Is V For Victory, As Longines Irish Champions Weekend Begins?

  With The Queen in everyone's thoughts on Saturday, her greatest pastime is celebrated at Leopardstown with the G1 Irish Champion S. offering a blend of some of Europe's finest families that she knew and appreciated so well. Chief among them is a pearl from the depths of The Aga Khan's ocean of breeding talent the UK's longest-serving monarch was able to fish from in her later years. It was Astrakhan, a wedding present from the late Aga Khan III, who provided her with her first flat winner at Hurst Park in 1950 while her cherished Gold Cup heroine Estimate (Ire) (Monsun {Ger}) was also gifted to her by his son and successor.

It would therefore in some small way be fitting if Vadeni (Fr) (Churchill {Ire}) could strike in the showcase event of Irish Champions weekend and the way the homebred has swaggered through the tests of the G1 Prix du Jockey Club and G1 Eclipse points to him doing so. Of course, there are the uncertainties of the prevalent soft ground and tactics at a track that has a habit of catching out horses and jockeys, not to mention the formidable opposition, but there is something about the colt that has already marked the Stud's centenary year that hints at something special.

More in the mold of the “V” dynasty's speedier types Valixir (Ire) (Trempolino) and Val Royal (Fr) (Royal Academy) than the stouter members, the bay has zip as he demonstrated in a renewal of the Eclipse that put a much greater emphasis on mid-race speed than is usually the case. Many have pointed to the troubled passage of Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) making Prince Faisal's high-class stalwart an unlucky loser, but heading past the line at Sandown it was Vadeni who was taking off up the hill looking as if he had just joined in. “The pace wasn't crazy and that's why we all finished together,” Christophe Soumillon said, reflecting on that July 2 feature.  It was a little bit tactical, but he is quite easy to ride and very straightforward. It was a surprising win in the French Derby, because it is not very often that you see a horse winning a Group 1 with that kind of keenness.”

To The Left

Whereas it would be no surprise to see Vadeni win a top mile race as Valixir and Val Royal did before him, Mishriff is a true middle-distance powerhouse who will be out to draw the sting from his French foe this time. While the Gosdens' 5-year-old has developed slow-starting tendencies of late, his alert break in the G1 Juddmonte International suggests that compromising habit is behind him and he is back on a left-handed track which seems to play to his strengths. Of his last dozen outings, only three have been going in this direction on turf and they resulted in wins in last year's G1 Dubai Sheema Classic and Juddmonte International and a gallant second to the world's unrivalled best on grass in Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}).

Connections have been savvy enough to book the Irish master Colin Keane and Ted Voute is sounding hopeful that the operation's flagship performer can register a Group 1 win for the third consecutive year. “I expect Vadeni to prove hard to beat, but I think a few people felt we were unlucky in the Eclipse so let's see what happens on Saturday,” he said. “I suspect this will be the end of his season in Europe, so let's hope he can go out on a high.”

A True Test

If the comeback performance of Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) in The Curragh's G3 Royal Whip Aug. 13 failed to set the pulse racing, it did at least show that here is a colt with a will-to-win from a stable renowned for its indomitability in the elite domestic contests. There have been several brilliant overseas challengers who have come up against a wall here and defeat for the likes of Falbrav (Ire) (Fairy King), Motivator (GB) (Montjeu {Ire}), Ouija Board (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}) and Ghaiyyath (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) testify that if you want this, you first have to wrest it off Ballydoyle. Not enough is as yet known about Luxembourg to make any steadfast claims as to his level of ability or stamina, but he has two aides in this and therefore possibly a tactical edge. Ryan Moore will have worked it all through his unparalleled racing brain many times. “That narrow victory last time didn't please everyone, but it did us and that's the main thing,” he confirmed on his betfair blog.

