Irish Champions Festival: bankers or blowouts for day two
By Alex Scott
Last Updated: Sun 14 Sep 2025
There are several short-priced favourites at both Leopardstown and The Curragh this weekend – Alex Scott assesses their chances and whether they are worth backing or opposing.
Sunday - Curragh
Gstaad
Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes (3.50)
The National Stakes could be another cracker on Sunday and Gstaad looks the right favourite having only just failed to reel in Venetian Sun (who runs 70 minutes earlier in the Moyglare Stud Stakes) in the Prix Morny last time.
That was over 6f and he shapes as if this 7f trip should, whilst he certainly looks the pick of the Ballydoyle contenders here and I have some reservations over Saba Desert, who was flattered by his win in the Superlative Stakes to my eye.
Zavateri scrambled home at Goodwood last time and that race has worked out well, and he has a chance, but Gstaad could be capable of better over this distance and he has the top-level form in the book. North Coast won impressively last time but faces tougher opposition in this contest.
Verdict: BANKER
Illinois
Comer Group International Irish St. Leger (4.25)
Illinois is yet to win at the highest level. Can he put that right on Sunday?
I have to confess to feeling sorry for this horse. Yet to win at the top-level, he went close in last year's St Leger at Doncaster, whilst he also finished second in the Grand Prix de Paris last summer and in the Goodwood Cup last time out, where he gave a stone in weight to stablemate Scandinavia and went down by just under a length.
He is just about favourite for this race in a bid to end that frustrating run of Group One defeats, but Al Riffa is rated higher after giving Rebel's Romance a race at Ascot and winning easily here last time. It is easy to forget he gave City Of Troy a race in the Coral-Eclipse last season, too.
Amiloc could also be anything having beaten Zahrann last time, so I would be inclined to take Illinois on at the general 2-1 on offer currently.
Verdict: BLOWOUT
Saturday - Leopardstown
Benvenuto Cellini
KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes (3.20)
Benvenuto Cellini looks to follow up a facile win at Killarney in the KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes at Leopardstown. (Pic: Healy Racing)
The past three runnings of this have been won by Green Impact, Diego Velazquez and Auguste Rodin, whilst Aidan O’Brien also won it with Derby hero Australia in 2013, so it goes without saying this is a race that usually works out very well.
This son of Frankel heads the market and deservedly so after following up his second on debut with an authoritative display from the front over a mile at Killarney.
There was plenty of dead wood in that race, but the runner-up has since won comfortably for the same stable, as has the re-opposing fourth Hardy Warrior.
Currently a best-priced 6-5, this full-brother to Giselle should be hard to beat.
Verdict: BANKER
Al Aasy
CMG Group Stakes (3.50)
William Haggas has a phenomenal strike rate in Ireland and it is no surprise to see his eight-year-old Al Aasy head the market for this Group Three over a mile and a half.
Despite being the top-rated runner here, however, there are risks attached to backing him. He has been a beaten favourite on six occasions, with his narrow defeat in the Coronation Cup four years ago the most painful one.
Likely to be held up, it may be that one of his younger unexposed rivals gets first run on him. The progressive Convergent and Trustyourinstinct both arrive here having posted a career best last time, whilst Sons And Lovers won over this course and distance, plus Reyenzi ran well at Naas last time under a big weight.
The percentage call is to look elsewhere given his price of 6-4.
Verdict: BLOWOUT
Delacroix
Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes (5.30)
Delacroix heads the market for the feature at The Curragh on Saturday. (Pic: Healy Racing)
This looks a fantastic race and after two top-class performances, particularly when winning the Coral-Eclipse, Delacroix heads the market at a best-priced 6-4.
This is a deep race, however, with four rivals all rated 120 or above, and with rain forecast, there is a chance the soft ground may halt his main asset he used to win at Sandown, which is his turn of foot.
Like Delacroix, Anmaat lines up here having finished behind Ombudsman on his latest start, in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes, whilst he beat Calandagan in soft ground at Ascot to win the Champion Stakes last year.
That is top form, and with the like of Royal Champion and Zahrann arriving here on the up, White Birch likely to enjoy conditions, and Shin Emperor having almost landed the Japan Cup in November, I would rather be a layer than a backer at Delacroix’s current price, despite the fact O’Brien has won five of the last six renewals of the race.
Verdict: BLOWOUT
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