Irish Champion Stakes day World Pool preview: a tip for every race

Nic Doggett provides a race-by-race guide to Saturday's action at Leopardstown, with World Pool in operation for the full nine-race card.As a collaboration of global Totes, World Pool enables bettors from all over the globe to bet into a single pool, the result being enormous liquidity, and a multi-million pound betting experience. Due to the dynamic nature of the pool, customers can receive higher pay outs than they would receive with bookmakers. In the UK, the Tote operates Tote Guarantee which means the UK and Irish pools will always match or exceed the industry Starting Price (SP) on Win bets. 

Ger Lyons has a good record in this 1400m (7f) contest, so Cork third Maire Rua looks sure to run well having impressed here on debut, but her wide draw makes life tough and preference instead is for TIMELESS TALE who looked something out of the ordinary when making a winning debut by eight lengths at Naas. Ibelieveicanfly's two-length fourth in a Group Three looks the best form on offer, so she looks a bigger danger than Naas winner Maedu Matsu and course winner Bellesque. 

The handicapper has given BOOYEA a chance and he gets the nod in this competitive 1400m (7f) handicap. He was a close fifth in this race from a much higher mark back in 2024 and should go close if ridden more conservatively than last time out. Victory Tip, who remains unexposed, joins Cork runner-up Benevento, York third Krasimir, English raider Vafortino and last year's winner Rahmi on the shortlist. 

Aidan O'Brien has 11 wins in this 1800m (9f) race which this year has been upgraded to Group One status, so Darkness Falls will undoubtedly be popular given his winning distance at the Curragh and big reputation. However, course winner GREEN DREAMER's form is working out well and he looks sure to relish the step back up in trip. The yard's Zarak Pasha (as well as his Galway conqueror Victory Speech) is respected, as is the unbeaten Charlie Appleby colt Quest For Stars who looked ready for this extra furlong when winning at Salisbury last time. 

C&D winner Sons And Lovers is respected, especially if able to dictate to his rivals in this 2400m (12f) contest, but his penalty makes life tough and he might struggle to concede weight to the exciting PURVIEW. The Dermot Weld-trained colt – whose long-term target is the Breeders' Cup - has looked out of the top drawer this season and should have much more to offer now back up to this trip. Piazza San Marco and Thread Of Gold can fight it out for third.  

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BLUE BOLT is actually better off at the weights in this 1600m (8f) cracker with Precise than when beating her in both the Falmouth and Prix Rothschild, and she's fancied to record a fifth successive win of the season. The Andrew Balding-trained mare has had this race as a target for some time and appears to have very few chinks in her armour, especially with the rain staying away. Fallen Angel beat Blue Bolt last year but hasn't been at her best this term, so a bigger danger could be City Of Memphis who is on her own winning streak and quickened up nicely to beat Carolina Jetstream when last seen in May. 

Audience has a hood added to his usual cheekpieces as he bids to land a first win since July 2024, but all his victories have come in smaller fields when allowed an easy lead and that looks unlikely with Faiyum, Charles Fort and Power Blue in the field. QUDDWAH's winter form in Dubai looks strong and, with the ground in his favour, he is preferred to Isaac Newton who has been nicely built back up by his trainer but now faces more of an acid test in this 1600m (8f) Group Two. 

Constitution River compromised his chance at York with his behaviour and a repeat of that would make short-priced favourite backers sweat in this 2000m (10f) feature, for all it's expected that Lambourn as a pacemaker will do a better job (as Mount Kilimanjaro did last year for Delacroix) than Action achieved at York. The two that finished ahead of Constitution River at York last month – Item and ALMAQAM – both make plenty of appeal. The latter's Tattersalls Gold Cup win in the spring was impressive, and this track should prove ideal, too, so he looks the best value at the prices. Of the others, A Boy Named Susie has produced two very good runs at the track and he has given the impression this term that he has been winding up to the sort of performance needed to break through at the top level. 

The Reverend is a fascinating contender making his return to action in this 2600m (13f) handicap, while Minella Rocket would be interesting at the foot of the weights if getting in as a reserve, but preference is for C&D winner WYMAN who has a small pull in the weights with Cannes on their effort in a listed race here last month. He has progressed well since being fitted with a tongue-tie and is fancied to see off the in-form pair of Yousaynothingatall and Truth Be Told.  

Suzie Songs could be well-treated in this 1700m (8.5f) finale, but, along with the hat-trick-seeking Rebel Wave, she's unproven over the trip. Though Suzie Song's bred to carry on improving as she goes up in distance, the safer bet at more generous odds may be TACHOS whose recent C&D win hasn't been unduly punished by the handicapper, and the likely strong pace should play to her strengths. Not much went right for the flourishing five-year-old Bella Colombia when she was third behind Tachos last month, and she looks the biggest danger having finished ahead of her earlier in the campaign.