The Heffernan Factor

Helping Luxembourg's cause is the Peter Brant colourbearer Stone Age (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who for a few days in early May looked poised to fill the Derby void left by the stable's number one blue riband hope's setback as he overwhelmed his peers in the G3 Derby Trial over this course and distance. One of the yard's brightest 3-year-olds in the spring, it is easy to forgive his recent efforts and the fact that he has Seamie Heffernan on board is a huge plus. Few jockeys ride this circuit with as much skill as the man who dominated the 2010 renewal on Cape Blanco (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and who pressured Ghaiyyath into submission on Magical (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) two years ago. Of the riders in the saddle this time, he is the joint-winningmost alongside Ryan Moore so on this testing surface his rivals will be well-served to remember not to give him too much rope. With the underrated and undervalued G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup hero Alenquer (Fr) (Adlerflug {Ger}) in attendance on his favoured slow ground, this has the potential to turn into a war of attrition.

Making Hayes

With Dermot Weld's stable finally hitting top stride in the past few days after a largely uninspiring 2022 season, the way is paved for Moyglare's priceless 'TDN Rising Star' Homeless Songs (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) to burst back onto the scene in the G1 Coolmore America 'Justify' Matron S. For the purists, there has been a lingering frustration that the clash of the two Frankel superfillies has yet to take place but Ascot's QEII is already calling for Inspiral (GB) and her Irish counterpart first needs to fulfil this obligation. That will be no easy task, with the increasingly unassailable Saffron Beach (Ire) (New Bay {GB}) to subdue, but the edge has to be with the scintillating G1 Irish 1000 Guineas heroine here. “The [Weld] horses have been frustrating during the summer and it was frustrating times with Homeless Songs as we had to keep backing off, but we have no excuses now as the rain has come,” jockey Chris Hayes said. “She is mad well and we are raring to go.”

When Two Rising Stars Meet

The first of the weekend's plentiful juvenile Classic pointers takes place on the Leopardstown card, with Ballydoyle's pair of TDN Rising Stars Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and Tower Of London (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) lined up against each other in the G2 KPMG Champions Juvenile S. Ryan Moore has opted for the former, a son of Rhododendron (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) who when at her best was a tour de force. “I'd be hopeful you will see a very good colt here,” the rider said of his pick. Tower Of London, a full-brother to Capri, looked more of a precocious sort than his sibling when winning over course and distance July 21 and it would be no surprise were he to assume the stable bragging rights here.

In the opening Listed Ballylinch Stud Irish EBF Ingabelle S. for unexposed fillies, there is a fascinating contrast between Team Valor International and Gary Barber's five-furlong Cork maiden winner Easy (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) and The Aga Khan's stamina-laden Limerick maiden scorer Kayhana (Ire) (Harzand {Ire}) as Paddy Twomey and Dermot Weld open their select but potentially potent assault on the weekend.

Kyprios Heads Sunday Cast

With Doncaster's enhanced St Leger card shifted to Sunday, the afternoon looks a beast with quickfire assaults on the senses on Town Moor, at ParisLongchamp and The Curragh. The latter venue's equally powerful second half of the Irish Champions weekend was set out on Friday, with Ballydoyle's G1 Gold Cup and G1 Goodwood Cup hero Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) taking on 10 rivals in the G1 Comer Group International Irish St Leger including his full-sister Search For A Song (Ire) who captured it in 2019 and 2020. More than at Leopardstown, Rosegreen seem to have a firm grip on Sunday's fixture as they supply the favourites for the G1 Goffs Vincent O'Brien National S. and G1 Moyglare Stud S. in the G2 Futurity S.-winning 'TDN Rising Star' Aesop's Fables (Ire) (No Nay Never) and G2 Debutante S. scorer Meditate (Ire) (No Nay Never) respectively. Of the dozen that take the Moyglare test, The Aga Khan's 'TDN Rising Star' Tahiyra (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}) looks to have Classic potential following her impressive debut at Galway July 26. There are 18 rivals lined up for the G1 Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Flying Five S. despite the foreboding presence of the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest and G1 Nunthorpe S. heroine Highfield Princess (Fr) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), while the G2 Moyglare “Jewels” Blandford S. boasts Team Valor's G1 Pretty Polly S. heroine La Petite Coco (Ire) (Ruler Of The World {Ire}) as she takes on a dozen under a penalty.

Click here for the fields.