A huge weekend of racing action is set for Leopardstown on Saturday, with the standout contest coming in the form of the G1 Irish Champion Stakes. This race covers a distance of a mile and two furlongs, and it has been a notable contest to find Breeders’ Cup champions since 2009.
Before Betting On Irish Champion Stakes
A high-quality renewal of the G1 Irish Champion Stakes is set for Leopardstown this weekend, with the field covering a distance of a mile and two furlongs. Horses aged three and older are eligible to compete on Saturday, with runners involved typically targeting an end-of-season race in either the G1 Breeders’ Cup Turf or G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
A fifth winner of this race to follow up in the Breeders’ Cup Turf came last year, as Auguste Rodin battled to success. The victory was Aidan O’Brien’s 12th in the Irish Champion Stakes, and marked the fifth straight year in which he trained the winner. Last year’s champion will be a solid choice once again this year, but his form this term has been indifferent to say the least.
The four-year-old landed the G1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot in June, before being well beaten when fifth in the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. Returns to the track this weekend with plenty of questions to answer. Economics is a very interesting contender this weekend for the William Haggas team.
The three-year-old missed out on a run in the Derby earlier this season, but he returned from a lengthy break with a dominant success in a French Group Two to beat Jayarebe by two lengths. The sky appears to be the limit, and his chances are boosted based on the fact that three-year-olds have won each of the last three renewals.
Ghostwriter should also have interesting claims this weekend for Clive Cox. The three-year-old was fourth in the G1 2,000 Guineas in May, before chasing home Arc favorite Look De Vega in the G1 Prix de Jockey Club. Since then, he has been well held by City of Troy, but the strength of his third in the G1 Eclipse and third in the G1 Juddmonte International looks an appealing angle on paper.
Irish Champion Stakes Odds & Picks
(Odds taken from Bet365 and accurate as of 10:10 on 09.12.24)
| Horse | Odds |
|---|---|
| Economics | +100 |
| Auguste Rodin | +300 |
| Los Angeles | +700 |
| Ghostwriter | +1400 |
| Luxembourg | +1400 |
Auguste Rodin is too inconsistent for my liking, while Economics still has to prove that he can hold his own at this grade. Therefore, Ghostwriter could be an interesting contender to land victory this weekend after chasing home the respective favorites for the Breeders’ Cup Classic and Arc on his last three starts.
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Pick
Ghostwriter
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