Roaring Lion won't be denied in Irish Champion Stakes

Some people believe that imputing a will to win to horses is a merely anthropomorphic act. They would be hard-pressed to maintain that position after watching Roaring Lion win the Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes by a neck over Saxon Warrior on Saturday at Leopardstown Racecourse.

Saxon Warrior sat just behind slow-paced leaders as Roaring Lion and jockey Oisin Murphy were forced to wait at the back of the Irish Champion field to avoid losing precious ground around the 1 1/4-mile race’s one left-handed turn. The Leopardstown homestretch is about three furlongs long, and after straightening away, Murphy finally felt comfortable peeling Roaring Lion out to make a run.

By then, Saxon Warrior, a very good colt in his own right, already had made his move and was going for home, and having spent little energy getting to the front, he had plenty of run. But with a quarter-mile to run, Roaring Lion began heating up. Crouching low as Murphy exhorted his colt to produce his best, Roaring Lion kicked harder and harder; even on a tiny screen an ocean away, his desire to catch the one horse ahead of him still felt palpable. Saxon Warrior never caved, but Roaring Lion ate him up in the final yards anyway, scoring by a neck for his third straight Group 1 victory.

Deauville, whose role was pace-maker, held third and was followed by Athena, another horse close to the front, French Derby winner Study of Man – who couldn’t come close to quickening with the winner – Rhododendron, and Verbal Dexterity. Time for the 1 1/4 miles over good-to-firm going was 2:07.21, a slow clocking due to the slow pace.

The Irish Champion was a Breeders’ Cup Challenge race linked to the BC Turf, but Roaring Lion already had captured one of those races, the Juddmonte International, and has an automatic fees-paid entry into the BC Turf plus travel expenses to Churchill Downs. The colt’s immediate goal is the Champion Stakes at Ascot next month, and he has developed such strong acceleration that the Breeders’ Cup Mile might be a better target than the Turf should his connections, trainer John Gosden and owner Qatar Racing Limited, decide to push on into October.

Roaring Lion, an American-bred by Kitten’s Joy and the Street Sense mare Vionnet, was a good 2-year-old, finishing a close second to Saxon Warrior in the Group 1 Racing Post Trophy Stakes to cap his campaign. He was mediocre in the Craven Stakes and the English 2000 Guineas, both over one mile, but was still finding his footing early this year. Roaring Lion finished third in the Epsom Derby and on Saturday remained perfect in weight-for-age races adding the Irish Champion to the International and the Group 1 Coral Eclipse.

Laurens upsets Alpha Centauri

Laurens went to the lead under Danny Tudhope and turned away a challenge from odds-on favorite Alpha Centauri to upset the Group 1 Matron Stakes on the Irish Champion undercard.

Alpha Centauri appeared to have Laurens in her sights in the final furlong but twice took bad steps and lost her momentum. She was examined by a veterinarian after the race and reported to be “clinically abnormal” but no details were provided on what ailed her.

Alpha Centauri was 3-10 overseas after winning four straight Group 1 races at one mile, the Matron distance, though she had never beaten Laurens. Based in England with trainer Karl Burke, Laurens won the Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary and the Group 1 French Oaks in France earlier this year, but after fading to fifth last out in the 1 1/2-mile Yorkshire Oaks, Laurens was cut back in trip Saturday – to excellent effect.

With jockey Danny Tudhope taking over for injured P J McDonald, Laurens made the front, settled nicely, and kicked home with good energy. She beat a favorite who might well have been compromised physically, but also handled five other fillies of quality.

Laurens, owned by John Dance, is by Siyouni out of Recambe, by Cape Cross. The Matron was a Breeders’ Cup Challenge race linked to the BC Filly and Mare Turf, so Laurens now has automatic fees-paid entry into that race plus travel expenses to Churchill Downs should her connections decide to head that direction. Laurens is Breeders’ Cup-eligible, but Burke never has started a horse in North America.

Madhmoon zooms home in Juvenile

Eighty-six-year-old-trainer Kevin Prendergast has a nice 2-year-old on his hands. Madhmoon won the Group 2 Juvenile Stakes on the Irish Champion undercard just about as easily as he’d captured a maiden race making his career debut a month ago at Leopardstown.

Under Chris Hayes, Madhmoon reached contention with a quarter-mile to run in the one-turn mile and got to the front without having to work. He was ridden out to a 2 1/2-length score over Broom, who had come under a busy ride with three furlongs still left to race.

The Juvenile is a Breeders’ Cup Challenge race linked to the BC Juvenile Turf and Madhmoon earned automatic fees-paid entry into the race plus travel expenses to Louisiville, site of the 2018 Breeders’ Cup, should his connections choose to ship to America. Madhmoon, the favorite, is owned by Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum and is a colt by New Approach out of the Haafhd mare Aaraas.