A weekend of top Flat action in the Emerald Isle begins with the Irish Champions Festival Leopardstown races on Saturday, 13 September. There’s a stacked card taking place on the southside of Dublin with two Group 1 events headlining this opening day.
Before the Matron Stakes for fillies and mares over a mile and the Irish Champion Stakes at a mile-and-a-quarter, there are other Pattern races of note. Ahead of its promotion to the highest level in 2026, the Champions Juvenile Stakes is another mile contest on the card. Come next season, it’ll be nine furlongs.
Look out for the Solonaway Stakes as well, another Group 2 over the mile from the Irish Champions Festival Leopardstown races. There’s a Group 3 mile-and-a-half event also on the card, plus some Premier Handicaps that add extra intrigue. The Sovereign Path over seven furlongs and Petingo Handicap at a mile five ask different questions of the horses.
One thing we can guarantee in Dublin is competitive action, and our horse racing experts wasted little time in studying the card before and after final declarations came out. Their approach follows the same dip into the form book whenever the assessment took place. What they do is combine past performances with odds from horse racing betting sites in search of some value.
We know that punters want winners when they read these columns, but if there’s cases to be made against the favourites, our experts happily take them on. Read all of their analysis from this fantastic card, focusing on a magnificent seven races run just outsider the Irish capital right here…
Irish Champions Festival Leopardstown Races Preview for Saturday, 13 September
2:50 – 7f Sovereign Path Handicap (Premier Handicap)
Princess Child gets her head in front after staying on down the outside under @DylanBrowneMcM to win the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Ahonoora Handicap for @JosephOBrien2 🏇@IrishEBF_ pic.twitter.com/GQOm05kzvo
— Galway Races (@Galway_Races) August 3, 2025
He could confirm Galway form with re-opposing third Dunum, who doesn’t have a penalty now, but Natalia Lupini books a 5lb claimer for the ride. Johnny Murtagh runs four, meanwhile, with topweight Rahmi and Chicago Fireball the pick of his quartet. Conditions may not suit Ger Lyons pair Pier Pressure and One Smack Mac, however.
Joseph O’Brien saddles Tribal Nation, who has a win on testing ground under his belt. He’s been gelded and now finds much less on his plate than when fifth in a Group 3 Classic trial over course and distance earlier in the campaign. All of the last nine Sovereign Path winners were between three and five years old, so that helps narrow down the field.
3:20 – 1m Group 2 Champions Juvenile Stakes (Registered as the Golden Fleece)
Benvenuto Cellini has then seen Hardy Warrior beat Montreal by about six lengths in a course and distance maiden. The latter has since shed that tag himself, also around this track and trip. Juveniles improve at different rates, but the collateral form suggests that’s the pecking order. Montreal sits in front of Hardy Warrior in the market, however, in recognition of the fact that he must’ve progressed when bolting up by eight lengths here the last day.
It is certainly a daunting prospect for Donnacha O’Brien taking on his brother and father with A Boy Named Susie. Dropping him back in trip didn’t help at all as he simply got outpaced over seven furlongs when fourth in the Curragh’s Group 2 Futurity Stakes last time. Going up to a mile again should help A Boy Named Susie, but he’ll need some major improvement. The O’Brien family definitely have this race sewn up between them.
3:50 – 1m 4f Group 3 CMG Group Stakes (Registered as the Kilternan)
What a race in the German Derby! 🤯
HOCHKÖNIG denies CONVERGENT thanks to a super ride from Nina Baltromei in the G1 Deutsches Derby. #WorldPool | @wettstar_de pic.twitter.com/daSgqzj0Uj
— World Pool (@WorldPool) July 6, 2025
Unlucky not to land the German Derby when denied a short-head last time, it’s this Fascinating Rock colt’s prior form that ties in with the Epsom and Irish Derbies, which commands him respect here. Convergent ran third behind Lambourn and Lazy Griff, who went on to win and place in both premier Classics in the British Isles. Al Aasy hasn’t done any travelling overseas for William Haggas and it’s late in his career to start now aged eight.
This favourite with online bookies looks vulnerable to younger legs, so Joseph O’Brien pair Sons And Lovers and Trustyourinstinct, who won this 12 months ago and arrives for the defence of his crown on a hat-trick, rate bigger threats. Both know what it takes to win Group 3s over course and distance. Aidan O’Brien has four wins with three-year-olds in the last eight seasons, but Acapulco Bay hasn’t lived up to the potential of his juvenile campaign just yet with a string of thirds.
