SOME of the early anticipation for Irish Champions Stakes quickly dissipated mid-week following Aidan O’Brien’s rather bullish comments on a Delacroix/Ombudsman rematch.

“We’ll try to run a pacemaker if John doesn’t and we’ll make it very straightforward. The pacemaker will go on and Delacroix can follow him and Ombudsman can follow Delacroix, if he wants!

“What makes it very simple is when the pace is on. You need to be quick at Leopardstown, it’s sharp, but it’s fast, but you need to get home well. If you have horses in front and make sure there is pace in a race then everyone gets a fair shot at it. Everyone is always happy to get beaten if you get a clean shot.” Aidan O’Brien said.

But then John Gosden decided not to take on ‘team’ O’Brien on their ‘home’ track. It appeared that team Gosden didn’t feel they would get a clean shot.

“Obviously, it would not be in the best interests of Ombudsman to race in September nor would the horse appreciate running against multiple entries from one stable on a track with a short straight.” I had visions of Aidan on his walkie talkie dictating things from the stands to his riders. “Pacemaker one, go to lead. Ppacemaker two follow second,” and three furlongs out, “Pacemaker one, stand down, your time is up…”

Under scrutiny

Pacemakers, or “rabbits” as they are termed in the US, also came under scrutiny in America last weekend with a dramatic running of the Jockey Club Gold Cup. This race saw one of the favourites lose his rider early and his owner Mike Repole blame the presence in the race of an ‘emotional support rabbit’ for favourite Sierra Leone, who needs a fast pace to run at.

Repole suggested the running of a pacemaker had influenced other runners and was a factor in the early interference that cost Mindframe his chance, when bumping caused Irad Ortiz to unbalance out of the saddle.

In the immediate race aftermath, Repole spoke on X on the incident where he blamed the presence of the pacemaker. ”The stewards should not take that entry. That horse had no intention of winning. Kendrick [rider who caused the initial interference] knew he had a speed horse but he had to go for the lead. He thought if he knocks the rabbit out, he can get to an easy lead.”

Repole later posted on X: “The commission steward allowed a horse worth $50k to be entered in a Grade 1 where he not only had no chance to win, he had no intent to win, coming off a race where he was beaten 80 lengths. This careless entry could’ve easily killed a horse or a jockey.”

So pacemakers are still the talk of the season. Is there a valid point? Should a bigger stable be allowed more than one pacemaker that might get in the way of better horses as the race hots up?

John Gosden said they had won the Irish Champion Stakes four times and had said repeatedly in interviews at York that Ombudsman did not want soft ground, so intentions to run in the British Champions Stakes will be very much weather-tied. Leopardstown would have looked a better fit. It is a pity if it is only ‘home’ opposition that has put him off.

Looking back at previous editions of the Irish Champion Stakes, you could say that the two occasions when perhaps the best horse did not win both involved two O’Brien runners, in Galileo and Australia, being beaten.

Was John Gosden running scared or suggesting his horse would not get a fair roll of the dice? If so, it does raise a question of how many pacemakers, if they can change the running of a race, are fair to all?

Does “everyone get a fair shot at it”?

THIS Aidan O’Brien comment from the recent media morning caught my attention. Guess which stallion this comment is about?

“He’s just the most incredible stallion. He looks an absolute freak. It doesn’t matter what kind of a body they have; they’re quick and they stay. Like, we’ve never seen anything like him.”

Answer: Wootton Bassett.

Aidan was equally effusive about another sire a month ago. “He’s different from any other thoroughbred you’ve seen. Justifys are Galileos with more class.” O’Brien told ITV Racing after Scandinavia won at Goodwood.

But Scandinavia apart, it’s not been the greatest of seasons for the Triple Crown-winning sire. He sadly lost his classic winner Ruling Court last week and, despite all the praise, it seems strange that the thrice-raced Moments Of Joy ‘appeared’ to be the only two-year-old representative of his seen on the track so far from Ballydoyle until one by that name runs at Navan today.

Fourth crop

Justify’s quiet spell comes from his fourth crop, having had a great two seasons headed by City Of Troy’s exploits. A champion juvenile, he won the Derby, Eclipse and Juddmonte International to be named joint-world champion and Justify’s daughter Opera Singer took the Nassau Stakes.

The Christopher Head-trained Ramatuelle also represented the sire when she atoned for her 1000 Guineas loss, winning the Group 1 Prix de la Foret.

Four Group/Grade 1-winning two-year-olds had come out of his second crop, City Of Troy and Opera Singer in Europe, as well as Hard To Justify and Just FYI at the 2023 Breeders’ Cup meeting.

Ruling Court’s victory in the 2000 Guineas was his eighth Group/Grade 1 winner from four crops.

A 2024 fee of $250,000 made him America’s joint-most expensive sire and Martin Stevens’ Racing Post feature in May reported that he had covered 263 mares at Ashford Stud in 2024 and they included top-class winners Alice Springs, Clemmie, Empress Josephine, Forever Together, Found, Happily, Hydrangea, Love, Magical, Magic Wand, Minding, Rhododendron, Tuesday, Warm Heart, Was and Winter.

His current two-year-olds were conceived at a fee of $100,000 in his fourth season at stud but there has to be an expectation of ‘can do better’ on his 2025 report card so far.

Hannah Smullen@hannah_smullen

Thank you to every rider who made a huge effort to prepare and raise funds, and all who donated and attended

I felt connected to many of the riders, but seeing Liv in the winner’s enclosure in her mum Theresa’s silks was particularly poignant.

Dave Deer@DaveDeer2

AOB would have had a plan to shuffle Ombudsman back and have to make his run from the car park. I stand with Johnny G

JH@therealjonnyh71

What’s the point in aiming at the Champion Stakes when the ground may well be Somme like by then? Leopardstown was absolutely the right race for him