Donn McClean: What I Learned From The Irish Champions Festival

Shin Emperor Provides International Flavour

The Michael Kinane masterclass on High Chaparral in 2003 and the Aidan O’Brien 1-2-3s in 2007 and in 2019, and the peerless Sea The Stars in 2009.  And then, of course, there was the Fantastic Light/Galileo battle in 2001, one of the most iconic races in the modern history of Irish Flat racing, the Irish version of Grundy v Bustino, with all that went into that rivalry, the tactics and all, when the Godolphin horse got home by a neck.

This year’s renewal had a feel of intrigue about it and a busy preamble.  There was the Japanese horse for starters, Shin Emperor, who added a true international dimension to the race and to the entire weekend.  There was Auguste Rodin, last year’s hero, back as good as ever.  And there was Economics, the impressive Dante winner who eschewed the Derby because trainer William Haggas felt that it wasn’t the right race for him at that stage of his career.  Just four runs on his CV, and making his Group 1 debut in the race.

You had to go back to Pentire in 1995 to find that last Irish Champion Stakes winner who went into the race without having won a Group 1 race.  Pentire had raced 11 times though, and he had run Lammtarra to a neck in the King George six weeks earlier.  Economics had run just four times before Saturday, and he had never even run in a Group 1 race.

William Haggas’ horse had been so impressive in the Dante, he had looked so good in winning a Group 2 race at Deauville on his last run before Saturday, that he was put in as favourite for the race.  He delivered too, he bridged the gap to Pentire.  It didn’t look likely when Auguste Rodin moved up on his outside and headed him at the furlong marker.  You fully expected that Ryan Moore would drive Auguste Rodin forward, that he would notch up Aidan O’Brien’s 13th win in the race.

Ascot Awaits For Economics 

But we learned more about Economics on Saturday, we learned that he had grit and determination to go with his pace and class.  He battled back bravely on the far side for Tom Marquand, and went on to win by a neck.

It’s the Champion Stakes at Ascot next for Economics, all going well, and he will take some stopping in that.  Auguste Rodin went out on his shield, he put up a massive performance in defeat, possibly even better than the performance that he put up in victory last year.  Aidan O’Brien mentioned the Japan Cup as a possible target now, perhaps after he bids to land back-to-back wins in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, and that would be intriguing.

He would bring an Irish dimension to Japan’s flagship race, a reciprocal of the Japanese dimension that Shin Emperor brought to Ireland’s flagship race.  Yoshito Yahagi’s horse ran a big race in defeat too.  He didn’t have a lot of racing room between the two-furlong marker and the furlong marker but, once in the clear, he finished off his race well to take third place, just a length behind the winner.

This was the Siyouni colt’s first run since he finished a staying-on third in the Japanese Derby in May over a mile and a half, and he will surely come on for it, with a view to going to Longchamp for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in three weeks’ time.  He should be better over the 12-furlong trip there too than he was over 10 furlongs at Leopardstown and, a full-brother to 2020 Arc winner Sottsass, he has a massive chance of bagging a first Arc de Triomphe for Japan.

Porta Fortuna Set For Del Mar

Porta Fortuna was brilliant again in winning the Matron Stakes.  Trainer Donnacha O’Brien has been masterful in his campaigning of the Caravaggio filly.  She had the speed to win the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes over six furlongs last year as a juvenile, and she has proven herself to be top-class this season over a mile.  

Winner of the Coronation Stakes against her contemporaries, and winner of the Falmouth Stakes and now the Matron Stakes against her elders, it looks like she will take on the colts next in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Del Mar, and it will probably take an exceptional colt to beat her.

Fighter led all the way in the Petingo Handicap over a mile and five furlongs, and Vera’s Secret led all the way in the new fillies’ one-mile handicap, and it could pay to follow both horses for now. 

Fighter raced more keenly than ideal through the early part of his race but, back on an even keel and relaxed for Wayne Hassett from half-way down the back straight, he picked up impressively in the home straight and careered away from his rivals.  His rider’s main issue then was getting him pulled up before he did another lap.

Handicaps may be a thing of the past now for Aidan O’Brien’s horse, the handicapper raised him by a stone to a handicap rating of 105 but, a three-parts brother to Jim Bolger’s Irish Derby winner Trading Leather, he deserves to take his chance in black-type races now.

