Irish Champion next stop for Ghaiyyath juggernaut

Ghaiyyath is taking his talents to Ireland this weekend, and what he already has done in Dubai and England this year – crunch all competition – he’ll be widely expected to do in his first trip to the Emerald Isle.

Ghaiyyath, a mammoth dark bay 5-year-old horse, has been raking in the green under the blue Godolphin silks this season, winning the Dubai Millennium Stakes by more than eight lengths, the Coronation Cup by 2 1/2 lengths, the Coral-Eclipse by 2 1/4, and the Juddmonte International by three. The last three of those were Group 1s, and Ghaiyyath comfortably handled the great Enable in the Eclipse, albeit in the mare’s first race after a long layoff. It’s not just money that Ghaiyyath has been earning during 2020, but high-level plaudits: In the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings that came out Thursday, Ghaiyyath easily was the highest rated horse in the world at 130.

Ghaiyyath as of Thursday was a strong odds-on favorite in fixed-odds early betting to beat five foes in the 1 1/4-mile Irish Champion, and if he is doing as well as trainer Charlie Appleby says, and the course at Leopardstown remains good, the way Ghaiyyath likes it, he won’t be losing.

“He’s going to Leopardstown in as good a condition as we have ever had him,” Appleby said in a report posted at Godolphin.com following Ghaiyyath’s Wednesday breeze in England. “I’m as pleased with him as I was before the [Juddmonte International] , where I thought he was very professional in the manner he went about everything.”

The Irish Champion is run left-handed around a turn and a half and over a relatively flat course – about as close as a European grass course gets to American racing. The race is part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series offering the winner automatic fees-paid entry into the BC Turf and travel expenses to Keeneland. The Juddmonte International is a BC Challenge race linked to the Classic, but so far there has been nothing from the Ghaiyyath camp suggesting the horse is being considered for the Classic. The BC Turf, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, the English Champion Stakes, and the Japan Cup all have been mentioned as possible late season stops for Ghaiyyath.

William Buick has the mount and, as usual, figures to take the lead and dole out Ghaiyyath’s ample speed furlong by furlong. Ghaiyyath has gotten better and better about rationing his pace rather than expending excess energy in a race’s early stages.

Ghaiyyath already has solidly defeated two Aidan O’Brien-trained horses, Magical and Japan, entered to face him Saturday. A third O’Brien runner, Armory, might be used to try and pester Ghaiyyath on the lead.

Also entered is the Peter Brant-owned Sottsass, who ships from France to prep for the Arc. Sottsass, who won the French Derby last year, was third in the 2019 Arc but has so far had a somewhat disappointing season with just one win from three starts.

Leopardstown’s second Group 1 Saturday is the Matron Stakes, a BC Challenge race linked to the Filly and Mare Turf and a showdown between Peaceful, trained by Aidan O’Brien, and Fancy Blue, trained by his son Donnacha O’Brien. Peaceful handled Fancy Blue by two lengths when they met in the Irish 1000 Guineas, but in the Prix de Diane (French Oaks) on July 5, it was Fancy Blue by a neck over Peaceful, who lost second in a tight photo with Alpine Star. Peaceful makes her first start since the 1 5/16-mile Prix de Diane and could benefit from cutting back to one mile. Fancy Blue raced July 30, scoring a narrow win in the 1 1/4-mile Nassau Stakes, and the two 3-year-old fillies were co-favored Thursday in antepost wagering. The only other Matron entrant attracting much betting support is Albigna, who has yet to follow up on a strong 2-year-old season. Albigna was a flat sixth in the Irish 1000 Guineas, got the rest of the summer off, and finished second over soft ground in a late August comeback race that likely was mainly a prep for Saturday’s race.

First post for the card is 9 a.m. Eastern. Live video and wagering is available at DRFBets.com.

Twelve in St Leger

A dozen 3-year-olds face off Saturday at Doncaster in the St Leger Stakes, the 1 13/16-mile race that’s the final leg of England’s Triple Crown – a series that has been rendered all but meaningless in the modern era. Pyledriver, twice a group stakes winner over 1 1/2 miles this year, is tepidly favored over Santiago, who most recently finished third behind champion stayer Stradivarius in the two-mile Goodwood Cup.