Irish Champions Festival- Day 1
September 14, 2024
We have six Group 1’s to look forward to this weekend in Ireland.
Leopardstown hosts the G1 Matron Stakes and G1 Irish Champion Stakes on Saturday with the Curragh hosting the G1 Moyglare Stud Stakes, G1 Flying Five Stakes, G1 Vincent O’Brien National Stakes, and G1 Irish St Leger on Sunday.
Here we’ll preview the first days Group 1 action.
Matron Stakes (Group 1)
Donnacha O’Brien’s Porta Fortuna is a rock-solid favourite for this.
Portna Fortuna at the Curragh last year
Caravaggio’s daughter has excelled since finishing third in the Moyglare to Fallen Angel last year. She then won the G1 Cheveley Park, and ran second in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. This year she’s gone from strength to strength first running second in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, then winning the G1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot and last time out she put in her best performance when winning the G1 Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket.
A pair of English challengers come over. Karl Burke’s Fallen Angel, now in the ownership of Wathnan Racing will be ridden by retained rider James Doyle. She flopped at Newmarket in the 1000 Guineas but showed that was all wrong when taking the Irish 1000 Guineas in very good style. After a small setback ruling her out of summer targets, she hasn’t run since May. George Boughey also travels with Soprano, a winner of a G3 in France last time.
The Ballydoyle inmate Ylang Ylang hasn’t won since the Fillies’ Mile last year however she will be competitive while Willie McCreery’s Jancis has to be respected given how she won the G3 Brownstown at Leopardstown last time out. Her stable companion Vespertilio was second in the Moyglare last year and third, not beaten far in the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (French 1000 Guineas).
Joseph O’Brien’s Rouge Millennium has been placed third the last twice in Group 1’s and could well repeat the dose. Ger Lyons Wendla was a G3 winner here of the 1000 Guineas Trial in May and could well outrun her odds while the Adrain Murray pair Magical Sunset and Mamma’s Girl are also outsiders.
Fallen Angel got the better of Porta Fortuna last year however the improvement in Donnacha’s filly puts her in front now.
Recommendation
Porta Fortuna 5/4 win
Irish Champion Stakes (Group 1)
Patience has been the byword with Economics, an impressive winner of the Dante in the spring with connections resisting the temptation of the Derby giving him time to mature. Willie Haggas’s decision was vindicated when he won G2 Prix Guillaume d’Ornano at Deauville and he now steps into G1 company for the first time.
Last year’s winner Auguste Rodin trained by Aidan O’Brien is the choice of Ryan Moore and is second best in the market. He’s got buckets of class, he followed up winning this last year when taking the Breeders’ Cup Turf. This year he bombed out in the Sheema Classic, ran better in the Tattersalls Gold Cup when second, then won the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes only to bomb out again in the King George.
Auguste Rodin last year at Leopardstown
The Irish Derby winner Los Angeles is exciting having added the Great Voltigeur to his CV since. It was always the plan to step him back in trip for this. Ghostwriter will test the City Of Troy form having finished third to him in the Eplicse and International where Royal Rhyme finished sixth.
Shin Emperor, a Japanese runner is intriguing. He ran third in the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) in May but has spent the last few months in Chantilly with the Arc as his major target. He’s a full brother to Scottass who was fourth in this in 2020 before going on to win the Arc. Luxemburg is no mug, the 2022 winner of this still has plenty of ability on his day as he showed when winning the Coronation Cup this year. Hans Anderson will set the pace.
Economics time will come however he’s very short in the market for a first try at this level. Ghostwriter is very interesting however Auguste Rodin is the class act. He’s won Group 1’s as a two-year-old, three-year-old and four-year-old. Aidan O’Brien blamed the ground for the defeat at Ascot last time saying it was “nowhere near good to firm anywhere”. Today’s good ground will not be an excuse and he’ll keep his 100% record at Leopardstown.
Recommendation
Auguste Rodin 3/1 win
The Pattern Racing World Championships 2024
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