CHRISTOPHE SOUMILLION excelled aboard Delacroix, as they stormed to Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes glory at Leopardstown.
A beaten favourite in the Derby, the son of Dubawi has thrived dropped back to 10 furlongs since, flying home to land the Coral-Eclipse earlier in the summer and now bouncing back from defeat in the Juddmonte International Stakes to register his second Group One of the season.
Soumillon — deputising for the injured Ryan Moore — was in no rush aboard the 2-1 market leader, with Delacroix finding himself among a cluster of four, including Owen Burrows’ second-favourite Anmaat, White Birch and Johnny Murtagh’s well-regarded Zahrann, towards the rear of the field.
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With Aidan O’Brien-trained stablemate Mount Kilimanjaro setting the fractions, the complexion of the race would swiftly change when the runners entered the straight, and Soumillon received an immediate response when he asked Delacroix to improve his position, swooping quickly to the front inside the final quarter of a mile.
Chris Hayes sent Anmaat quickly in pursuit, but Delacroix’s turn of foot had already done the damage, and he came home three-quarters of a length ahead of the British raider to give O’Brien a record-extending 13th victory in the race.
Trainer Karl Burke (2nd left) with Jockey James Doyle after riding Fallen Angel to victory in the Coolmore America 'Justify' Matron Stakes at Leopardstown Racecourse. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Meanwhile, Fallen Angel made it back-to-back Group One victories with a battling performance to go one better than 12 months ago in the Coolmore America ‘Justify’ Matron Stakes at Leopardstown.
Second to Porta Fortuna last year, Karl Burke’s four-year-old was the 9-4 favourite to land the spoils time around on the back of a gutsy win over Aidan O’Brien’s January in the Prix Rothschild.
After James Doyle got the perfect tow into the race from Vera’s Secret, like in Deauville, it was a Ballydoyle rival who laid down a stern challenge to the Wathnan Racing-owned raider in the closing stages as Dylan Browne McMonagle and Exactly made Fallen Angel fight all the way to the line.
The daughter of Too Darn Hot’s tenacious attitude came firmly to the fore late in the day as she registered a half-length success over the O’Brien contender, with Donnacha O’Brien’s Atsila third.
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Delacroix delivers another Irish Champion for Aidan O’Brien
CHRISTOPHE SOUMILLION excelled aboard Delacroix, as they stormed to Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes glory at Leopardstown.
A beaten favourite in the Derby, the son of Dubawi has thrived dropped back to 10 furlongs since, flying home to land the Coral-Eclipse earlier in the summer and now bouncing back from defeat in the Juddmonte International Stakes to register his second Group One of the season.
Soumillon — deputising for the injured Ryan Moore — was in no rush aboard the 2-1 market leader, with Delacroix finding himself among a cluster of four, including Owen Burrows’ second-favourite Anmaat, White Birch and Johnny Murtagh’s well-regarded Zahrann, towards the rear of the field.
With Aidan O’Brien-trained stablemate Mount Kilimanjaro setting the fractions, the complexion of the race would swiftly change when the runners entered the straight, and Soumillon received an immediate response when he asked Delacroix to improve his position, swooping quickly to the front inside the final quarter of a mile.
Chris Hayes sent Anmaat quickly in pursuit, but Delacroix’s turn of foot had already done the damage, and he came home three-quarters of a length ahead of the British raider to give O’Brien a record-extending 13th victory in the race.
Meanwhile, Fallen Angel made it back-to-back Group One victories with a battling performance to go one better than 12 months ago in the Coolmore America ‘Justify’ Matron Stakes at Leopardstown.
Second to Porta Fortuna last year, Karl Burke’s four-year-old was the 9-4 favourite to land the spoils time around on the back of a gutsy win over Aidan O’Brien’s January in the Prix Rothschild.
After James Doyle got the perfect tow into the race from Vera’s Secret, like in Deauville, it was a Ballydoyle rival who laid down a stern challenge to the Wathnan Racing-owned raider in the closing stages as Dylan Browne McMonagle and Exactly made Fallen Angel fight all the way to the line.
The daughter of Too Darn Hot’s tenacious attitude came firmly to the fore late in the day as she registered a half-length success over the O’Brien contender, with Donnacha O’Brien’s Atsila third.
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Aidan O'Brien Anmaat Delacroix Happy Days Horse Racing Leopardstown