Five Potential Stars On Show On Irish Champions’ Weekend

As the Irish flat season reaches its climax, there’s still another couple of days of top class horse racing action ahead of us. Irish Champions Weekend, taking place at Leopardstown and the Curragh on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, will see plenty of big names from all of the top yards battling it out for some of the biggest prize’s on the Irish racing calendar. Donn McClean takes a look at some of the superstars who will be on show during those two fantastic days of racing. 

Homeless Songs 

Trainer: Dermot Weld

Race: Coolmore America “Justify” Matron Stakes, Leopardstown, Saturday

Homeless Songs created a deep impression when she won her maiden on her racecourse debut at Leopardstown last season, and the form of that run was enhanced when the runner-up Agartha won her next two races, the Group 3 Silver Flash Stakes and the Group 2 Debutante Stakes, before finishing second in the Moyglare on Irish Champions’ Weekend last year.

It was mildly disappointing, therefore, that Homeless Songs was beaten in her next two runs last season, in the Moyglare and in the Group 3 Killavullan Stakes at Leopardstown, but she has put all that behind her this season. On her return in April, Dermot Weld’s filly ran out an impressive winner of Leopardstown’s Guineas trial, and on her second, she was seriously impressive in winning the Irish 1000 Guineas at The Curragh. She travelled like the most likely winner from a long way out that day, and she bounded away from her rivals when Chris Hayes asked her to stretch, coming five and a half lengths clear of subsequent Oaks winner Tuesday.

A daughter of Frankel from a strong Moyglare Stud family, there is no knowing how good she could be. All her runs have been on good or easy ground, so fast ground would be a concern, but there is rain forecast and, on good ground or softer, she is the one they all have to beat in the Matron Stakes.

Vadeni

Trainer: Jean-Claude Rouget

Race: Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes, Leopardstown, Saturday

Jean-Claude Rouget won the Irish Champion Stakes in 2016 with Almanzor, and it is great that he is set to allow Vadeni take his chance in Saturday’s feature race.

Vadeni’s profile is remarkably similar to that of his erstwhile stable companion: both three-year-olds, both beaten just once at two, both beaten in the Prix de Fontainebleau at three before winning the Prix de Guiche and the Prix du Jockey Club, the French Derby. Their respective paths diverged thereafter, Almanzor winning the Prix Guillaume d’Ornano at Deauville before coming over to Ireland to win the Irish Champion Stakes, whereas Vadeni won the Eclipse at Sandown.  But he’s back on the Almanzor path now.

The Aga Khan’s colt was a good winner of the Eclipse. He travelled well through his race in rear under the masterful Christophe Soumillon and, wheeled towards the outside on the run to the two-furlong marker, he showed a fine turn of foot to hit the front at the furlong pole. Mishriff had to be switched at a crucial stage of the race, but Mishriff is a top-class older horse, and Vadeni still had a neck in hand by the time they got to the winning line, with the Guineas winner Native Trail back in third.  

It should be a cracking contest, with Mishriff back for more and the hugely exciting Luxembourg in opposition, as well as the Grand Prix de Paris winner Onesto, but Vadeni is a worthy favourite.

Meditate

Trainer: Aidan O’Brien

Race: Moyglare Stud Stakes, The Curragh, Sunday

Meditate remains unbeaten. Four runs, four wins, and it appears that she gets better with every run.

Aidan O’Brien’s filly won her maiden on her racecourse debut by over three lengths, then stepped up into Group 3 company at Naas and won well, before she went to Royal Ascot and landed the Albany Stakes, leaving subsequent Duchess of Cambridge winner Mawj in her wake. Last time, she went to The Curragh and, stepping up in trip to seven furlongs for the first time, made just about all the running in landing 1the Group 2 Debutante Stakes.

She only won by three parts of a length in the end last time, but it always appeared as if she was doing enough, the No Nay Never filly responding generously to Ryan Moore’s urgings. She has the talent and she has the pace and she has the pedigree and she has the attitude, and she is a worthy favourite for the Moyglare, a race that her trainer has won three times in the last seven years.

Romantic Proposal

Trainer: Eddie Lynam

Race: Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Flying Five Stakes, The Curragh, Sunday

It is difficult to countenance now that Romantic Proposal started her career off as a miler, given the speed that she now shows over the minimum trip. But it is not surprising, given that she is trained by Eddie Lynam.

Rated just 83 at the start of the 2020 season, she progressed nicely through that season, and she hit top speed last year, winning the Flying Five on Irish Champions’ Weekend last September, when she got home by a half a length from subsequent Prix de l’Abbaye winner A Case Of You.

She was seriously impressive in winning a listed race at Naas on her debut this season in April, but she was off the track from then until the July Cup at Newmarket in, well, July, when she finished down the field behind Alcohol Free.

You have to forgive her that run, but you easily can, on Newmarket’s July Course, a course that favours speed, over six furlongs and on good to firm ground, and on her first run in 75 days. She should be much happier back at The Curragh and potentially back on good or easy ground, and back over five furlongs. This is her time of year too, she is two for four in September, Chris Hayes has struck up a great relationship with her, and her trainer has his horses in tremendous form going into the weekend.

Kyprios

Trainer: Aidan O’Brien

Race: Comer Group International Irish St Leger

From the time that Kyprios stayed on up the hill at the end of an extended mile at Galway on heavy ground in September 2020 on his racecourse debut to win his maiden, there was always an inkling that he could morph into a top-class stayer.

It has taken a little while, and he had a truncated season last term, but he has put it all together this season, and he has announced himself as one of the best stayers in training.

Aidan O’Brien’s horse was impressive in winning the Vintage Crop Stakes and the Saval Beg Stakes on his first two runs this season but, before he lined up in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot in June, he had never been beyond one mile and six furlongs in his life. The Gold Cup is over two and a half miles, it is a gruelling contest, but Kyprios proved that he was up to the challenge in staying on well to get home by a half a length from Mojo Star, with Stradivarius another three parts of a length back in third.

And just in case you thought that it was superior tactics rather than superior ability that saw the Moyglare Stud’s colt home at Ascot, he went to Goodwood the following month and landed the Goodwood Cup, with the top-class pair Stradivarius and Trueshan chasing him home.

A son of Galileo and a full-brother to dual Irish St Leger winner Search For A Song, Kyprios has bags of stamina, but we know that he has the pace too to be effective over the Irish St Leger distance of one mile and six furlongs. All going well, he could retain his place at the top of the stayers’ tree for a little while yet.