Two months on from victory in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown, 3-year-old Vadeni is in search of success in a third country ahead of Saturday’s Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown.
A third-straight Group 1 win is on the cards too as Jean-Claude Rouget’s colt landed the Prix du Jockey Club in June.
Christophe Soumillon was on board for those recent successes and will be again on Saturday. William Hill has made Vadeni the 2.10 favourite for the seven horse race.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: September 9th, 8:00 A.M. (BST)
Beaten into second by Vadeni at Sandown was Mishriff, who the bookies expect to take the same place again as the second favourite at 5.00.
Since then, the 5-year-old trained by John & Thady Gosden has been placed twice more in Group 1s; third in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and second in the Juddmonte International Stakes.
After so many close runs, can Mishriff finally get a big win this season? If he does, it will be under the stewardship of jockey Colin Keane with whom he has not been partnered with before.
Aiden O’Brien’s best chance of victory from his three runners comes in the form of Luxembourg who will be ridden by Ryan Moore.
Fresh from victory in a Group 3 at The Curragh less than a month ago where he ran over 1 mile 2 furlongs for the first time – a fourth win from five runs – the 3-year-old is a 5.50 shot with William Hill.
One of O’Brien’s other runners is Broome who has returned to Europe following a disappointing fourth in the Sword Dancer Stakes at Saratoga when the horse was the favourite going into the race. Broome is the outsider here at 29.00.
He also has Stone Age at 23.00 who won over this course and distance in a Group 3 in May but has not won in three outings since, two of which were also in the USA.
The other French challenger is 8.50 chance Onesto for Fabrice Chappet to be ridden by Stephane Pasquier. A son of Frankel, he tasted his first Group 1 triumph last time out in the Grand Prix du Paris at Longchamp two months ago. He will be racing outside France for the first time.
Finally we have 17.00 shot Alenquer who came last of the six in the Coral-Eclipse but took the win in the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh in his only other run this summer.
A horse who has blown hot and cold recently, William Haggas will be hoping form will be regained on Saturday.
