By Tom Frary
Handed the unenviable task of taking on the might of Ballydoyle in Leopardstown's G2 KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes on Saturday, Marc Chan's homebred Green Impact (Ire) (Wootton Bassett (GB}–Emerald Green {GB}, by Galileo {Ire}) proved up to the task to provide his owner-breeder with a red-letter day. The first horse bred by Chan, the Jessica Harrington-trained relative of Power (GB) and Footstepsinthesand (GB) was sent up by Shane Foley to track Aidan O'Brien's second-string Bernard Shaw (Into Mischief) throughout the early stages with the stable's 5-6 favourite Delacroix (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) waiting in behind.
Tackling the leader approaching the furlong marker with Delacroix labouring in pursuit, the 5-2 second favourite had half a length to spare at the line over Delacroix as Bernard Shaw faded to be a further 3/4 of a length away in third. “He's pretty good and is very relaxed, but that was hard work there into the headwind and he keeps on finding,” Harrington said. “He'll be a lovely mile-and-a-quarter or mile-and-a-half horse next year, as he's got bit of furnishing to do.”
Green Impact (Wootton Bassett) shows a tenacious attitude to fend off the Aidan O'Brien challengers and win the @KPMG_Ireland Champions Juvenile Stakes!
The @Jessica_Racing team look to have a very smart prospect 👌#itallcomesdowntothis | @LeopardstownRC | @kateharro1989 pic.twitter.com/r5hwtoZJMP
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) September 14, 2024
Saturday, Leopardstown, Ireland
KPMG CHAMPIONS JUVENILE STAKES (GOLDEN FLEECE STAKES)-G2, €150,000, Leopardstown, 9-14, 2yo, 8fT, 1:39.52, gd.
1–GREEN IMPACT (IRE), 131, c, 2, by Wootton Bassett (GB)
1st Dam: Emerald Green (GB), by Galileo (Ire)
2nd Dam: Applauded (Ire), by Royal Applause (GB)
3rd Dam: Frappe (Ire), by Inchinor (GB)
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. O/B-Marc Chan (IRE); T-Jessica Harrington; J-Shane Foley. €90,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0, $113,181. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Delacroix (Ire), 131, c, 2, Dubawi (Ire)–Tepin, by Bernstein. TDN Rising Star. 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O-D Smith, Mrs J Magnier & M Tabor; B-Tepin Syndicate (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €30,000.
3–Bernard Shaw, 131, c, 2, Into Mischief–Princess Haya, by Street Cry (Ire). 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. ($550,000 Wlg '22 KEENOV; $1,800,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP). O-D Smith, Mrs J Magnier, M Tabor & P M Brant; B-Barry Becker & Judith Becker (KY); T-Aidan O'Brien. €15,000.
Margins: HF, 3/4, 11. Odds: 2.50, 0.83, 5.50.
Also Ran: Green Triangle (Ire).
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