WHAT a breath of fresh air it is to see so many British trainers trying their luck at the Irish Champions Festival this weekend. After all, it makes perfect sense, since Karl Burke raided Leopardstown and the Curragh for a treble at this meeting last year. Eve Johnson Houghton plundered a Group 1 with Zavateri too.

It was noticeable at the five-day confirmation stage this week that Charlie Appleby had added two fascinating candidates to today’s card at Leopardstown. In a season where Notable Speech has been the Godolphin trainer’s sole domestic Group 1 winner, could his fortunes be about to change?

The stable’s Musical Times delivered a statement two-year-old performance in the Group 2 May Hill Stakes at Doncaster on Thursday, bolting up by seven and a half lengths, and Appleby will bid for more juvenile joy in the newly-upgraded Group 1 HKJC World Pool Golden Fleece Stakes (2.45) today. His Sea The Stars colt earned a free entry into this race, when landing the Listed Stonehenge Stakes at Salisbury last month.

Appleby said: “Quest For Stars is a hard horse to assess. He is unbeaten in three starts, but he’s not an exciting horse at home and just seems to get the job done on the track. We feel that stepping up to nine furlongs will suit, as he has hit the line strongly in all of his appearances so far.”

On Arabian Crown, who was supplemented into the Group 3 World Pool Bet With The Tote Kilternan Stakes (3.15) at a cost of €10,000 this week, Appleby added: “He has enjoyed a little break since chasing home Rebel’s Romance at the July Festival. The ground at Leopardstown looks as though it will be lovely for him and this trip suits him well. He goes to Ireland in good order and should be very competitive.”

Appleby has impressively finished in the prize money with 30 of his 31 runners in Ireland since the start of his career.

With Wayne Lordan and Ronan Whelan Doncaster-bound for Ballydoyle’s primary Betfred St Leger hopes, there are some classy rides up for grabs at Leopardstown and Aidan O’Brien has enlisted the help of two former French champion jockeys.

It’s no surprise that Belgian maestro Christophe Soumillon is in town, having ridden a treble for the Coolmore team on this card 12 months ago when Ryan Moore was sidelined, but Pierre-Charles Boudot is a fascinating name on the O’Brien teamsheet.

He has been handed five mounts for the champion trainer, including getting the nod over Soumillon for True Love in the Group 1 Coolmore America ‘Justify’ Matron Stakes (3.55). Shakespeare looks another high-class ride for the 33-year-old in the Golden Fleece.

These won’t be Boudot’s first rides for O’Brien by any means, but they will be his first for Ballydoyle on Irish soil. His sole racecourse ride on these shores came in the 2017 Irish Derby on fourth-placed Waldgeist.

Boudot also rode out at Ballydoyle for a period while his licence was suspended in 2021 in France, following his arrest on a charge of rape. The Arc-winning rider effectively had his career paused while French police investigated the matter, and he only returned to French race-riding earlier this year when the Amiens Court of Appeal determined there were no grounds to proceed with the charges.

Boudot memorably won the 2020 Breeders’ Cup Mile on O’Brien’s Order Of Australia, having earlier that season won the Grand Prix de Paris on Mogul and Criterium International on Van Gogh for the same stable.

Willie McCreery’s greatest triumph came on this weekend in 2014 when Fiesolana captured the Matron Stakes, providing jockey Billy Lee and the trainer with their first Group 1 success. The coming two days have the potential to be highly fruitful for the Curragh-based handler, who has his string in outstanding form at present.

McCreery recently sent out 10 winners in the space of a month and will attempt to carry that form into today’s card at Leopardstown, where Timeless Tale will be one of the leading fancies in the opening Ballylinch Stud Irish EBF Ingabelle Stakes (1.35). It was a monstrous debut performance that saw her win by eight and a half lengths at Naas 20 days ago.

Rebel Wave looks a big player for the stable in the concluding World Pool Bet With Tote Autumn Fillies Handicap (6.10) too. She’s chasing a third win on the bounce and could be nicely handicapped off 82. Stablemate Bella Colombia has gone up a stone in the weights for a hat-trick of wins since the spring and looks an each-way player low in the handicap.

Not only that, but McCreery’s ace miler Jancis might just have been found a shrewd international target later this evening. She tries 10 furlongs for only the second time at Woodbine in the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor Stakes (10.55), joining European raiders Venetian Lace (Charlie Johnston), See The Fire (Andrew Balding) and Diamond Rain (Charlie Appleby).