4:25 – 1m Group 1 Matron Stakes (Fillies & Mares)
She looks a value play against the top two in the betting on her first run at home since those heroics. Cercene wasn’t disgraced when runner-up to Whirl in the Nassau Stakes over further at Glorious Goodwood either. This mile with that sweeping turn into the home straight should be more like it. January is a big danger if first-time cheekpieces bring about improvement, though.
JJ Feane steps an unbeaten mare around Leopardstown in Vera’s Secret up in grade and trip after two seven-furlong Group 3 successes this term. The six-year-old is in the form of her life, but running at the highest level demands more. As for the others, all need to find improvement or reproduce their career bests to have any hope of getting into the frame here.
4:55 – 1m Group 2 Solonaway Stakes
Four of the last seven winners of the other mile contest at the Irish Champions Festival Leopardstown races have been three-year-olds and two of the others aged four. That suggests it’s wise to focus on the younger runners, so the suggestion is COMANCHE BRAVE. He ran to within half-a-length of subsequent French 2000 Guineas hero Henri Matisse over seven furlongs here with cut in the ground this spring.
In Comanche Brave, Donnacha O’Brien has a Wootton Bassett colt that landed his prep race around Naas. In-between his last trip to this track and then, he wasn’t disgraced when a 50/1 fifth in the Irish 2000 Guineas or plugging on third on fast ground in the Jersey Stakes during Royal Ascot. Some dig in the ground looks as though it’ll help Comanche Brave. Scorthy Champ must stage a revival for Joseph O’Brien, but he’s won here before as well.
So has the Aga Khan Studs’ Alakazi for Murtagh albeit at a lower level. He was a half-length second over course and distance to Johan last time, but meets the Jack Channon veteran off 2lb worse terms. Murtagh’s other runner, Chicago Critic, was the same distance behind in third, but pushing the front pair. Alakazi previously chased home Skukuza, who may have come to the end of his improvement for Ed Dunlop.
Aidan O’Brien needs the return to softer ground to spark a revival from Expanded following a summer break. He’s still lightly-raced and only missed out Dewhurst Stakes success by a neck last autumn. If more rain comes and conditions get really testing, then big runs from more mature pair Mutasarref and Lord Massusus can’t be ruled out. Even Copacabana Sands, a course Group 3 winner at seven furlongs, has a squeak.
5:30 – 1m 2f Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes
A terrific feature contest from the Irish Champions Weekend Leopardstown races where top of list has to be DELACROIX. He’s two from two over course and distance, handles cut in the ground and won the Eclipse on a sounder surface on the off chance conditions dry out. Delacroix is the clear pick of four three-year-olds in the line-up with Aidan O’Brien presumably using Mount Kilimanjaro as a pacemaker.
Last season’s third, Shin Emperor, returns to the Emerald Isle from Japan for another crack. In easy underfoot conditions, however, Owen Burrows’ Anmaat and JJ Murphy stable star White Birch look the best of the older horses. The latter loves softer going with connections saving him for this. Burke sends Royal Champion over following his York Stakes success, but this demands more from him.
Also of interest are the other three-year-olds. Zahrann had the Royal Whip run to suit at the Curragh, but the proximity of his pacemaker on a rating of just 80 leaves concerns about that form. Jessica Harrington could unlock latent talent from Hotazhell, who bested Delacroix on soft ground over the Straight Mile at Doncaster last autumn. He could outrun his odds in a cracking Irish Champion.
6:05 – 1m 5f Petingo Handicap (Premier Handicap)
The former suffered a heart-breaking demotion to second in the Galway Hurdle after being first past the post. Helvic Dream has a mark of 100 on the level, but Noel Meade’s charge loves cut in the ground. There is definitely juice in an opening Flat rating of 84 for Paul John Giligan stable star Buddy One. His hurdling mark of 152 is proof of that. For punters concerned about two eight-year-olds, there are other candidates elsewhere in the field.
Donnacha O’Brien runner Happy Pharoah is two from two over course and distance. He also gets on well with conditional jockey Paddy Harnett, who takes a valuable 5lb off with his claim. Joseph O’Brien inmate Aeronautic also knows what it takes to score around this track and trip. He ran a close third in the Summer Handicap at Goodwood and only has a 1lb nudge from the assessor.
Willie Mullins has won this Premier Handicap before, but the cases for Too Bossy For Us, Charlus and Bunting would be difficult to make if they represented another stable. Instead, Bryant has seen the form of his maiden win franked by the third home and could be a handicap debutant to note off a low weight for Amo Racing and Adrian Murray despite being 6lb wrong. Harrington has won this before, so Sea The Boss could also outrun his odds.
