While they may not have the fame of celebrated couples like Posh & Becks, Hollie Doyle and Tom Marquand, the dynamic duo of the racing world, triumphed at the Irish Champions Festival Group One on Sunday.
Marquand lit the racing circuit on fire on Saturday with his extraordinary double win on Economics and Porta Fortuna during the Leopardstown’s event. The 26-year-old English rider solidified his standing amongst Europe’s premier jockeys.
Never one to be overshadowed, his spouse claimed her 10th Group One triumph in her prolific career just 24 hours later. Doyle’s horse, Bradsell, gave a commanding performance at the Curragh’s Bar One Flying Five on Sunday, marking her first victory in Ireland.
The day was largely ruled by the O’Brien family, but Doyle and Marquand’s quiet but insistent competitiveness shone through. Characteristically, Doyle directed attention towards her latest fruitful race, in a career which has recently gone beyond 1,000 victories.
Bradsell may be heading for the Prix d l’Abbaye at Longchamp on Arc-day, then onto the Breeders’ Cup in Del Mar in November. However, these plans come with reservations from Bradsell’s trainer Archie Watson, who has anxieties about potential challenging conditions at the Abbaye. Regardless, the Breeders’ Cup should suit Bradsell well, given his proficiency at quick sprints.
Conversely, despite failure of the local horses to place within the top six during the high-profile sprint, the event’s remaining three Group One races were entirely an internal Irish matter. Aidan O’Brien’s second favourite, Lake Victoria, surprisingly outperformed her higher-rated stable mate Bedtime Story in the Moyglare. Meanwhile, Kyprios successfully took the Comer Group International Irish St Leger crown for a second time.
The much-loved six-year-old has admirably bounced back from a grave illness last year to reclaim his title as the prime stayer in the world. This is an impressive resurgence by the horse who still possibly has not reached his full potential.
He appears remarkably energetic. He could participate in an Arc. It’s crucial to treat him with care, make correct decisions for him, and allow him to guide us how he feels and where he desires to compete in that part of the year.
“There’s only a single Arc, and he has quite the powerful machinery. He simply doesn’t tire, he persists,” declared O’Brien, hinting that Lake Victoria may shorten her track for her upcoming participation in Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket.
This could potentially be a domestic contest for the young female horse while most of the Irish Champions Festival events strengthen its role as a crucial preparatory stop on a wider global racing schedule.
Joining Bradsell, Scorthy Champ, the winner of the National Stakes on Sunday, might conclude his promising debut season at the Breeders’ Cup as well, with the Prix de l’Opera on Arc-day scheduled next for Blandford Stakes champion by Johnny Murtagh, Hanalia.
This context was prominently accentuated at Leopardstown on Saturday where Shin Emperor from Japan marketed his Arc prospects. The young male horse that ranked third in May’s Japanese Derby held the same spot in Saturday’s €1.25 million feature but seemed unfortunate to not have progressed even further.
Ryusei Sakai, the jockey visiting Dublin for the first time, learned first-hand how challenging Leopardstown can be to manoeuvre, facing predominantly unfavourable circulation in the straight as Economics and Auguste Rodin disputed the finish.
However, Shin Emperor was only a neck and three parts of a length away from a triumphant practice for his principal aim in Paris on the first Sunday in October.
The Arc has been a cherished aspiration for Japanese racing since its first participant in the competition in 1969. Second-place finishes by El Condor Pasa (1999), Nakayama Festa (2010), and Orferve (2012) have only escalated the fixation.
Yoshito Yahagi, trainer of Shin Emperor, has admitted that his horse faced a challenging race. He assured that the horse’s condition will see an improvement in the coming weeks, which in turn will enhance his performance in the Arc. Currently, Sosie is leading the Arc betting charts, followed by Shin Emperor after the Longchamp Trials on Sunday.
The French maestro caught everyone’s attention when he won the Prix Niel, closely followed by Bluestocking’s Prix Vermeille triumph. However, Aidan O’Brien’s horse, Opera Singer, failed to clinch any monetary prize.
Ralph Beckett, Bluestocking’s coach, expressed his eagerness to include the filly in the Arc. Emphasising the horse’s enjoyment from racing, he stated he would favour Arc enrolment if all parties agree.
In other news, a Japanese horse training in Foxrock for Paris isn’t the only example of the increasingly intertwined global racing community. Auguste Rodin plans to travel around the globe, concluding his fluctuating career in Tokyo at November’s Japan Cup. Diego Velazquez, Rodin’s stablemate, recently won the Solonaway Stakes on Saturday and has his eyes set on the Cox Plate, Australia’s premier all-ages race next month.
In addition, Porta Fortuna, the Matron victor from Saturday’s other Group One, is also prepping for international competition. She is set to compete in Del Mar at the Breeders’ Cup Mile.