Leopardstown

Following the cancellation of Navan on Sunday, Dec. 18, due to frost, this meeting will not be rescheduled. The G2 Tote Navan Novice Hurdle will now be held at Naas next Tuesday, Dec. 20 as an eighth race with original declarations to stand. The NavanRacecourse.ie Rated Novice Steeplechase will now be held at Fairyhouse next Wednesday, Dec. 21 as an eighth race. It will revert back to entries at weights stage and will close for fresh declarations along with the rest of the Fairyhouse Meeting by 10am on Monday, Dec....

There were only six runners in Leopardstown's nine-furlong G3 Eyrefield S. on Saturday, but more than a minor share of drama as the Ennistown Stud homebred Speirling Beag (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}--Starscape {Ire}, by Cape Cross {Ire}) prevailed in a renewal marked by an early-straight incident. Held up in rear by Rory Cleary after a tardy start, the Jim Bolger-trained chestnut who had been third a fortnight earlier in The Curragh's G3 Staffordstown Stud S. over a mile had to swing four-wide into the home turn as the Ballydoyle trio got...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Saturday's Observations features a half-sister to Harzand (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}).   13.25 Leopardstown, Mdn, €16,000, 2yo, f, 7fT Aidan O'Brien trainee WEDDING BOUQUET (IRE) (Galileo {Ire}) is a half-sister to G1 Derby and G1 Irish Derby hero Harzand (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) out of G3 Athasi...

Stepping up after suffering a defeat at the hands of the dynamic filly Spirit Gal (Fr) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) in the Listed Star Appeal S. at Dundalk Sept. 30, Cairo (Ire) (Quality Road) mastered his rivals in Saturday's G3 Killavullan S. at Leopardstown to add another string to Ballydoyle's remarkable juvenile bow. Never far from the pace set by Bold Discovery (Bolt D'Oro), the 5-2 favourite took over from that rival approaching the furlong pole and stayed on strongly for a 2 3/4-length success from stablemate Sierra Blanca (Ire) (No...

2.05 Leopardstown, Mdn, €16,000, 2yo, c/g, 8fT BERTINELLI (Justify) is one of two from Ballydoyle in a race the stable won two years ago with Bolshoi Ballet (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and which has served as a stepping stone to the G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud. A son of the G1 Fillies' Mile heroine Together Forever (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who is a full-sister to the Oaks heroine Forever Together (Ire), the half-brother to the G3 Tyros S. winner Military Style (War Front) joins the yard's Naas runner-up Peking Opera (Ire) (Galileo {Ire})...

There are few forces more unstoppable than a trainer on a roll and, in the case of Simon and Ed Crisford, the father and son combination maintained their irresistible run of form on Longines Irish Champions Weekend when Jadoomi (Fr) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) burned his rivals off from the front in the G2 Clipper Logistics Boomerang Mile. Boomerangs are designed to come back but there was no catching Jadoomi under Christophe Soumillon. The 4-year-old was stretching his unbeaten run this season to three and, after recording back-to-back Group 2...

Saturday's G1 Irish Champion S. at Leopardstown, a "Win And You're In" for the GI Breeders' Cup Turf in at Keeneland in November, turned out every bit as exhilarating as it had promised, with no hint of fluke or ill fortune and a cluster in contention approaching the furlong pole. That was before Ballydoyle's comeback kid Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) forged ahead late on to deny the TDN Rising Star Onesto (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) in another stirring finish in which this race tends to specialise. We can now say with...

He may have bagged Classic glory earlier in the season but, by his own high standards, Dermot Weld will admit that 2022 is not a year that he will look back on with great pleasure. Bar Homeless Songs (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) romping to G1 Irish 1000 Guineas glory, it has been a trying year for Weld, who is at least ending the campaign with his usual pomp and vigour, highlighted by the tenacious victory of Duke De Sessa (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) in the G3 Paddy Power S. Homeless...

The vibes were strong about Ballydoyle's TDN Rising Star Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) ahead of Saturday's G2 KPMG Champions Juvenile S. at Leopardstown and they proved correct as the son of Rhododendron (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) got his stable off to a strong start to Irish Champions Weekend. Fine-tuned since breaking his maiden over seven furlongs at Naas July 2, the 11-10 favourite was settled by Ryan Moore behind the leading pair early which included his stablemate and fellow TDN Rising Star Tower Of London (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Sent...

Sophomore filly Freedom Of Speech (Ire) (Australia {GB}) (lot 3), a winner at two and third in the G3 Park Express S. this year, sold to Bobby O'Ryan for €140,000 during the Goffs Champions Sale on Saturday. Consigned by Jim Bolger's Glebe House Stables, the daughter of the winning Vocal Nation (Ire) was the only one of four catalogued lots to change hands prior to the start of the Longines Irish Champions Weekend at Leopardstown. Her third dam is the stakes winner, GI Ladies' H. third and Grade I producer...

  With The Queen in everyone's thoughts on Saturday, her greatest pastime is celebrated at Leopardstown with the G1 Irish Champion S. offering a blend of some of Europe's finest families that she knew and appreciated so well. Chief among them is a pearl from the depths of The Aga Khan's ocean of breeding talent the UK's longest-serving monarch was able to fish from in her later years. It was Astrakhan, a wedding present from the late Aga Khan III, who provided her with her first flat winner at Hurst Park...

Ryan Moore has admitted that G1 French Derby and G1 Coral-Eclipse winner Vadeni (Fr) (Churchill {Ire}) sets the standard in the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion S. at Leopardstown on Saturday but warned that Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) should not be underestimated in the feature race of Longines Irish Champions Weekend. The Aidan O'Brien-trained Luxembourg got his season off to a promising start when third in the G1 2000 Guineas, but suffered a setback in the build-up to the Derby. He won in workmanlike fashion on his return from a 105-day...