Group I racing at Leopardstown overnight produced interesting results with the favourites beaten in both Group I races, while a blue-blooded 2YO Deep Impact colt claimed his first Black Type success.
The Group I Irish Champion Stakes (1m2f) saw race favourite Vadeni shooting for his third Group I win in a row, but the Churchill colt came up short with victory going to high class Camelot colt Luxembourg.
Trained by Aidan O’Brien, Luxembourg was undefeated at two winning the Group I Doncaster Futurity Trophy, but has had an injury hampered classic season spending most of it on the sidelines after finishing third at his first run back in the Group I The Two Thousand Guineas.
He won the Group III Royal Whip Stakes last month and then improved sharpy here for Ryan Moore to pull clear and win by half a length over last start Group I winning Frankel colt Onesto with Vadeni in third place.
Luxembourg has had five wins and a third from six starts with the Arc looking likely as his next assignment.
“It was an unbelievable effort from all the team to get this horse back and Ryan gave Luxembourg an incredible ride. We felt going to the Curragh that he was only ready for a racecourse gallop, and he couldn't come here unless he had a race,”: said Aidan O’Brien.
“The plan and the dream was we had three races mapped out if we could get him back. If we could get him to the Curragh then he could come here, and if he came here then we could go for the Arc.”
Luxembourg was purchased for 150,000 guineas by MV Magnier at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 1 and was bred by Ben Sangster. He is a half-brother to Group II winner Leo de Fury and is the best of five winners from Attire, a full sister to Group III winner Forgotten Voice from the family of champion mare Aquarelliste.
MV Magnier bought his two year-old full brother at the Goffs Orby Sale last year for €1.2million and he has been named Hiawatha. He has had one start for a win at the Curragh last month and is entered for upcoming Group races.
Luxembourg is one of 10 Group I winners for Epsom Derby winning sire Camelot, who stands at Coolmore Ireland at a fee of €75,000.
The Group I Matron Stakes (1m) for fillies and mares was won by five year-old Invincible Spirit mare Pearls Galore, who was too good for Group I winners Saffron Beach and Tenebrism.
Second in this race last year, the Paddy Twomey trained mare had been racing consistently this year and was well overdue for an elite victory.
A homebred for Haras De Saint Pair, Peals Galore has seven wins from 17 starts and is a half-sister to Group III winner Lucky Lycra and stakes-winner Pearly Steph, the dam of this year’s Group III winner Eternal Pearl.
She is the best of five winners from Group III winning Pivotal mare Pearl Banks, a daughter of Group I winner Pearly Shells.
Pearls Galore is the 21st Group I winner for I Am Invincible’s sire Invincible Spirit.
The Group II Champions Juvenile Stakes (1m) was won by exciting colt Auguste Rodin, a Coolmore homebred by Deep Impact from triple Group I winning Galileo filly Rhododendron.
Trained by Aidan O’Brien and ridden by Ryan Moore, he won by a length and a half and has two wins and a second from three starts with lofty plans for the future.
“He has a beautiful physique and a good nature and always went through his work very impressively,” said Aidan O’Brien.
“To get a horse like him by Deep Impact out of a Galileo champion mare is incredible really. He could be a Futurity Trophy or a Dewhurst horse, he has plenty of class and quality and will probably sharpen up a lot from the race. We thought he could be the type of horse who could do both the Guineas and Derby, he could be a Derby horse that could start in the Guineas. He could get a mile and a half, but he's a mile, mile-and-a-quarter horse we thought.”
Auguste Rodin is the 189th stakes-winner for the late Japanese champion sire Deep Impact and is his sixth stakes-winner bred from a daughter of Galileo, the nick running at 15% SW to runner producing two Group I winners for Coolmore in Snowfall and Saxon Warrior who is currently covering in Australia this spring.
