Delacroix in his beautiful new clothing after winning the Irish Champion Stakes (Beandán ó Huallacháin)
By Breanndán and Huallacháin
Delacroix (2/1 favorite) De Group 1 Royal Bahrain Irish Champion won in Leopardstown on Saturday, the opening day of the two -day Irish Champions Festival.
Trained by Ballydoyle-based handler Hek O’BrienIt was a 13th career success in the race for the Conditioner born in County Wexford.
The winner was driven this afternoon by the Jockey Christophe Soumillon, established in French, when both Ballydoyle Jockeys Ryan Moore and Wayne Lordan were not available. Moore is out of operation for the rest of the season due to injury, while Lordan serves a 10 -day suspension.
The Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes saw eight runners more than one mile and two furlongs, with two horses from Great -Britain and one from Japan that added an international dimension to the competition.
Delacroix, a dual course and distance winner, broke well, but was returned to relax by Soumillon. He remained the majority of the race to the back of the field, while his stable partner and racing outdoor in the Mount Kilimanjaro (50/1) gambling market set the pace under Ronan Whelan.
The Japanese challenger, Shin Emperor (4/1), a rapidly decreasing third in this race last season, was prominent in second position with Jockey Ryusei Sakai, but finally finished sixth.
While the field with eight runner went straight the short leopard city, the pacesetter, the mountain Kilimanjaro made way for his more illustrious stable companion, while Christophe Soumillon brought the three -year -old son of Dubawi from the side rail of the stands.
Within two steps, Delacroix seized control, when the seven -year -old Anmaat (4/1), winner of the Group 1 Champion Stakes in Newmarket, England, last October, became the most important challenger of the final winner.
Trusted by Irish Jockey Chris Hayes, despite the best efforts of the Shadwell-Stud ownership, he failed with three-quarters of a length, because Delacroix remained well in the last Furlong to comfortably claim the € 712,5000 first prize.
The brave Anzin was second, with Royal Champion (18/1), another seven-year-old in the third place for Handler Karl Burke, who had previously completed a racing doubles on the nine-race card. Interesting is that second and third place were both seven-year-olds and a horse of that age never won the Irish Champion Stakes in his 49-year history.
Speaking of the winner, Delacroix, Aidan O’Brien stated post-race:
“It was an even, highly running race. Christophe (Soumillon, Jockey) was very confident about him. He took his time, but when he said ‘go’, he left. It was a solid race. I would say it was a strongly running race. He clearly had to do a bit of him.”
When asked for future plans for Dubawi’s three -year -old son, O’Brien was uncertain and stated:
“The boys (coolmore partners, owners) can do what they want with him. It could be (his last race). If he were running again, he would open all the options for him. He could go back to a miles. You say the way he touched the gates, he was kicked back there to relax him.
“All races are open to him, but I am afraid to say in case ‘the boys’ say ‘that is the end’, which is very possible – but that may not be!
“He is a hardy customer – he is not for children. He is like a big tiger. He is so far from a wimp. He is very sincere. He explains his head and down.”
O’Brien was exuberant in his praise from the ‘Super-sub’ jockey Soumillon and said:
“Christophe is a jockey of world-class Big-Race-that is what makes him different. I would say he was much further back than he thought he would be.”
Delacroix was a 13th success in the race for the Ballydoyle handler and his fifth victory in the past six years.
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