King of Steel a warm order for Irish Champion Stakes success

It’s nearly 30 years since a horse broke its Group One duck in the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes although King Of Steel is an increasingly warm favourite to do just that next weekend.

As opposition drops away from the Irish Champion Festival’s €1.25 million feature, Roger Varian’s star dominates betting for Leopardstown’s big race which usually ranks among the top-rated renewals of the year globally.

The lightly raced English three-year-old is as short as 11-8 with some firms to land a first career top-flight victory.

Runner-up to Auguste Rodin in June’s Epsom Derby before landing Royal Ascot’s King Edward VII Stakes, King Of Steel last appeared in the King George when third to Hukum.

The last horse to secure a maiden Group One success in the Irish Champion Stakes was Pentire in 1995. He was also placed in the King George that year having landed the King Edward prior to that.

A call by connections of the German Derby winner Fantastic Moon to skip Leopardstown in favour of staying at home for this Sunday’s Grosser Preis Von Baden removed another international element from Leopardstown.

Both the unbeaten French Derby winner Ace Impact and John Gosden’s Juddmonte International winner Mostahdaf were also ruled out earlier this week.

However, a home defence led by Auguste Rodin is also set to include another proven Group One winner in Joseph O’Brien’s Al Riffa who finished runner-up to Ace Impact on his last start in Deauville.

The Gosden team also indicated on Friday that their star miler Inspiral will not take up a Champions Festival option in the Coolmore Matron Stakes. They will wait instead for Newmarket’s Sun Chariot Stakes in a month’s time.

“She’s in good form and we’re probably favouring Newmarket and the Sun Chariot is a possible race for her. I think that’s favoured,” said Chris Richardson, managing director of the Cheveley Park Stud that owns Inspiral.

The filly completed back-to-back successes in Deauville’s Prix Jacques Le Marois on her last start.

Inspiral’s absence leaves Dermot Weld’s Tahiyra as a likely odds-on favourite for the Matron with local rivals Zarinsk and Meditate next in ante-post betting.

One cross-channel star on course for the Champions Festival is top sprinter Highfield Princess who will defend her Flying Five title at the Curragh next Sunday.

The Flying Five was one leg of a Group One hat-trick for John Quinn’s star in 2022 but she has twice this year found a competitor too good at the top level.