Kyprios Star of The show

Vera’s Secret is heading in that direction too.  Trainer Johnny Feane fitted a hood to her for the first time on Saturday and, under a well-judged ride from Nathan Crosse, she came away from her rivals through the final furlong and won impressively.

The handicapper raised her by 13lb to a mark of 96, but this was just her sixth race, so she has the potential to go forward again.  She wouldn’t be out of place in a listed race next.

Kyprios was the star on show at The Curragh on Sunday, and he didn’t disappoint.  If you didn’t know Kyprios, you might have thought that it looked like he was in a little bit of trouble as Ryan Moore’s hands started to move in rhythm with the horse’s gait fully four furlongs out, but that’s Kyprios for you.  He got stronger and stronger as the race developed, and he left the impression, once again, that he had more in hand than the bare winning margin.

Aidan O’Brien’s horse is quite a remarkable racehorse.  Not only does he have the stamina to win Group 1 races over two and a half miles, and the pace to win Group 1 races over a mile and six furlongs, but he has come back from career-threatening, life-threatening injuries to be as good as he is.

Bradsell A Ball Of Speed

The Moyglare Stud’s horse won the Ascot Gold Cup in 2022 as a four-year-old, and he followed up by winning the Goodwood Cup and the Irish St Leger and the Prix du Cadran, by 20 lengths. 

You can put a line through last term for Kyprios, he was busy surviving and it was remarkable that he got to race at all at the end of last season.  Then this season, he was back to the Kyprios that we know, five runs so far, five wins so far, another Ascot Gold Cup and Goodwood Cup and now another Irish St Leger among them.  The Prix du Cadran on Arc weekend is the obvious next play, but it is interesting that his trainer gave him an entry in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe itself as well.

Bradsell is just a ball of speed and, under his regular partner Hollie Doyle, Archie Watson’s horse burst clear on the near side and had the Flying Five in the bag by the time he had passed the furlong marker.  A late scratching from last year’s Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, it looks like that race is his target again this season, and he will be a big player in that.

Believing was probably unlucky again with the draw.  Second behind Bradsell in the Nunthorpe Stakes at York on her previous run, when she raced from stall 13 and was the only horse drawn higher than eight to finish in the first five, it looked like the high numbers had it on Sunday, the stands-side group was well ahead at half-way, and George Boughey’s filly did well to get as close as she did, racing from stall one.  

Bedtime Story lost her unbeaten record in the Moyglare Stud Stakes.  Aidan O’Brien’s filly led from early and she was caught and passed inside the final furlong, but she reportedly returned home lame.  By contrast, her stable companion Lake Victoria retained her unblemished record, in coming from last to first to win the race.  A maiden, the Group 3 Sweet Solera Stakes and now the Group 1 Moyglare, she is obviously an exciting juvenile filly.

Hanalia From Last To First

And Scorthy Champ is an exciting juvenile colt.  Slowly away in each of his two races before Sunday, when he won his maiden at Leopardstown and when he finished third in the Futurity Stakes at The Curragh, Joseph O’Brien’s horse had two lengths to find with Henri Matisse on their running in the Futurity.  But that was Scorthy Champ’s first run back after a break and, if he could manage to get away on terms with his rivals, there was always a chance that he would get closer to the favourite on Sunday than he did in the Futurity.

He did better than that, he reversed places.  His talented young rider Dylan Browne McMonagle had him nicely settled towards the far side early on and, asked for his effort at the two-furlong marker, the Mehmas colt picked up smartly and went to the line strongly.  He sees out this seven-furlong trip well, and he could be even better when he steps up to a mile.

Hanalia did really well to win the Group 2 Blandford Stakes too.  Held up early on by Shane Foley, it wasn’t ideal for her that the early pace was not strong, she had to make her ground into a quickening pace, but she did.  Johnny Murtagh’s filly was faster than all her rivals through each of the last four furlongs, as she swept through, last to first, and won nicely.  

A gallant runner-up in the Group 3 Snow Fairy Stakes over nine furlongs on her previous run, this 10-furlong trip could be her optimum.  It may be that she will take her chance now in the Group 1 Prix de l’Opera over the same trip on Arc de Triomphe day at Longchamp and, if she does, she could be a big player in that race.