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Home , Cliffs of Moher (horse), Hydrangea (horse), Irish Champion Stakes, Matron Stakes (Ireland), Qemah, Roly Poly (horse)

IRISH CHAMPIONS WEEKEND DAY 1 - LEOPARDSTOWN

Aidan O’Brien continues to tower above O’Brien also saddles runner-up the rest in Ireland and the champion trainer Cliffs Of Moher, fourth in the , and will be expecting his stable’s biggest stars recent US runner-up Taj Mahal. to capture the headlines once on the opening day of Longines Irish Champions ’s toughest opposition may well come Weekend at Leopardstown on Saturday. from the British challenge, headed by Martyn Meade’s stable star Eminent, who enjoyed a Guineas ace bids for Champion success confidence-boosting Group Two success at Deauville a few weeks ago and will be partnered 15.25 Churchill is the star in a 10-strong by for the first time. Ballylinch Stud Irish EBF Fillies Maiden field declared for the 2000m QIPCO Irish (1400m) Champion Stakes as he bids to get back on A solid fourth in the Investec Derby behind 16.00 the winning trail. Cliffs of Moher, Eminent continues to give Willis Towers Watson Champions Juvenile the impression that he has one of these Stakes (Group 3) (1600m) This season’s dual 2000 Guineas hero championship contests in him at some point. 16.35 disappointed badly at Royal Ascot, then Irish Stallion Farms EBF 'Petingo' Handicap went on an aborted trip to Goodwood, before The Sir -trained Poet’s Word (2600m) showing the fire still burned when chasing and from Roger Charlton’s 17.05 home in the Juddmonte International stable also make the journey across the KPMG Enterprise Stakes (Group 3) (2400m) at York. Irish Sea. Both look significant challengers, 17.35 the latter having returned home lame when Coolmore Fastnet Rock Connections will be determined to get him disappointing at York most recently. (Group 1) (1600m) back into the winner’s enclosure with his 18:10 future stallion career in mind and this looks a The rest of the home-trained runners are no Clipper Logistics Boomerang Stakes fine opportunity, given that the extra distance mugs either. saddles The Grey (Group 2) 1600m) clearly proved no problem at all at York. Gatsby, who won this prize in 2014 when 18:45 trained by Kevin Ryan, and Grade One-winning QIPCO (Group 1) mare Zhukova. Jim Bolger’s Moonlight Magic (2000m) and Ken Condon’s stable stalwart Success 19:20 Days complete the line-up. Irish Stallion Farms EBF 'Sovereign Path' Handicap (1400m) IRISH CHAMPIONS STAKE LIVE 18:45 BST

@gbiracing British & Irish Racing [email protected] gbiracing.com IRISH CHAMPIONS WEEKEND DAY 1 - LEOPARDSTOWN

Whether any will be able to get even close Dermot Weld looks to have the strongest hand to (left) remains to be seen. Since in the Group Three Enterprise Stakes as he surprising shorter-priced rivals in the 1000 saddles the lightly-raced filly Eziyra, third in the Guineas at Newmarket in May, she has proved Irish Oaks, and open to further improvement untouchable. for a stable laid low by a virus earlier in the season but firing on all cylinders again now. A field of 12 for the Matron includes last year’s runner-up , along with Hugo Palmer’s The concluding Sovereign Path Handicap is German 1000 Guineas heroine Unforgetable one of the most valuable events of its kind of Filly and the Charlie Appleby-trained Group the season and it’s no surprise to see a big and Group One winners dominate Matron field One winner . Jean-Claude Rouget’s competitive field declared, including a handful makes the journey from France for of British raiders. Winter’s stiffest opposition in the Coolmore another tilt at the one-mile contest. Matron Stakes may come from within her Silverkode has been flying the flag for Joe own stable, with Aidan O’Brien also saddling The supporting card Murphy this season and comes into the Rhodedendron and in the race, contest searching for a four-timer after three both of whom also have Group One victories Despite being trained in Yorkshire, the track wins around The Curragh. He keeps improving to their names. and 1600m trip at Leopardstown appears to and looks an obvious contender. bring out the best in Custom Cut and David That trio are joined by who holds O’Meara’s old warrior is a regular here. The Inside Edge – Riyazan 16:00 BST the distinction of being the only horse to have finished in front of Winter this season when she He won the Boomerang Stakes in 2015 and Mick Halford’s colt surprised punters and took the Irish 1,000 Guineas Trial at the start finished second in 2016, having taken his probably the trainer himself too when of the campaign. She has finished behind her traditional warm-up route of the Desmond scoring at 25/1 on his debut at The Curragh stablemate on four subsequent starts. Stakes a few weeks earlier at the same course. last month, but there should be plenty more to come from this likeable son of Iffraaj. Roly Poly, who split Winter and Hydrangea in This year, Custom Cut could finish only fourth the at Royal Ascot in June, in the Desmond behind the Aidan O’Brien- Riyazan won by three lengths, powering has since stepped up to win two Group Ones, trained Alexios Kommenos, who re-opposes away at the line and although some may but Rhodedendron has questions to answer here, but his record at Leopardstown means expect Nelson, who was sent off favourite to now having been pulled up on her most recent he will surely run another big race for the third win that race, to reverse the form, it may pay appearance in France. year in a row. to stick with the form in the book.

@gbiracing British & Irish Racing [email protected] gbiracing.com