Luxembourg rallies to victory in Irish Champion Stakes

Three-year-old colts swept the top three placings in the featured race Saturday at Leopardstown, where Luxembourg gave trainer Aidan O’Brien a fourth straight victory in the Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes.

Luxembourg, fourth and fifth during the early and middle stages, came with a wide run under Ryan Moore and bested Onesto, who had rallied steadily between horses, by a half-length. Vadeni, shipping like Onesto from France, finished third, another 1 1/4 lengths behind as the solid favorite off a last-start win in the Eclipse Stakes. Vadeni split rivals in upper stretch before Christophe Soumillion went for an inside run, diving to the rail to pass tiring pacesetter Stone Age before trying unsuccessfully to swing back outside the top two finishers in the final strides.

The course at Leopardstown, a left-handed, relatively flat track, was rated soft for Saturday’s card.

The Irish Champion is part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge series, offering the winner automatic fees-paid entry into the BC Turf and travel expenses to Keeneland this fall, but Luxembourg’s near-term target is the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on Oct. 2. That also could be the spot for Onesto, who was beaten nearly seven lengths by Vadeni in the Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club before winning the Grand Prix de Paris. Vadeni was ruled out of the Arc on Saturday by trainer Jean-Claude Rouget, who said the colt could instead start in the Champion Stakes at Newmarket if the ground is not too soft. Mishriff finished fourth, the first home among three older horses who gave the 3-year-olds six pounds, and his connections did specifically mention the BC Turf as an autumn target.

O’Brien won this race in 2019 and 2020 with Magical and in 2021 with 3-year-old St Mark’s Basilica. Luxembourg this past spring was regarded as O’Brien’s top 3-year-old of 2022, but after a troubled third in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket, Luxembourg met with an injury that kept him from racing until Aug. 13, when he scored a modest win in an Irish Group 3 – a race, it turned out, that had him spot on for the Irish Champion. Luxembourg is by Camelot out of Attire, by Danehill Dancer.

Two races later, Pearls Galore led all the way upsetting the Group 1 Matron Stakes for older fillies and mares over a one-turn mile. Second in this race’s 2021 renewal, Pearls Galore sped to the front under Billie Lee and beat runner-up Saffron Beach by three lengths while running the best race of her career. Tenebrism rallied decently for third, while the race’s big disappointment was heavily favored Homeless Songs, who flattened out late and finished fourth in her first start since a glittering victory in the Irish 1000 Guineas this past spring.

The Matron is a BC Challenge race linked to the Filly and Mare Turf, but at 1 1/4 miles, that race likely is too long for Pearls Galore, a 5-year-old mare by Invincible Spirit out of Pearl Banks, by Pivotal. Last season, trainer Paddy Twomey – who added cheek pieces to Pearls Galore’s race-day equipment Saturday – sent the mare to finish second in the Prix de la Foret on the Arc undercard before Pearls Galore went to Del Mar and was sixth in the BC Mile.

A third race part of the BC Challenge series, the Champions Juvenile Stakes for 2-year-olds (linked to the BC Juvenile Turf) went to Auguste Rodin, Moore once again riding for O’Brien. Heavily favored, Auguste Rodin was 1 1/2 lengths better than Caroline Street while winning for the second time in three starts. By Deep Impact out of Rhododendron, by Galileo, Auguste Rodin could start next in an English Group 1, possibly the Dewhurst at Newmarket.