THE PEOPLE WORE red ribbons at Leopardstown on Saturday in memory of Jack de Bromhead, they applauded for a minute in celebration of his life, and they watched a video tribute to Jack that was played out before the third race.
The jockeys in that third race wore red armbands, and Jack was high in the public’s consciousness all day, all weekend, and will be for a long, long time to come.
When David Egan won the St Leger on Sunday at Doncaster on Eldar Eldarov, his first Classic win, he dedicated the victory to Henry and Heather de Bromhead’s son.
“It’s a week since Jack de Bromhead passed,” said the rider. “He’s the first person I thought about when I crossed the line. That was for him.”
On the racecourse, Luxembourg reigned. He was the unknown force in the Irish Champion Stakes, one of last year’s outstanding juveniles, winter favourite for the Derby that he ultimately had to sit out because of a setback.
His only defeat before Saturday was in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket in May, when he stumbled after leaving the stalls, and yet, he was only workmanlike in winning the Royal Whip Stakes at The Curragh last month on his only run in the interim, his last run before Saturday.
Aidan O’Brien said that he was only just ready to start back in the Royal Whip, that he had to run there if he was going to make the Irish Champion Stakes line-up, and we knew that he would progress from that.
The questions were, by how much would he progress, and would the magnitude of that progress be sufficient to allow him prevail in Saturday’s feature race?
We got the answers in a final-furlong surge that took Luxembourg down the outside of his rivals and up Leopardstown’s finishing incline: a lot and yes. Very definitely.
The Camelot colt responded willingly to the Ryan Moore drive, and he stayed on strongly to get home by a half a length from French challenger Onesto, with fellow French-raider Vadeni back in third.
It was a superb training performance by Aidan O’Brien, who was recording a record 11th win in the Irish Champion Stakes and a fourth in a row.
The Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is now on Luxembourg’s radar, and he is a big player in the Arc picture now. He could improve again for this run, and he could be even better over a mile and a half than he is over 10 furlongs. Sea The Stars is the last horse to win the Irish Champion Stakes and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, and there is every chance that Luxembourg will be able to bridge the 13-year gap to John Oxx’s horse.
Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore were also on the mark earlier on Saturday when Auguste Rodin won the KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes.
The two-year-old colt is immaculately-bred, a son of Deep Impact out of Rhododendron, winner of the Fillies’ Mile and the Prix de l’Opera and the Lockinge Stakes, but he hadn’t run since he won his maiden at Naas in early July.
Even so, Ryan Moore chose to ride him in front of Capri’s brother Tower Of London, and the rider’s confidence was replicated in the market and justified on the track as Auguste Rodin stayed on well to win nicely. He now sits at the top of the market for next year’s Derby.
Al Riffa isn’t far behind Auguste Rodin now in the Derby market, after he stayed on strongly to land the Goffs Vincent O’Brien Stakes at The Curragh on Sunday. Joseph O’Brien’s colt had shaped encouragingly on his racecourse debut at The Curragh in July, in the opening maiden on Irish Oaks day, a race is often a springboard for a top-class performer, and he stepped forward from that next time when he won his maiden back at The Curragh.
But this was a serious step forward again, a performance of class and determination that saw him get home by just over a length under Dylan Browne McMonagle.
It was a first Group 1 win for the young rider, last year’s champion apprentice, who has been impressing since he had his first ride under Rules in September 2019.
Paddy Twomey had his second Group 1 win as a trainer when Pearls Galore won the Coolmore America “Justify” Matron Stakes at Leopardstown on Saturday. The Invincible Spirit mare almost provided her trainer with his first Group 1 win in the same race 12 months ago, when she went down by just a neck to No Speak Alexander.
Twomey had to wait just over 10 months to register his maiden Group 1 win, which he did when La Petite Coco won the Pretty Polly Stakes at The Curragh in July, but he and Pearls Galore still had unfinished business in the Matron Stakes.
Fitted with cheekpieces for the first time, the Scea Haras De Saint Par mare bounced out of the gate on Saturday, she settled into a nice racing rhythm in front for Billy Lee, and she didn’t see any of her rivals until she was pulling up after crossing the winning line.
Tahiyra was seriously impressive in winning the Moyglare Stud Stakes at The Curragh on Sunday. We had seen Dermot Weld’s filly just once before, in the seven-furlong juvenile fillies’ maiden at Galway that has been won before by Hermosa and Eziyra and Legatissimo and Tarfasha.
This was a big test, stepping up from a maiden into a Group 1 race, a Moyglare Stud Stakes, but it was a test for which she was well prepared.
Chris Hayes was cool on her too. He allowed Meditate kick into a two-length lead, and he allowed the furlong marker flash past, before he got out after the leader.
Meditate was the even money favourite for the race, unbeaten in four and a Group 2 winner, yet Tahiyra’s rider had all the confidence in his filly, he was happy that she would have the pace to catch her rival, which she did, at the 150-yard marker, before going on to win by over two lengths.
By Siyouni, Tahiyra is a half-sister to Breeders’ Cup Turf and Prix de l’Opera winner Tarnawa. Tarnawa didn’t win in three attempts as a juvenile, and if her sister can emulate the progress that she made from two to three to four to five, then the Aga Khan could have a very special filly on his hands.
And then we had stand-out speed and stand-out stamina. Highfield Princess provided the speed in the Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Flying Five. John Quinn’s mare is a remarkable mare.
Beaten in a handicap off a mark of 57 as a three-year-old, she has morphed into the stand-out sprinter of 2022.
She is versatile too. A winner over seven furlongs at Newcastle in April, her first Group 1 win was in the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville in August over six and a half furlongs, yet she had the speed to win the Nunthorpe Stakes at York last month over five on fast ground, and now she has added the Flying Five on soft ground.
The stamina was provided by Kyprios, the stand-out stayer of 2022. Aidan O’Brien’s horse is now five for five this season, his two wins before Sunday recorded in the Ascot Gold Cup over two and a half miles and in the Goodwood Cup over two.
He was dropping down to a mile and six furlongs for the Comer Group International Irish St Leger on Sunday, but, while Hamish closed to three parts of a length, it always looked like the Moyglare Stud’s horse was the most likely winner.
Trainer Johnny Murtagh had three runners in the concluding 22-runner “Northfields” Handicap, Kerkiyra, Safecracker and Flying Dolphin, and they finished first, second and third. Then we said goodnight, and God bless.
