Irish Champions Festival tips, preview and odds
The Irish Champions Festival is here for the 2024 renewal, with action at Leopardstown on Saturday and Curragh on Sunday.
talkSPORT’s Tom Lunn has gone through the cards, form, going and much more to help guide your horse racing betting choices.
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Irish Champions Festival tips
- LEOPARDSTOWN
1.40, Champions Juvenile Stakes (Group 2): Green Impact 6/1
2.15, Solonaway Stakes (Group 2): Diego Velazquez 5/4
2.50, Matron Stakes (Group 1): Porta Fortuna 11/8
3.25, Champions Stakes (Group 1): Auguste Rodin 3/1 - CURRAGH
4.45, Irish St Leger (Group 1): Kyprios 8/11
Green Impact
Aidan O’Brien is set to dominate this weekend with much of the Group races scattered with many of his top horses.
The trainer has the two frontrunners for the first group race of the Irish meeting with Acapulco Bay and Delacroix just fighting it out for favouritism with not much separating the two in the market in the antepost a few days prior to the off.
Both made a debut where they placed 2nd before coming first on their second runs.
But Delacroix won his second race when facing Acapulco Bay at the Curragh on August 10th.
The latter of which of course went on to win on his second run when upped to 1m.
Delacroix made his debut over 1m being beaten by over a length to Green Impact and may well need to improve back up in trip.
That horse is also back as a rival and with that course and distance win under his belt for trainer Mrs John Harrington, he looks a value each-way play.
Diego Velazquez
This Frankel colt finally got back to winning ways for the first time as a three-year-old when making all here over 1m1f in the Group 3 Meld Stakes in July.
He’s been off since and returns to what seems to be his preferred mile trip, having gone close on seasonal debut at Longchamp and not quite keeping up with things when stepping up to 1m2f and 1m4f subsequently.
Has the makings of a star and of course with O’Brien as his trainer he’s got every chance under Ryan Moore likely too.
Porta Fortuna
A rare favourite in a Group 1 that doesn’t have Aidan training the frontrunner, instead it’s Donnacha O’Brien who trains Porta Fortuna.
She beat Jabaara by nearly four lengths at Newmarket and that’s been franked since too, which gives her further reason to be a clear and worthy favourite.
She’s only been beaten by one horse this season and that was Emalka in the 1000 Guineas and only by a neck.
Fallen Angel is a close second and has beaten Porta Fortuna before, and while both have progressed to be great Group 1 fillies, it just seems that the favourite may well have even more.
She too has great form though, only really disappointing in all of her races so far, once in the 1000 Guineas, but is 2-2 in Ireland.
Beating A Lilac Rolla comfortably in May and hasn’t been seen since.
It should be a great contest but Porta Fortuna looks to be the most progressive showing a huge improvement even in her latest run.
Auguste Rodin
Economics leads the betting for the Irish Champion Stakes on Saturday, the Group 1 feature race, with Auguste Rodin as high as 3/1.
It’s incredibly tough to side against this favourite really as he’s shown incredible form, beating Ancient Wisdom by six lengths at York to win the Group 2 Dante before going to France in August to win the Prix Guillaume d’Ornano by two lengths.
It was a comfortable victory in France and no easy feat either as Jayarebe has also shown he’s right up there in Group 1 company now and to beat him by keeping on in the final furlong, shows Economics has more to offer.
Now rated 121 and with the weight advantage over four-year-old Auguste Rodin, he’s got a great chance.
Auguste Rodin won this last year as a three-year-old, when given the same weight difference to Economics, by Luxembourg, who was the four-year-old competitor at the time.
But it was a close contest and with this top colt difficult to predict, but back from 1m4f to 1m2f, he looks great value.
Kyprios
Kyprios has been in the best possible form this season, winning all four contests in four months, beating Sweet William by four lengths at Goodwood last time out in the Group 1 Goodwood Cup.
It’s yet another chance for O’Brien to add to his Group 1 titles this weekend, with his in-form six-year-old star who has already brought in close to £2 million in prize money.
Kyprios could use this race as a stepping stone to then go for the Arc in October at Longchamp or avoid one or the other altogether.
As a result, he’s still odds-on but not nearly as short as he would be if he was confirmed to be running.
He’s won this race before in 2022 beating Hamish stylishly, but was well beaten by Eldar Eldarov in this last year.
However, the progression and form he’s also shown this season is enough to be more than confident he can reverse the form, just as he did with Trawlerman.
He only raced twice as a five-year-old finishing 2nd on both occasions, yet is 4-4 this season could be set for a fantastic couple of races to affirm his legendary status.
Tom Lunn’s Profit/Loss
- August ’24: +34.88
- From May ’24: +147.96pts
- From July ’23: +360.52pts
All odds correct at time of writing
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