Economics (126p from 124p) had looked up to making a big impact at the highest level and he proved that point in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown on Saturday. He had been an impressive winner of the Dante Stakes and the Prix Guillaume d’Ornano on his two previous starts but showed another side of his game at Leopardstown when digging deep to defy last year’s Irish Champion Stakes winner Auguste Rodin (125 from 126) by a neck in a thrilling finish.
That was a high-class display from Economics on just his fifth start and there is the potential for more to come (he retains the Timeform ‘p’ for likely improver). A clash with Juddmonte International runner-up Calandangan (129p) in the Champion Stakes at Ascot promises to be the race of the autumn in Europe.
Auguste Rodin had disappointed in the King George but, as he has done on a number of occasions, he quickly bounced back and ran close to his best, pushing the winner all the way. Japanese raider Shin Emperor (123 from 114) was only three-quarters of a length further back in third and he should be suited by stepping back up to a mile and a half in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Shin Emperor, a full brother to 2020 winner Sottsass, is likely to be prominent in Timeform’s pecking order for the Arc in a wide-open year.
The other Group 1 at Leopardstown on Saturday, the Matron Stakes, looked a match on ratings between Porta Fortuna (remains 120) and Fallen Angel (119) and they filled the first two places, with the former following up her victories in the Coronation and Falmouth. Fallen Angel wasn’t quite at her best on her first start since winning the Irish 1000 Guineas in May, but she gave a good account of herself without being able to match the turn of foot Porta Fortuna produced to readily settle matters entering the final furlong. Porta Fortuna is the highest-rated three-year-old filly in Europe.
There were four Group 1s on the second day of the Irish Champions Festival at the Curragh on Sunday, starting with the Moyglare Stud Stakes which was won by Lake Victoria (110p from 106p) who took her record to three from three. Lake Victoria, like last year’s winner Fallen Angel, was adding to her Sweet Solera Stakes success and she did so in emphatic fashion, staying on strongly to lead half a furlong out and ultimately finishing well on top. Only five went to post and the favourite, the winner’s stablemate Bedtime Story (110 from 116p), failed to fire. However, the runner-up, Simmering (106 from 104), brought solid Group-race form to the table and the race was run at a good gallop, so this looks like a smart piece of form posted by Lake Victoria.
She is now not far behind the highest-rated juvenile filly this season, Phonenix Stakes winner Babouche (113p). Bedtime Story had held that title following her wide-margin win in the Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot but she hadn’t needed to match that form for her two subsequent wins and was a disappointing favourite here having proved too keen in the early stages, while she was also subsequently reported to be lame. For now she is best judged on the bare form of her Chesham win, which is underpinned by an excellent timefigure, rather than incorporating sectional upgrades from that performance.
There was also a beaten odds-on favourite in the other Group 1 for juveniles on the card, the National Stakes, as Scorthy Champ (113p from 101p) took a big step forward to reverse Futurity Stakes form with Henri Matisse (112 from 112p). Henri Matisse looked to be coming with a strong run over a furlong out but he wandered around and was unable to get on terms with Scorthy Champ who proved far more straightforward and kept on strongly to win by three-quarters of a length. Scorthy Champ had been making his first start for three and a half months when third in the Futurity and clearly benefited from that run as he showed smart form in the National Stakes, earning a rating that places him behind only The Lion In Winter (115p) among the two-year-olds.
Kyprios (remains 128) underlined his status as the best stayer around with a dominant two-and-a-quarter-length victory in the Irish St Leger, not needing to run up to his best with main rival Giavellotto (remains 125) failing to reproduce the sort of form he had shown in the Princess of Wales’s Stakes.
Bradsell (124 from 123) strengthened his claims to being considered the best sprinter in Britain or Ireland as he followed up his Nunthorpe victory in the Flying Five Stakes. As was the case at York, Bradsell was chased home by the filly Believing (remains 118) who stayed on well but lacked the winner’s speed and never looked like overhauling him.
There were also a couple of significant performances earlier on the Curragh card. My Mate Alfie (118 from 108) defied top weight in the Bold Lad Sprint Handicap and ran to the sort of rating that suggests he’s ready to make the breakthrough in Group company, while Hanalia (111 from 106), another improving three-year-old, did well to come from last in a modestly-run edition of the Group 2 Blandford Stakes. She took the eye with how quickly she made up the ground and was value for more than the winning margin of a neck after overcoming the run of the race.
There were only seven runners in the St Leger, the smallest field in the race since 2015, but there was still an exciting finish between Aidan O’Brien-trained stablemates Jan Brueghel (120p from 116p) and Illinois (120 from 119). Illinois had the slightly stronger form coming into the race courtesy of his runner-up effort in the Great Voltigeur Stakes, but Jan Brueghel had shown run-by-run progress to win his first three starts and he duly improved again to come out on top by a neck. This wasn’t a stellar St Leger but Jan Brueghel is very much the type to make into a better four-year-old (he only made his debut in May) so he could yet establish himself as a high-class winner.
The St Leger card commenced with Bay City Roller (109p to 92p) showing much-improved form to overcome a rise in class and complete a hat-trick in the Champagne Stakes. For context, Acomb Stakes runner-up Wimbledon Hawkeye is also rated 109p, while National Stakes third Seagulls Eleven is rated 109.
There was also a much-improved display in the Portland Handicap from American Affair (108 from 100) who did remarkably well to win given the run he endured. He was badly hampered inside the final couple of furlongs, forced to switch over a furlong out and stayed on to lead on the line, getting the verdict by a nose. This was his third win of a productive campaign and he could yet do better.
On the first day of Doncaster’s St Leger Festival, Desert Flower (remains 102p) didn’t need to improve to extend her unbeaten record to three in the May Hill Stakes and she remains an exciting prospect with more to offer, while Nakheel (112 from 100) did take a big step forward to win the Park Hill Stakes on her first outing in Group company. Nakheel, wearing cheekpieces for the first time, looked well suited by the longer trip and stuck to her task to prevail by a length and a half.
Other significant performances at Doncaster were posted by Benevento (103p from 95p) in the listed Flying Scotsman Stakes and Aesterius (109 from 103) in the Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes. Benevento had finished runner-up in similar company at Ripon on his previous start but proved well suited by the step up in trip at Doncaster and raised his game, leaving the impression there could be more to come, including over another furlong.
Aesterius had finished runner-up to Big Mojo in the Molecomb but he had since won a Group 3 in France and progressed again to turn the tables with his Goodwood conqueror, showing bags of speed and a very willing attitude to win by a neck.
