Irish Champions Weekend Day 1 Tips
Irish Champions Weekend kicks off at Leopardstown on Saturday, where the Irish Champion Stakes headlines a stacked card. Viewers have a second Group One, the Matron Stakes to enjoy on Saturday, along with four further pattern races and two lucrative handicaps.
Leopardstown Tips - Irish Champions Weekend Day 1 Tips
Race 1 - Ingabelle Stakes Tips
There's yet to be a winning favourite in this Listed contest, which is bad news for fans of Kitty Rose, who returned odds of 25/1 when making a winning debut for Natalia Lupini at Naas two weeks ago.
Content made all to break her maiden tag here at Leopardstown two weeks ago, but I was more impressed by the performance of runner-up APRICOT ICE (5/1), who was making her debut in that contest. Ger Lyon's filly settled well and didn't allow Content to pull away from her down the home stretch. If this daughter of Bated Breath has improved for that effort, then she may be good enough to land Saturday's opener.
Race 2 - Champions Juvenile Stakes Tips
A £2.4m purchase for Ballydoyle last year, Diego Velazquez looked every inch a superstar in the making when winning easily on debut and it's no surprise to see Aidan O'Brien's colt installed at such a short price.
When the "betting without the favourite" special market opens up, I'd be interested in backing DEEP ONE (9/2). Paddy Twomey's youngster won convincingly on his first couple of starts and lost nothing in defeat to Warney in a Listed race at Tipperary last time out. He could follow the favourite home.
Race 3 - Matron Stakes Tips
We now reach our first Group One of the meeting, where we find a yawning chasm between odds-on favourite Tahiyra and the chasing pack in the market. All of the other runners can be backed at double-figure prices if you shop around, so the race for the places is clearly wide open.
At an each-way price, I'm going to have a risky punt on JUMBLY (25/1), who has made an encouraging start to life with Joseph O'Brien. After solid efforts at Ascot and the Curragh, Jumbly placed third in the Group Two Spa Stakes at Saratoga two weeks ago, running on well after a slow start to finish less than a length behind the winner.
Jumbly improved with running during both of her seasons with Roger Charlton and clearly relishes quicker ground. A mile around a speed track like Leopardstown should be right up her street.
Race 4 - Irish Champion Stakes Tips
Race 5 - Park Stakes Tips
He might have to give five pounds to the three-year-olds around him in the market, but BUCKAROO (3/1) has clearly been laid out with this Group Two in mind and Joseph O'Brien's four-year-old brings some strong course form to the table.
Buckaroo virtually dead-heated with Piz Badile in the Ballysax Stakes here last year and defeat Homeless Songs to make a winning reappearance at this venue back in April. O'Brien's star hasn't been seen since solid efforts in both the Prix d'Ispahan and the Wolferton Stakes earlier in the season, but Buckaroo's record when fresh is very strong and he clearly likes this track.
Race 6 - Paddy Power Stakes Tips
Three-year-olds have an excellent record in this 12 furlong contest and the strongest stayer in the field, ADELAIDE RIVER (7/4) warrants his position at the head of the betting.
Aidan O'Brien's colt made Auguste Rodin work hard to beat him in the Irish Derby and proved that performance was no fluke when pushing Feed The Flame hard in the Grand Prix de Paris. Ryan Moore's mount has been freshened up since that effort at Longchamp and Adelaide River could be hard to beat as he drops down into Group Three company.
Race 7 - Petingo Handicap Tips
At the prices, the one that interests me most is IMAGINARIUM (16/1). Ger Lyon gelding only ran twice as a three-year-old last season, and was well-beaten on his reappearance in a Listed race at Roscommon back in July.
Imaginarium made his handicap debut in the hugely competitive Guinness Handicap at the Galway Festival, where he stayed on gamely after getting outpaced to finish a decent sixth. Colin Keane's mount was dropped to a mark of 91 following that effort and I'm confident that this lightly-raced four-year-old has the ability to reach a triple-figure mark.
Race 8 - Sovereign Path Handicap Tips
British horses have a strong record in this card-closing handicap and I'm going to take an each-way chance on URBAN SPRAWL (14/1) for last year's winning trainer, Charlie Johnston.
Urban Sprawl ran out an impressive winner of a £39k handicap at Goodwood in the spring and followed that performance with a strong third in the Britannia at Royal Ascot. Having bounced back to form with a decent effort at Goodwood two weeks ago, Urban Sprawl will make his Irish debut running off a workable mark of 90 and the track here at Leopardstown should suit his running style.
