Timeform Irish Preview: Irish Champions Weekend

Irish Champion Stakes

Dual classic winner Harzand is the natural starting point, having followed up his Derby win at Epsom when completing a four-timer in the Irish Derby at the Curragh by half a length from the current St Leger favourite Idaho, leading on the bridle entering the straight and knuckling down well late on. He is a major player despite the drop in trip and the fact that this may well come as a stepping stone towards his main target, next month’s Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Chantilly.

Unusually, Harzand is not the only dual-classic winner in the race, with three-year-old filly Minding, the winner of the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket and the Oaks at Epsom, also looking set to take her chance. A tough, versatile and most willing winner of six fillies Group 1 races in total, Minding has faced largely inferior opposition up until this point, and could be capable of even better from a ratings perspective now tackling this high-class field.

Aidan O’Brien will also saddle Highland Reel, who won the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot in July before posting a good one-and-a-quarter-length second to Postponed in International Stakes at York last time. Though he is a fairly rare runner in his home country, Highland Reel brings strong form into the race and is not easily discounted.

Found was a length second to Golden Horn here 12 months ago before reversing that form in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Keeneland in October. She improved for her reappearance this season when winning the Mooresbridge Stakes at the Curragh in May and has been second in all four of her starts since, including in the Yorkshire Oaks last time. Although perhaps vulnerable for win purposes at the highest level on these shores, she should give a good account.

New Bay’s form also ties in with last year’s winner Golden Horn, as he finished two and a quarter lengths third to him in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in October with a career-best effort. He has been below that level in two starts so far this season, however, and his campaign seemingly revolves around a second Arc bid.

This year’s Prix du Jockey Club winner Almanzor is also respected after he improved on his win at Chantilly when completing a hat-trick in the Group 2 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano at Deauville last time, beating Zarak into second on both occasions. Almanzor has continued to impress this season and looks ready to take on older horses for the first time here.

Other Group 1 winners in the field include Hawkbill, who impressed with his speed and resolution when winning the Eclipse at Sandown in, and My Dream Boat, who beat Found by half a length in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot before being well beaten by Hawkbill in the Eclipse.

Matron Stakes

Jet Setting remains the only horse to have beaten dual classic winner Minding this season (in the Irish 1000 Guineas) and, though Minding was below her best and Jet Setting was seen to something like maximum effect after dictating affairs on testing ground, there was no fluke about the result. Minding has boosted the form no end since, winning three subsequent Group 1 races, but Jet Setting proved a disappointment on her next start in the Coronation Stakes (though was later reported to have had a respiratory infection). With conditions expected to be against her and facing competition for the lead, Jet Setting may have a hard time reversing Coronation form with Qemah and Alice Springs.

Alice Springs was unlucky to have not been at least second in the Coronation Stakes, not enjoying a clear run early in the straight and then being hampered while waiting for a gap two furlongs out before eventually staying on for third (one and three quarter lengths behind Qemah). She got a much better passage through on her next start in the Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket in July, which she won readily by two and a quarter lengths from Very Special. However, she was disappointing on her last start in the Prix Rothschild won by Qemah at Deauville and must bounce back from that here.

Qemah had a clearer run than most when winning the Coronation Stakes, but she was still a ready winner (by one and three quarter lengths from Nemoralia) after not settling fully in the early stages. She gained a second Group 1 win on her next start in the Prix Rothschild at Deauville, again winning a shade comfortably, this time by one and a half lengths from Volta, and it is possible that we have not seen the best of her yet.

With Hugo Palmer’s Hawksmoor having plenty to find at this level, the key British raider appears to be John Gosden’s Persuasive, who shaped very well when completing a five-timer in the 12-runner Atalanta Stakes at Sandown last time impressively by three lengths from Blond Me (who won a Group 2 in Turkey last week). Persuasive overcame a rise in class in superb fashion last time, stepping up to Group 3 level from handicaps, and is one to keep on the right side of now upped in grade again here.

Now or Never was beaten over 10 lengths by an on-song Jet Setting in the Irish 1000 Guineas, and naturally has something to find with the principals, as do Devonshire, who won a weak renewal of the Group 2 Lanwades Stud Stakes at the Curragh in May, and Creggs Pipes, who has been very progressive this season, but had her winning run ended in rather tame fashion in the Fairy Bridge Stakes at Tipperary last time.

Moyglare Stud Stakes

Aidan O’Brien’s Rhododendron sets the standard in this year’s Moyglare on her win in the Group 2 Debutante Stakes at the Curragh last month, where she stuck to her task well to beat Hydrangea (who also improved a chunk upped in grade and is a likeable and straightforward sort) by a neck and went one place better than Minding did in the same race last year. That was a much improved effort from her maiden win at Goodwood prior to that, and Rohdodendron is likely to go on progressing. She will stay at least a mile on pedigree (dam won Irish 1000 Guineas and stayed an easy mile and a quarter) and can enhance her own Guineas claims with another win here.

The O’Brien-trained Maybe completed a five-timer in the Moyglare in 2011, with wins in both the Debutante and the Silver Flash Stakes at Leopardstown. This year’s Silver Flash was won by Promise To Be True, who marked herself down as one of the most exciting prospects seen out in Ireland this season when winning the race by one and a quarter lengths in July. She had much more in hand than the winning margin would imply, winning under a hands-and-heels ride and only really getting going at the line as she had done on debut. She is open to significant improvement on what she has shown to date.

As if there wasn’t enough O’Brien-based domination, Aidan’s son Joseph also saddles Intricately, who was third behind Rohdodendron and Hydrangea (by one and a quarter lengths) in the Debutante last time. Another well-bred filly on the up, she is also likely to have more to offer, though obviously has something to find with the pair that were ahead of her at the Curragh. The same can be said for Rehana, who beat Rhododendron in a maiden in June (by two and a quarter lengths) but was no match for her last time in the Debutante Stakes (finished two lengths behind in fourth).

The complete unknown quantity in the field is Dawn of A New Era, a full-sister to the top-class Dawn Approach, who won the 2000 Guineas for Jim Bolger in 2013 after being unbeaten in six starts as a two-year-old, including in the Coventry Stakes, National Stakes and Dewhurst Stakes. She will have to be something really special to win in this useful field at the first time of asking, however.