On both sides of the Irish Sea on Saturday, the well-backed colts Delacroix and Scandinavia gave the Coolmore syndicate and trainer Aidan O’Brien Group 1 wins with implications for major stakes later this year.  Delacroix earned a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar on Nov. 1 with a win in the Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes at 1 1/4 miles at Leopardstown Racecourse. Delacroix, however, has been mentioned as a candidate for the Group 1 Champion Stakes at 1 1/4 miles at Ascot Racecourse in Britain on Oct. 18.  In the $1.46 million Irish Champion Stakes, Delacroix, who paid $4.30 as the favorite in American pools, stalked stablemate Mount Kilimanjaro before taking the lead with a quarter-mile remaining.  Delacroix, ridden by Christophe Soumillon, was tested in the final furlong by 4-1 Anmaat, who finished second by three-quarters of a length. Royal Champion (20-1) finished third by three lengths in a field of eight.  The Irish Champion Stakes was Delacroix’s sixth win in 11 starts and his second in a Group 1 at 1 1/4 miles this year; Delacroix was also O'Brien's 13th Irish Champion winner. An Irish-bred colt by Dubawi, Delacroix won the Group 1 Eclipse Stakes at 1 1/4 miles at Sandown Racecourse near London in July.  :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. Delacroix is out of Tepin, the champion turf female in the United States in 2015 and 2016.  Scandinavia won the Group 1 English St. Leger at 1 3/4 miles at Doncaster Racecourse in what may have been a prep race for the Group 1 Melbourne Cup in Australia on Nov. 4, O’Brien said.  Ridden by Tom Marquand, Scandinavia held an early lead, and tracked stablemate Lambourn before retaking the lead with more than a quarter-mile remaining. Scandinavia, who paid $4.80 as the favorite in American pools, was challenged in the final strides by 14-1 Rahiebb before prevailing by a neck. The O’Brien-trained Stay True (5-1) finished third in the field of seven.  Scandinavia won his third consecutive group stakes in the $949,000 St. Leger, a streak that includes the Group 1 Goodwood Cup at two miles at Goodwood Racecourse in Britain on July 29.  A Kentucky-bred by Justify, Scandinavia has won 4 of 8 starts.   Earlier on the Leopardstown program, Fallen Angel ($4.80) recorded a hard-earned victory in the Group 1 Matron Stakes for fillies and mares at a mile. Ridden by James Doyle, Fallen Angel was always near the front and was fully extended in the final furlong to hold off the O’Brien-trained Exactly, who finished second by three-quarters of a length as the 3-1 second choice. Atsila (36-1) was a surprise third, beaten 1 ¼ lengths.  Fallen Angel, a 4-year-old British-bred filly by Too Darn Hot, has won 6 of 12 starts. The $469,000 Matron Stakes was Fallen Angel’s fourth Group 1 win and second consecutive victory at the highest level. Trained in Britain by Karl Burke, Fallen Angel won the Group 1 Prix Rothschild for fillies and mares at a mile at Deauville, France, on Aug. 3.  With the win in the Matron, Fallen Angel earned a fees-paid berth to the BC Filly and Mare Turf at Del Mar on Nov. 1, but Burke told the press that the Group 1 Sun Chariot Stakes for fillies and mares at a mile at Newmarket Racecourse in Britain on Oct. 4 is the next objective.  The leading race for 2-year-olds on the Leopardstown program went to the O’Brien-trained Benvenuto Cellini, who beat three rivals to record his first stakes win in the Group 2 Juvenile Stakes at a mile. The win gave Benvenuto Cellini a fees-paid berth to the BC Juvenile Turf at Del Mar on Aug. 31, although O’Brien mentioned races in Europe in October as more likely objectives.  Ridden by Soumillon, Benvenuto Cellini ($2.90) stalked 2-1 Hardy Warrior before taking the lead with a quarter-mile remaining. Benvenuto Cellini won by five lengths over Hardy Warrior. Benvenuto Cellini lost his leading rival earlier in the Juvenile in the day when the O’Brien-trained Montreal was withdrawn on veterinarian advice.  With the win, Benvenuto Cellini became the future-book favorite for the English Derby next June, at prices ranging from 8-1 to 12-1 with bookmakers.   Owned by the Coolmore syndicate and Georg von Opel, Benvenuto Cellini is an Irish-bred colt by Frankel out of Newspaperofrecord, the winner of the 2018 BC Juvenile Fillies Turf at Churchill Downs and the Grade 1 Just a Game Stakes at Belmont Park in 2020 for trainer Chad Brown. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.