Trio of Breeders' Cup berths up for grabs on Irish Champions day

A trio of “Win and You’re In” Breeders’ Cup Challenge races are on tap Saturday at Leopardstown, with the $1.493 million QIPCO Irish Champion Stakes (G1) and the presence of heavy favorite Qatar Racing’s Roaring Lion serving as the main attraction. A field of 11 runners has been entered for an automatic berth into the Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf, highlighting an outstanding card at the track just south of Dublin.

The Breeders' Cup Challenge is an international series of 85 stakes races whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into a corresponding race of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, which will be held at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky on Nov. 2-3.

“Win and You’re In” berths also will be awarded at Leopardstown to the winner of the Fastnet Rock Matron Stakes (G1) – which features top miler Alpha Centauri – providing that runner with automatic starting position into the Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf, and to the winner of the KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes (G3), who will earn a free spot into the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1).  

Roaring Lion, bred in Kentucky by RanJan Racing Inc., qualified for the Breeders’ Cup Turf when he won York’s Juddmonte International (GI) August 22 at York for trainer John Gosden. The 3-year-old son of Kitten’s Joy out of the Street Sense mare Vionett, rates as Europe’s best male turf horse off successive wins in Sandown’s Coral-Eclipse (GI) in July and the Juddmonte International. He will bring a 6-for-10 lifetime mark to the Irish Champion, in which he’s trading as the odds on favorite. Oisin Murphy has the mount, breaking from post 4.

Starting next to Roaring Lion in post 5 is Mrs. John Magnier, Derrick Smith and Michael Tabor’s Saxon Warrior, who will have another crack at the favorite after running a heart-breaking second by a neck in the Coral-Eclipse and finished fourth to him in the Juddmonte International. The 3-year-old son of Deep Impact, ridden by Ryan Moore, won the 2000 Guineas (GI) at Newmarket in May and was third in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby (G1) in June as the even-money favorite for trainer Aidan O’Brien, who has entered four horses in the Irish Champion.

Flaxman Stable Ireland’s homebred Study of Man, trained by Pasqual Bary and ridden by Stephane Pasquier from post 6, is garnering a bit of support off his Prix du Jockey Club (GI) win at Chantilly in June, which was his third triumph in five starts.  The 3-year-old bay son of Deep Impact won the 1 1 5/16-mile Prix Freffulhe (G2) at Saint-Cloud prior to the French Derby, and was most recently third in the 1 ¼-mile Prix Saint-Germain (G2) at Deauville on Aug. 15.

Sheikh Ahmed al Maktoum’s 4-year-old Addeybb, trained by William Haggis, has not started since May 19, when he finished eighth in the Lockinge Stakes (G1) at Newberry, which was one of his few poor performances in a career of five wins in eight starts. The chestnut Pivotal gelding won the Bet360 Mile (G2) at Sandown on April 27 and was also victorious in the listed one-mile 32Red Lincoln Heritage Handicap at Sandown on March 24. James Doyle will ride from post 1. Trainer Jim Bolger sends out last year’s Vincent O’Brien Stakes (G1) winner Verbal Dexterity, who returned to the races on August 26 after being away since last October’s fourth-place finish behind Saxon Warrior and Roaring Lion in the one-mile Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster. A 3-year-old son of Vocalized, ridden by Kevin Manning from post 7, Verbal Dexterity was fourth in his 2018 debut, the 1 ¼-mile Royal Whip Stakes (G3) at the Curragh as the 5-2 favorite.

Among the other three O’Brien-trained runners is Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith’s 4-year-old fillyRhododendron (IRE) (Donnacha O’Brien, post 3), winless in her last three starts since taking the Lockinge; the 3-year-old fillyAthena (IRE) (Seamie Heffernan, post 8), who came to New York in July and won the Belmont Oaks Invitational (G1) and the 5-year-old Deauville (IRE) (Wayne Lordan, post 2) sixth in the Royal Whip Stakes, completes the field. 

The Irish Champion Stakes is the 10th Breeders’ Cup Challenge race in the Longines Turf Division this year. The first eight to qualify were the filly La Extrana Dama (ARG), who won the Gran Premio 25 de Mayo (G1) at San Isidro in Buenos Aires; Quarteto de Cordas (BRZ), who captured the Grande Premio Brasil (G1) at Gavea in Rio de Janeiro; Mikki Rocket (JPN), who captured the Takarazuka Kinen at Hanshin in June, Poet’s Word in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1) at Ascot; Robert Bruce (CHI) in the Arlington Million (G1), Fashion Business (GB), who captured the Del Mar Handicap (G2) at Del Mar, Glorious Empire (IRE), winner of the Sword Dancer (G1) at Saratoga and Roaring Lion.

The $418,142 Coolmore Fastnet Rock Matron (GI), run at one mile, will award an automatic starting berth into the $2 million Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf and, if Roaring Lion is Europe’s best male turf horse, then the Niarchos Family’s homebred Alpha Centauri (IRE) is arguably Europe’s best filly as she’s blitzed her competition en route to a quartet of consecutive Group I wins for trainer Jessica Harrington. The 3-year-old daughter of Mastercraftsman (IRE) came to prominence with a win in the Irish 1,000 Guineas at the Curragh in May then rattled off the Coronation at Royal Ascot in June, the Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket in July and “Win and You’re In” Prix du Haras de-Fresnay-Le-Buffard Jacques le Marois at Deauville on August 12 to earn an automatic berth into the Breeders’ Cup Mile.

The imposing shadow that Alpha Centauri casts for the Matron has kept the field to seven starters with John Dance’s Laurens (FR), who won the Prix Saint-Alary (GI) at Longchamp in May and the Prix de Diane Longines (French Oaks) (GI) at Chantilly in June serving as the main danger for trainer Karl Burke. Aidan O’Brien has entered three 3-year-olds: Magical (IRE), winner of the 1 1/8-mile Kilboy Estate Stakes (G2) at the Curragh on July 22; Clemmie (IRE), third behind Alpha Centauri in the Falmouth and the winner of last year’s Cheveley Park Stakes (G1) and Happily (IRE), third in the Irish 1000 Guineas (G1). Hunscote, Watt, Peckham, Botham and Edwards’s 3-year-old Dan’s Dream (IRE), winner of the Dubai Duty Free Stakes (G3) at Newmarket in April and Qatar Bloodstock’s Lightning Quick (GB), sixth in the 100 Irish Guineas, round out the field.

The “Win and You’re In” $179,204 KPMG Champions Juvenile (G2) will award the first automatic starting berth into this year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. Aidan O’Brien trains three of the nine starters, all of them sired by Australia (GB): Broome (IRE), who broke his maiden at Galway on Aug. 4 at 1 1/16 miles; Sydney Opera House (GB), who broke his maiden on Sept. 1 at one mile at the Curragh by 1 ½ lengths; Western Australia (IRE) and who was a 2 ¾-length winner at Gowran Park breaking his maiden at 7 furlongs on Sept. 4. The Aga Khan’s Masaff (IRE) is back for the first time since breaking his maiden at Leopardstown on June 21 in the EBF Irish Stallion Stakes for trainer Dermot Weld.