Irish Champions Festival 2026: Day one preview
Scenic view of Leopardstown (Photo by Kellie Reilly)
Flat racing’s biggest week in Ireland is the Irish Champions Festival, held on consecutive days at Leopardstown and The Curragh, respectively. The first day features three Group 1 contests – two Breeders’ Cup Challenge Races, and one which sometimes acts as a trial for another Breeders’ Cup event. All three offer some good playing opportunities.
Leopardstown, Race 3, 9:45 a.m. Saturday ET: Golden Fleece (G1), 1 1/8 miles, three-year-olds and up
Once known as the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Trial Stakes, the Golden Fleece was promoted to Group 1 this season after several quality editions. Winners include Australia, Auguste Rodin, and Benvenuto Cellini, so it’s often a good guide to next season’s classics.
Unsurprisingly, Aidan O’Brien has dominated the race, and he has four of the 10 entries in his efforts to secure a 12th victory. Number one stable rider Ryan Moore is riding #2 Darkness Falls (7-5), who is set to start as the favorite. Beaten on debut by #3 Green Dreamer (6-1) and #8 Shakespeare (12-1) on this track, he then won a one-mile maiden at The Curragh by seven lengths. By Camelot, he should be suited by a stamina test.
Green Dreamer was subsequently beaten into third in the Irish Futurity (G2) by current 2027 Epsom Derby favorite Giant Sequoia, form which looks pretty good for this race. Just behind him that day was #5 Nola Soul (8-1).
Trying to wrest the race from O’Brien is Godolphin’s raider #7 Quest For Stars (9-2), from the Charlie Appleby yard. He’s unbeaten in three starts, the latest a Listed success at Salisbury, which he showed terrific fight to win after being headed in the last furlong.
The markets are usually quite attuned to Irish juvenile racing, so I’m putting Darkness Falls on top of my exotics with Green Dreamer and Quest For Stars, with some show money on Green Dreamer, whose form lines look good here.
Leopardstown, Race 5, 10:55 a.m. Saturday ET: Matron (G1), 1 mile, three-year-olds and up, fillies and mares
- $30 win: #1 Blue Bolt ($30)
- $3 trifecta: 1 with 3,8 with 3,5,8,9 ($18)
- $1 trifecta: 3,8 with 1,3,8 with 1,3,5,8,9 ($12)
A Breeders’ Cup “win and you’re in” Challenge race for the Filly and Mare Turf, this is the third round in the Blue Bolt-Precise series, and it’s difficult to see it not going the way of the first two.
#1 Blue Bolt (7-5) has stepped up another level in this, her four-year-old season. After winning the Duke of Cambridge (G2) at Royal Ascot, the Juddmonte filly then took on Aidan O’Brien’s Irish 1,000 Guineas (G1) winner #8 Precise (9-5) in the Falmouth (G1) at Newmarket and gave her a two-length beating.
Precise got closer (within half a length) next start in the Prix Rothschild (G1) at Deauville, but never really looked like catching Blue Bolt. The only advantage she has over Blue Bolt here is racing in her home country, but her best chance of turning the tables might come if rain makes the course a little more testing of stamina.
The unknown filly in this race is #3 City of Memphis (8-1). Not seen as a three-year-old after running fifth in the Irish 1,000 Guineas, she’s won all three of her starts at four, the latest being the Lanwades Stud Stakes (G2). She hasn’t raced this level of horse yet in 2026, but shouldn’t be underestimated.
#5 Fallen Angel (10-1) hasn’t recaptured the form that saw her win this race and then beat Blue Bolt last year, but she should at least be prominent for exotics, as should English 1,000 Guineas winner #9 True Love (7-1).
Leopardstown, Race 7, 12:00 p.m. Saturday ET: Irish Champion Stakes (G1), 1 1/4 miles, three-year-olds and up
- $10 win/$30 show: #8 Item ($40)
- $2 trifecta: 6,8 with 1,6,8 with 1,4,5,6,7,8 ($32)
Even with two very notable omissions in the 1 1/4-mile European turf division (Ombudsman and Calandagan), this is a seriously good race, as it always seems to be. What makes it more interesting is that there are question marks over all the top contenders.
The morning-line favorite is #6 Constitution River (3-2), despite being beaten fair and square in the Juddmonte International (G1) at York by #8 Item (2-1) and #1 Almaqam (4-1). Aidan O’Brien’s charge had earlier won the Prix du Jockey Club (G1) and Eclipse (G1); did he run below par at York, or was his ability level found out?
Item’s effort in the Juddmonte was the best by any three-year-old all season bar the now-retired Bow Echo, according to some ratings makers. However, all three of his successes as a three-year-old have been at York. He failed badly in the Epsom Derby (G1); was it simply too wet for him that day, or is he not the same horse away from York?
Almaqam put up a great effort in the Juddmonte, only yielding in the final stages. The shorter trip could help him, but what he really wants is soft footing, which he got when winning the Gold Cup (G1) at The Curragh earlier this season. If there’s a downpour, he’s probably the one to get on, but he’s a decent chance even on good footing.
The best of the others are most likely the Eclipse second and third, #5 A Boy Named Susie (8-1) and #7 Hawk Mountain (20-1) (provided the latter isn’t used as a pacemaker), and last year’s Nashville Derby (G3) winner #4 Wimbledon Hawkeye (15-1).
If the track were soft, I’d be on Almaqam, but otherwise I’m going to presume Item can frank the Juddmonte form away from York.
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