Five horses to follow at Leopardstown and Doncaster on Saturday

Tipster: Martin Dixon.

Best odds: 6-1 (each-way).

I respect Shadow Of Light but he is in danger of becoming a little disappointing. I expected bigger performances from his in both the Commonwealth Cup and the Jean Prat, so whilst I concede he's the horse to beat here he is a favourite I'm happy to take on given he's taking so much out of the market at around 7/4 at the time of writing.

There are plenty of others that I don't fancy at all in this field, either because they're not good enough or would in a few cases prefer much softer ground, so Marvelman rates a strong each-way bet for me at odds of 6/1 or bigger.

He's had a quietly progressive year and his latest third in the Hungerford was a clear career-best effort that shows he's still improving. Conditions should be perfect and a well-run race over seven furlongs is his optimum which looks on the cards. 

Tipster: RaceiQ tip (Andy Stephens).

Best odds: 5-1.

Carmers has come a long way in a short space of time, given that he was unraced as a two-year-old and only made his debut four months ago. In that way, he's not dissimilar to Logician (2019) and Jan Brueghel (2024), who took the St leger after being unraced as juveniles.

Like that pair, he has improved in chunks, looking every inch a candidate for the final Classic of the year when landing the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot in June, when he had Furthur, Rahiebb and Scandinavia behind. It was a bunch finish, but he appeared to idle in front and became the first winner of the race to dip under three minutes, a notable feather in his cap given that recent winners have included Stradivarius, Kew Gardens, Eldar Eldarov and Illinois. The RaceiQ Time Index was a striking 9.3, when the meeting average was 7.8.

Carmers was then given a two-month break and, despite losing his unbeaten record, ran another solid trial when a staying-on second to Pride Of Arras in the Great Voltigeur at York last time. The combination of a drop in trip and muddling gallop was no help to him, but he stuck willingly to his task and ended up finishing ahead of Stay True and Lambourn.

So, he's already beaten the bulk of the opposition and is capable of better yet. Moving back up in distance is sure to suit and Doncaster’s long straight looks tailor-made for him. 

Tipster: Alex Scott.

Best odds: 4-1.

Cercene was a 33-1 winner of the Coronation Stakes back in June and, after connections aborted the idea to run in the Irish Oaks, she turned up at a rain-sodden Goodwood to contest the Nassau Stakes.

That race was over at the start, as the favourite Whirl was allowed an easy lead and won comfortably, but Murphy’s filly still finished second over a trip that may have just stretched her, and she surely has a big chance back over a mile on good ground.

Rated 2lb lower than Fallen Angel, she will be in receipt of 5lb weight-for-age allowance on Saturday. With three-year-olds holding such a good record in the Matron, she cannot be discounted.

Tipster: Dave Nevison.

Best odds: 7-2.

Sovereign Sea had a mid-summer break after he ran disappointingly at York in June, and clearly must have had an issue, but he returned at Chelmsford in August and was sent off the 5-2 favourite for a warm handicap. 

He got beat again, but he was definitely ridden too far out of his ground on that occasion and could easily have finished closer. His reappearance form at Newbury is strong and that certainly gives him a strong chance here at this similar track. 

He was second to the John and Thady Gosden-trained Burrito at Newbury, and that rival scored again off a 10lb higher mark next time out, so if Sovereign Sea could reproduce that effort, he should win this. 

The form of the Roger Varian stable also suggests a good run is on the cards.  

Tipster: Danny Archer.

Best odds: 4-1.

Top tips for the Irish Champions Festival! Racing TV's Danny Archer is back to mark your card for the action at Leopardstown and the Curragh this weekend, live on Racing TV, in the latest episode of The Formbook, available to watch now for free on Racing TV's YouTube page.

Our man again struck with his nap in the latest edition of our preview show thanks to Royal Fixation (5-2) scoring at York's Sky Bet Ebor Festival, and Danny again has some strong views on the key races on Saturday and Sunday.

Anmaat is a strong fancy in the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown, with Danny nominating him as his nap on day one.

He says: "I think the race is tailor-made for him. He's got that potent turn of foot, and this is a huge opportunity for him. At 4-1, he makes plenty of appeal."

Danny also has an each-way fancy in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Sovereign Path Handicap earlier on the card, so make sure you watch the full show on our YouTube page below. As ever, please feel free to comment with any views you have on the action at the Irish Champions Festival. Enjoy!