Irish Champions Stakes (G1)

And then they were four.

There needs to be an outsider, Patrick Sarsfield will wear the hat, Joseph O’Brien’s five-year-old hasn’t been seen since Royal Ascot when beaten a ½L in the Wolverton Stakes. In 12 runs, he’s never been out of the first three, his best, coming at Longchamp last October in the G2 Prix Dollar when beaten 1¼L by Skalleti, an admiral gelding now thrown in at the very deep end of the pool.

He’s in against a very big three, Ireland’s premier stables send their big guns into battle.

Aidan O’Brien’s St Mark’s Basilica is the market leader.

The Dewhurst winner of last year, this year, he’s taken the French 2000 Guineas, the Poule d’Essai des Poulains over a mile, then on a return to France, the French Derby, the Prix du Jockey Club over 10f, following up over the same trip in the Eclipse at Sandown. Authoritative, professional, an easy stylish winner of all three.

Jim Bolger’s Poetic Flare has proved himself top class at a mile this year.

The English 2000 Guineas winner, just touched off in the Irish equivalent, bounced back in some style in the St James’s Palace at Royal Ascot, beaten on soft in the Sussex, he put in his best run last time out in an epic dual with Place Pier in the Jacques le Marois going down a neck to one of the best milers this century.

Dermot Weld’s Tarnawa has been saved for an autumn campaign.

She’s pure class, she took the Prix Vermeille over 1m4f, the Prix de l’Opera over a 1m2f, and then beat Magical in the Breeders Cup Turf when stepping back up to the longer trip last year. Her comeback run here in the Ballyroan in July in front of a virtually empty Leopardstown did hear a roar, it came from her hooves as she pulled 6½L clear announcing herself in rude health.

It doesn’t get any better than this, to have three such quality horses take each other on, here at home, on good ground.

We’ve not seen anything like this since Fantastic Light and Galileo locked horns 20 years ago.

For the jockeys, will it be tactical?

No one would want a slow pace and I doubt it will be. If Declan McDonagh doesn’t set it on Patrick Sarsfield, then Kevin Manning will on Poetic Flare. The other pair will sit in behind, Colin Keane on Tarnawa will look to draw blood at the two-furlong pole, Ryan Moore will wait punching only in the last furlong, will it be enough?

Poetic Flare won’t give up, not on this ground, Tarnawa will be hitting full stride and with St Mark’s Basilica coming at them expect to hear one hell of a roar, this time from the crowd.

It will be left to the judge, a neck, maybe even a nose, between all three, Tarnawa, just.

Recommendation

Tarnawa 11/4 win