Golden Horn tops controversial Irish Champion

A great day of racing overseas was marred Saturday by controversial results in the St. Leger Stakes at Doncaster in England and in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown.

The filly Simple Verse was disqualified from first to second and Bondi Beach declared winner in the St. Leger after two bumping incidents late in the 1 3/4-mile race. But in the Irish Champion, heavily favored Golden Horn’s number stayed up despite the fact the winner came out and bumped hard the eventual third-place finisher Free Eagle.

According to trainer John Gosden, Golden Horn shied from the shadow of the grandstand while racing through the last of 10 furlongs in the Group 1 Irish Champion, a Win and You’re In race for the Breeders’ Cup Turf. While it was clear his right-handed swerve impeded the progress of Free Eagle, Free Eagle could not hold second from the filly Found, and judges elected to make no change in the order of finish, though North American stewards almost certainly would have disqualified Golden Horn from first to third.

On Saturday morning, Gleneagles was scratched for the third time this summer and second from an intended race against Golden Horn after trainer Aidan O’Brien deemed the course too soft to suit his 3-year-old star miler, but the Irish Champion still featured a blockbuster field. English Derby winner Golden Horn, who took the first loss of his career last out when second to huge longshot Arabian Queen in the Juddmonte International, broke slightly slow but was sent along the inside of Highland Reel to take the lead, Highland Reel sticking to his flank as the two went over yielding turf at a moderate tempo.

Free Eagle always traveled well while racing outside in the second pair of runners, jockey Pat Smullen awaiting the home straight to make his move, and Free Eagle unleashed a burst once wheeled out and asked for more with less than three furlongs to run. Down on the inside, Golden Horn countered, turning back the initial surge, but Free Eagle – Found behind him – kept coming and nearly had drawn even with Golden Horn when the winner lurched out and knocked him off stride. Found seized the opportunity, and while beaten one length by Golden Horn, he managed to finish a half-length in front of Free Eagle, with the result standing after a lengthy inquiry.

Take nothing away from a valiant Golden Horn, who Gosden said is not at his best on ground so wet or while making the pace.

“We got our tactics very wrong at York and lay too far back,” Gosden said of Golden Horn’s defeat. “The jockey went to the other extreme today … Today, he galloped them into the ground. I’d prefer to see him sitting off a target.”

Two lengths behind Free Eagle came Pleascach, who was followed by Secretariat Stakes winner Highland Reel, The Grey Gatsby, and Cirrus des Aigles. The last two home disappointed, and at age 9, it’s fair to wonder if Cirrus des Aigles ever will run a top race again.

Golden Horn, a Cape Cross colt owned by Anthony Oppenheimer, won for the sixth time in seven races. He is being pointed to the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe but will not run if the going at Longchamp turns too soft, Gosden said. On especially soft ground, Gosden will start Jack Hobbs in the Arc, he said, but if Golden Horn runs, Jack Hobbs would have the Champion Stakes at Ascot on his agenda. Found and Free Eagle also surely will be considered for the Arc.

Meanwhile, Simple Verse appeared to have become the first filly to win the St. Leger since 1992, seeing off Bondi Beach by a head, but she and jockey Andrea Azteni had bulled their way off the rail 1 1/2 furlongs out, pushing Bondi Beach out, and as Simple Verse edged clear, the two foes came together again in the final 50 yards. Stewards ruled Simple Verse’s action cost Bondi Beach victory in the third leg of the loosely linked English Triple Crown.

It was the second time in a month trainer Ralph Beckett saw a horse taken down in a Grade/Group 1 race. Beckett also trains Secret Gesture, who finished first but was placed third in the Beverly D. last month at Arlington. That ruling is under appeal, and Beckett said the St. Leger result also would be appealed.

Bondi Beach, by Galileo, is trained by Aidan O’Brien and was ridden by Colm O’Donoghue. He won for the third time in five starts while annexing his first Group 1.

Well-backed Storm the Stars did not stay the 14 furlongs and faded late back to fourth after leading in the stretch.

Legatissimo shines in Matron

Legatissimo proved much the best in the Group 1 Matron Stakes on the Irish Champion card, absolutely cruising to the front under Wayne Lordan and easily beating runner-up Cladocera by 2 1/4 lengths. Amazing Maria’s storybook summer took a turn for the worse as the surprise winner of consecutive Group 1’s could only finish seventh, while 2014 Beverly D. winner Euro Charline set the pace and faded to fifth.

The one-mile Matron is a Win and You’re In race for the BC Filly and Mare Turf, and Legatissimo is indeed being pointed to that race, according to David Wachman, who called her the best horse he’s ever trained. The 3-year-old filly won her fifth race from 10 starts and third Group 1, and Wachman suggested she ran the best race of her career Saturday.