Velazquez bounced back to form last time in a Group 3 and is armed with a 5lb allowance but has a bit to find, while course-and-distance winner Flight Plan might improve on recent efforts returned to this venue.
SELECTION: MALJOOM
NEXT BEST: FLIGHT PLAN
