Irish Champions Festival eyecatchers

Race: Sixth in the Tonybet Solonaway Stakes (Leopardstown, Saturday).

Maljoom has become a habitual slow starter, and that instantly put him on the backfoot in the TonyBet Solonaway Stakes on Saturday, but he caught the eye with his finishing effort, and his performance is worth upgrading. 

I don’t think this track was ever going to suit the five-year-old (he’s a hold-up performer who can take a while to get going) and he was also an eyecatcher in defeat when a fast-finishing second in the Qatar Sussex Stakes in July. 

That’s a strong piece of form, and it’s best to forgive his effort in the Juddmonte International where he raced freely and didn’t get home. He finished third in the Queen Anne Stakes earlier this season on just his second start following a lengthy absence and, interestingly, Tom Marquand said his mount was still ‘rusty’ following that effort. 

His supporters will no doubt remember his luckless fourth in the 2022 St James's Palace Stakes at Ascot, and there's no doubting he's a Group One performer when things fall right. 

William Haggas' charge is chalked up at 33-1 ante-post with Paddy Power and Betfair for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on QIPCO British Champions Day (October 19), a race he missed two years ago due to injury, and that looks a shade too big considering his ability.There is, of course, the chance of soft ground at Ascot in October, and he swerved the Summer Mile in July due to the potential give underfoot, but providing the ground isn’t too testing, he’s surely capable of outrunning those chunky odds.

Race: Fourth in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Petingo Handicap (Leopardstown, Saturday).

Although he was described as “a little bit quirky” by Joseph O’Brien on Racing TV ahead of the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Petingo Handicap, Nurburgring has bundles of talent and flew home to finish a never-nearer fourth. 

The four-year-old stayed on best of those held up in a contest where it paid to race prominently, with the first, second and third all racing in those positions throughout. 

Nurburgring was a hugely impressive winner of the Galway Hurdle on his previous start and has some strong form over Jumps next to his name having improved throughout last season. The youngster remains with low mileage on the Flat and I will be shocked if he can’t win a big prize in this sphere as well. 

He probably found this trip a shade too sharp, and The Friends Of The Irish Cesarewitch, won last year by stablemate Magellan Strait, on September 29 therefore appears as an ideal target now. The 10-1 available with Paddy Power and Betfair for that 2m1f contest makes him an attractive ante-post bet, despite needing a few to drop out at the time of writing.

Race: Sixth in the HKJC World Pool Autumn Fillies & Mares Handicap (Leopardstown, Saturday).

This daughter of Harry Angel has steadily progressed this season and should have finished closer in the HKJC World Pool Autumn Fillies & Mares Handicap.

She appeared to stumble leaving the stalls and found herself towards the rear of the field, which left her with plenty of ground to make up as the pace quickened turning for home. 

Charlie Johnston’s filly was never going to beat the winner (who received a fine front-running rider from Nathan Crosse), but she was beginning to make ground before suffering interference and would have been placed had she endured a clear run. 

Arisaig wasn’t seen to best effect at York prior to this but impressed at Goodwood in July where she did well to defeat two rivals who had the run of the race, and she clocked a decent time figure en route to victory there. 

She’s worth following and is likely to be aimed at another mile handicap next time out, although the 7f BetMGM Challenge Cup at Ascot on October 5 is a potential option.

Race: Seventh in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Bold Lad Sprint Handicap (Curragh, Sunday).

performed much better than her finishing position suggests in this valuable 6f handicap and it’s surely only a matter of time before she wins a big prize. 

The field split into two groups in the early stages and Greek Flower found herself last in the group that was away from the pace. 

Once the groups merged, she was a good 15 lengths off the leader, and was forced to switch out wide heading towards the final furlong when making her challenge. 

The five-year-old stayed on strongly to finish seventh, and she would have finished much closer had she been drawn on the near side. 

This wasn’t the first time she has caught the eye this season and the consistent mare finished second in similar contests to this on her previous two outings. 

Her style of racing means she will always be reliant on some luck in running but based upon her performances this season, she’s capable of landing a valuable handicap. I’ll be siding with her wherever she runs next.